The Amulet of Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud
Young adult · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 820L · 496 pages · 2011
Why we'd hand it over
Wickedly clever, multilayered magic system told through Nathaniel's and Bartimaeus's alternating voices—the demon's irreverent footnotes alone justify the reread, and the plot twists at age 12 feel earned, not manipulative.