61 books like Juno Jones, Word Ninja

By Kate Gordon, Sandy Flett (illustrator),

Here are 61 books that Juno Jones, Word Ninja fans have personally recommended if you like Juno Jones, Word Ninja. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Case of the Missing Marquess

Malka Older Author Of The Mimicking of Known Successes

From my list on Sherlock Holmes retellings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve obviously read a lot of Holmes retellings. Part of the impetus behind my new novella was trying to figure out why I was so attracted to them. Part of it, I realized, is the neurodivergence aspect: fundamental to the Holmes story is the idea of someone who thinks differentlyand who finds a way to interact with the world that uses that as an asset. The other component I love is the Holmes-Watson dynamic. Whether it's romantic or not, the development of a relationship of affection between two people who think very differently is an emotional counterpoint to plot-driven mysteries. Those elements—along with stellar writing, gripping mysteries, and characters I love spending time with.

Malka's book list on Sherlock Holmes retellings

Malka Older Why did Malka love this book?

This book again gives us an outsider’s perspective on the great detective, this time from the perspective of his underestimated younger sister.

Adrift in a detailed, exciting, and often horrifying Victorian London, Enola must not only search for her missing mother - and the titular missing marques - but also avoid the constraining, dangerous “help” offered by her well-meaning but obliviously sexist older brothers.

To do so, she learns how to turn seeming weaknesses into strengths, in entertaining and often very relatable ways. And I feel compelled to say that while the movie is fine, the book is much better.

By Nancy Springer,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Case of the Missing Marquess as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Introducing London's newest and greatest detective: Enola Holmes - the book that inspired the film, starring Millie Bobby Brown.

Read the series before the new film lands!

When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits.

Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers - all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother's strange disappearance.…


Book cover of Sherlock Cat and the Missing Mousie

Debra Williams Author Of Ah-Fur, Super Sleuth: The Case of The Missing Moggies

From my list on mystery and action for young readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an Australian author and have been an avid reader all of my life. One of the topics I particularly enjoy is mystery and adventure. I became a writer to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them in their reading. So many struggle, as I discovered whilst assisting in classrooms over many years. Children love secrets and mysteries, and this is a great way to draw them in. Other themes such as teamwork and friendship are just as important, so I try to cover all bases. I hope you and your young readers enjoy my recommendations.

Debra's book list on mystery and action for young readers

Debra Williams Why did Debra love this book?

This is a fun Chapter Book title, told through the narration of a cat, Fluffy, otherwise known as John Watson. His Siamese buddy, Spot, declares himself to be Dr. Sherlock Holmes, based on the fact that the man who owns them loves everything Sherlock and reads stories about the famous detective aloud.

I recommend this book because I loved both the cleverness of the cat characters and their silly moments, where they are rather like kids in their behaviour! Having had cats and children myself, as well as working with children over a 35-year-period, I can see the connection. It also has a strong bond of friendship throughout the story.

By Heather Edwards, Amanda Downs (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sherlock Cat and the Missing Mousie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"From now on, I am going to be Sherlock Holmes, the World's Greatest Cat Detective."With those words, my friend Spot decided he would become a crime-solving kitty."And you, of course," he said dramatically. "Will be my faithful friend, Dr. John Watson. The one who writes down all of my adventures and shares them with the world! We'll be famous! Everyone will know the name 'Sherlock Holmes, The World's Greatest Cat Detective!'" "Mm hmm," I agreed. I wasn't too worried. I was sure that, by morning, Spot would have forgotten all about becoming Sherlock Holmes.Boy, oh boy, was I wrong.


Book cover of Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast

Debra Williams Author Of Ah-Fur, Super Sleuth: The Case of The Missing Moggies

From my list on mystery and action for young readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an Australian author and have been an avid reader all of my life. One of the topics I particularly enjoy is mystery and adventure. I became a writer to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them in their reading. So many struggle, as I discovered whilst assisting in classrooms over many years. Children love secrets and mysteries, and this is a great way to draw them in. Other themes such as teamwork and friendship are just as important, so I try to cover all bases. I hope you and your young readers enjoy my recommendations.

Debra's book list on mystery and action for young readers

Debra Williams Why did Debra love this book?

A fast-paced, action-adventure tale for young readers. 10-year-old Pearly is concerned after receiving a strange phone call from her parents. They belong to a top-secret group. She believes her parents are being held on a ship bound for Antarctica but realises that they are not there, and she becomes the one in trouble. How will this young adventurer solve what is happening? It's something to do with a great hairy beast that is believed to dwell in the icy landscape-a creature her parents would have liked to prove exists. Whilst Pearl is a worrier, she steps into the frame and exhibits newfound bravery and nerve, doing what she can to find her parents. An encouraging example to be brave in difficult circumstances.

By Sue Whiting, Rebecca Crane (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The Antarctica awaits in this fast-paced adventure starring a plucky new heroine. Pearly must face her fears to save her parents, her pet pig, and the day!

Pearly Woe is a worrier. She worries about everything, especially that she'll never be brave enough to become a member of the top-secret group of stealth adventurers - The Adventurologists' Guild. Pearly also has a special talent - she can talk to animals. Her favourite animal to talk to is her pet pig, called Pig. But with her parents missing, Pig pig-napped and Pearly a stowaway on an icebreaker heading for Antarctica, Pearly's…


Book cover of With the Passion of a Pig

Debra Williams Author Of Ah-Fur, Super Sleuth: The Case of The Missing Moggies

From my list on mystery and action for young readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an Australian author and have been an avid reader all of my life. One of the topics I particularly enjoy is mystery and adventure. I became a writer to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them in their reading. So many struggle, as I discovered whilst assisting in classrooms over many years. Children love secrets and mysteries, and this is a great way to draw them in. Other themes such as teamwork and friendship are just as important, so I try to cover all bases. I hope you and your young readers enjoy my recommendations.

Debra's book list on mystery and action for young readers

Debra Williams Why did Debra love this book?

This is a super adventure, which, whilst fiction, at its heart tackles some serious issues via the means of its five animal Superheroes: Simon, Catt, Patty, Freddy, and Bash. Issues such as bullying, not fitting in, being without a family, missing animals, and neglected children. I felt a real connection and empathy with the characters, who work as a group to solve a mystery and make the world a better place. Young readers will enjoy this tale where good wins over all obstacles and dishonesty. There are strong emotional moments, that many children experience in their lives. Well recommended, especially for the 8-12 age group.

By Donna Sager Cowan, SAMBYBooks Illustrator (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked With the Passion of a Pig as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

The Superhero School squad return for their third adventure.

Mrs Gee is missing and no one knows why. When Patty Porter, tech-savvy pig and team member tracks Mrs. Gee’s phone to the same spot where Catt appeared weeks before, the squad immediately go to check it out.

The team find the portal the carried Catt to Sweet Meadows and the monkeys said lead to the human world of California. Their plan? Find Mrs. Gee and the missing animals sold by the monkeys.

Unfortunately, the squad is in for a big surprise when they exit the portal. Only Catt remains in…


Book cover of Guard Your Daughters

Ursula DeYoung Author Of Shorecliff

From my list on families from the mid-twentieth century.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a small seaside town north of Boston. I have three siblings, and we always spent a few weeks every summer with our cousins in a rented house somewhere in New England—a new place each year. I became a bookworm at a young age, and I’ve always loved reading novels about big families that capture both the magic and the conflicts inevitable with many siblings and relatives. I was also an anglophile, and I tended to gravitate toward books written in earlier decades, particularly those of the mid 20th century. When I began writing my own novels, it seemed natural to set them in those fascinating earlier times.

Ursula's book list on families from the mid-twentieth century

Ursula DeYoung Why did Ursula love this book?

The true identity of Diana Tutton remains uncertain. She published three idiosyncratic novels in England in the 1950s, all of which have now fallen into obscurity. Of those, Guard Your Daughters is the best: it describes a loving family dedicated to protecting the children’s mother, whose poor health has led to an insular, overly sheltered lifestyle for her many daughters. Each of the girls is distinct and vividly drawn by Tutton, who has a keen eye for the traditions, tensions, and excitement of siblings in their teenage years. Over the course of the novel, the sisters gradually forge more connections with the outside world and discover not only their own larger desires but also the hidden truth of their family life.

By Diana Tutton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Guard Your Daughters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton is a 1953 novel about a family of five daughters living in the country – or rather four daughters since one has recently escaped by marrying and it is Morgan, Cressida, Teresa and Thisbe who are still at home with their parents. Their mother stops her daughters going to school or making friends. But because she tends to make scenes or retire to bed, her family do all they can to avoid defying or upsetting her; yet they do so in a continually light-hearted, cheerful fashion.

Thus on one level this is a ‘fun’…


Book cover of The Black

Sean-Michael Argo Author Of Salvage Marines

From my list on blue collar sci-fi and horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child I grew up around blue-collar type men and women, and as I became an adult I grew to learn that these are the sorts of people who pioneer civilizations, who keep them running once they are built, and who are the ones to brave high-risk labor to bring us the food, shelter, and comforts we often take for granted. Adding a fictional element in the form of aliens, monsters, or the supernatural can put a fine and dynamic point on the life & struggles of such people. I strive for this in much of my military science fiction work and enjoy reading it as an audience member.

Sean-Michael's book list on blue collar sci-fi and horror

Sean-Michael Argo Why did Sean-Michael love this book?

The Black is my first pick because it most keenly represents what I consider to be Blue Collar sci-fi/horror fiction. The novel takes place on an offshore oil rig, and the characters in the story are various laborers and specialists living and working on the rig. Much care and attention were taken by the author to present characters and situations that ring true to the lived experience of oil rig workers, from the technical aspects of their work to the particulars of life on the rig. This deep dive into the minds, lives, and skills of the blue-collar characters truly hammered home the terror and otherness of the antagonist when it was finally revealed. We often overlook the danger and strangeness of high-risk blue-collar professions, and exploring that in the context of sci-fi/horror genre fiction is tremendously engaging.

By Paul E. Cooley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Black as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Under 30,000 feet of water, the experimental exploration rig Leaguer has discovered an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia, with oil so sweet and pure, nations would go to war for the rights to it.

But as the team starts drilling exploration well after exploration well in their race to claim the sweet crude, a deep rumbling beneath the ocean floor shakes them all to their core. Something has been living in the oil and it's about to give birth to the greatest threat humanity has ever seen.

The first book in Paul E Cooley's Parsec Award Winning series, The…


Book cover of The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses

John Pasquet Author Of The Essence: A Guided Journey of Discovery through the Bible

From my list on helping you truly understand the Bible from beginning to end.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m passionate about helping people see the incredible beauty of God’s unfolding plan of redemption and restoration that unfolds in the pages of the Bible. In the Old Testament, this plan is hidden in mystery and symbolism. But then in the New Testament, this great mystery is unveiled in all its glory, and the symbolism emerges from the shadows and steps into the light! For the past 15+ years, it has been my great honor to read the Bible with people for their very first time and help them watch this great mystery unfold. These books do that very same thing!

John's book list on helping you truly understand the Bible from beginning to end

John Pasquet Why did John love this book?

I loved this book because it was such an easy read, but still somehow managed to really capture the whole story of the Bible.

The author also did something that was really unique. After the first chapter, he began to write a summary of the entire Bible. Then, at the end of every other chapter, he simply added to it. By the end, the reader is left with a very concise, but complete summary of the Bible. That was quite ingenious!

Recommended for anyone!

By Chris Bruno,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Helping readers grasp the overarching story line of the Bible, this concise resource explores 16 key verses that serve as "turning points" in the biblical narrative, highlighting God's sovereignty, glory, and grace throughout his Word.


Book cover of Editio Princeps: A History of the Gutenberg Bible

Janine Barchas Author Of The Lost Books of Jane Austen

From my list on books, for readers who like the smell of paper.

Why am I passionate about this?

I vividly recall learning about public libraries as a kid: if I signed up for a library card I could take ANY of these books home to read?! From the first, I loved books as physical objects on library shelves—savoring their covers and carefully reading their spines as clues to the stories within. I ended up as a professor of literature who does not just study the words, or texts, of novels (my specialty), but how stories are made into books and circulate in the culture. Everything from graphic design to price can influence our interpretation of a story, even before we read the first word...

Janine's book list on books, for readers who like the smell of paper

Janine Barchas Why did Janine love this book?

I love how every little detail of every surviving copy of the famous Gutenberg Bible (a binding, illuminations, a bit of marginalia, etc.) is investigated for clues to its monastic first owners, the book’s travels, and repairs. The chapters read like episodes of CSI. 

Yes, my university owns a Gutenberg copy, so this started as another duty read but ended in true love. A big expensive book about the first big expensive book better be good, right? Well, this one is better than good—it is a tour of the force of book sleuthing. I fetishize the illustrations and how this book, cleverly, is roughly the size of a Gutenberg volume.

By Eric White,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Editio Princeps as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Gutenberg Bible is widely recognized as Europe's first printed book, a book that forever changed the world. However, despite its initial impact, fame was fleeting: for the better part of three centuries the Bible was virtually forgotten; only after two centuries of tenacious and contentious scholarship did it attain its iconic status as a monument of human invention. Editio princeps: A History of the Gutenberg Bible is the first book to tell the whole story of Europe's first printed edition, describing its creation at Mainz circa 1455, its impact on fifteenth-century life and religion, its fall into oblivion during…


Book cover of The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist

Julian David Stone Author Of No Cameras Allowed: My Career as an Outlaw Rock and Roll Photographer

From my list on rock and roll and rock and roll stars.

Why am I passionate about this?

Julian David Stone is an author, screenwriter, photographer, and filmmaker. He shot dozens of the 1980s greatest acts by sneaking his photography equipment into concerts such as Prince, U2, the Police, David Bowie, R.E.M., the Ramones, Elvis Costello, the Talking Heads, the Grateful Dead, Joan Jett, and many, many more. Other work include screenplays for Disney, Paramount, Sony, and MGM. He is also the writer and director of the hit cult comedy feature film, Follow the Bitch, which has played to packed houses all around the country and received numerous awards.

Julian's book list on rock and roll and rock and roll stars

Julian David Stone Why did Julian love this book?

The Bible as far as I am concerned. As I was becoming a rock and roll fantastic in the early 80s, this was my go to source whenever encountering a new act that I hadn’t heard of. I would look up the new act, get an overview of their career and then dive in. It was always fun to see how they reviewed each album, using a scale of 1 to 5 stars. I bought every edition of this book (and will continue to do so, if they keep publishing them) and it was also interesting, and great feature of these books, that in each subsequent edition they would revisit their reviews and often change them, along with their star ratings.

By Rolling Stone Magazine,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Rolling Stone Album Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A completely revised edition of the bestselling guide to popular recordings--featuring 2,500 entries and more than 12,500 album reviews. The definitive guide for the `90s.


Book cover of Witch Bottle

Daisy Pearce Author Of The Silence

From my list on provoking a sense of dread.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a ghostbuster. I was the kid with the stack of ghost books and horror film obsession, sparked full of adrenaline and excitement. I knew about ouija boards and poltergeists before I knew my times tables and even now - older, more cynical, less drawn to graveyards - I still feel that same thrill when I am holding a horror novel in my hands. I write about discomfort, about fear. I’m well-acquainted with it. I like the feeling of being unnerved and want to evoke that in the stories I tell and the ones I read, like the books below. Hope you enjoy! 

Daisy's book list on provoking a sense of dread

Daisy Pearce Why did Daisy love this book?

Although this is a slow-burning horror with an air of menace throughout Witch Bottle is a very human book. It is a story about grief and loss and loneliness and conjures up a deeply unsettling atmosphere that stayed with me long after I’d turned out the light. Uncanny, in the truest sense of the word. 

By Tom Fletcher,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Witch Bottle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A deeply atmospheric literary horror novel about the nature of repressed guilt, grief and fear: 'Unsettling, horribly gripping and touched with genius' says the Daily Mail

Daniel once had a baby brother, but he died, a long time ago now. And he had a wife and a daughter, but that didn't work out, so now he's alone. The easy monotony of his job as a milkman in the remote northwest of England demands nothing from him other than dealing with unreasonable customer demands and the vagaries of his enigmatic boss.

But things are changing. Daniel's started having nightmares, seeing things…


Book cover of The Case of the Missing Marquess
Book cover of Sherlock Cat and the Missing Mousie
Book cover of Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast

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