Lost and Found by Andrew Clements (2008)

Twelve-year-old identical twins Jay and Ray have long resented that everyone treats them as a unit, an odd unit; so when the opportunity arises, they hatch a plot to take advantage of a clerical error at their new school and pretend they are just indeed one person. Clements is typically funny and irreverent; having twin boys himself the author orchestrates the plot so the parents are logically clueless and the boys are named Jay Ray and Ray Jay - easily confused auditorily as well as visually. The boys see an opportunity and run with the freedom of singleness. Chaos ensues as lies and misunderstandings mount giving the boys more trouble than their careful planning took into account. The situations are as true-to-life as they are funny! Ages: 8-9+

Are You there God? It's me, Margaret by Judy Bloom (1970)

Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, a twelve-year-old Margaret talks over her problems privately with God. Margaret's parents have no religion and are raising Margaret with none. Her father was born Jewish, her mother Christian and upon marrying they have forsaken both. The plot centers around Margaret's confusion about faith as she both longs for and fears physical development and growth. Blume writes openly about the physical manifestations of menstruation and puberty. Margaret is a strong-minded adolescent finding her way into adulthood. Controversial in its day for its straightforwardness. Ages: 9+

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (2009)

A companion novel l to A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, this incarnation of Mrs. Dowdel's adventures takes place some twenty-five years later and her grandchildren are grown. The story relates the surprising gifts bestowed on twelve-year-old Bob Barnhart and his family, who have recently moved to a small Illinois town in 1958, by their larger-than-life neighbor, Mrs. Dowdel. Bob's father is the new pastor of the run-down Methodist church in town with little to no congregation. Though, Mrs. Dowdel is no church woman, through her secret antics and peculiar ways, the church is set to right and the church prospers. Bob witnesses and participates in more than he plan on - with lots of hilarity along the way. Fun Christmas read! Ages: 9+

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix (2005)

Thirteen-year-old Bethany's parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
The pace is a little slow and the plot somewhat far fetched; why wouldn't Bethany have rebelled or, at least, thought about rebelling against her oppressive existence prior to the novel's beginning? Most normal thirteen-year-olds would have figured out that something was amiss with their peculiar-acting family. Ages: 10+