10 Amazing and Inexpensive German Books for 8-12 year olds

Indians who live in Germany might have noticed that books are much more expensive in Germany than in India. If your child is an avid reader, then you might be spending a reasonable amount of money on books on a regular basis. While we wish to encourage children to read, sometimes the cost of these books can be a deterrent.

Recently I found a program called ‘ Ich schenk dir eine Geschichte‘, targeted at children in 4th and 5th grade. Under this program, each year, many books are published. These have simple yet exciting storylines and are available at pretty reasonable prices. Read further to learn more about this program.

What is ‘ Ich schenk dir eine Geschichte’?

Ich schenk dir eine Geschichte translates to ‘ I gift you a story‘. It is a nationwide campaign in Germany, which coincides with World Book Day. Under this campaign, many booksellers in Germany give away books for free. This year, the date is 23rd April. The idea is to promote reading in children and make books easily accessible to them.

How does this programme work?

Schools register for the programme. They are given book vouchers, which they hand over to the school children, who can take the voucher to the participating bookshop and receive his/her copy for free.

So, are we talking about one free book here?

Yes and no.

If your child’s school is registered for this program and your child is in 4th or 5th grade, he/she will get one free book. But each year, under this programme, multiple books are published which are available at pretty reasonable prices. So, while you get one book for free from the school, they are many more that you can buy from your nearby bookstore or amazon.de at a very low price. Each book is in the range of 1-3 Euros.

The books published in the current year are available for purchase after World Book day each year. The books of previous years can be purchased anytime.

Who can benefit from this program?

1. All children in 4th and 5th grade:
   The campaign targets this age group.
2. Children under 4th grade who already have developed good reading skills:
   Children who have started reading from an early age and are already at an advanced reading level for their age can benefit from this programme too. Parents can buy these books for their kids even if the school doesn’t give them a voucher.
3. Older children who are new to German and want to develop their reading skills:
   These books are an excellent way to learn new words, even for older children who are new to German. The stories are simple, and the language in these books is easy. Therefore, one can benefit from learning new words and adding them to their vocabulary without getting tangled in complicated stories.

Read more about this campaign here.

Here are ten books (published under this program) that I have read and found interesting.

These are previous year’s publications. I have also shared the links to purchase these books. The links used in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.

1. Biber undercover:
   
   
   
   This is the story of Selma and Tobi-two fast friends, and their adventure with a stuffed Beaver, which they find after a misadventure in the school chemistry lab. The beaver is home sick; hence the two decide to get him home. And so begins the adventure!
   The book is available here.
   
2. Abenteuer in der Megaworld:
   
   
   
   Four children-Magnus, Mithat, Vicky and Flora win a jackpot and exclusive entry to the Megaworld amusement park. It should ideally be a day of fun, but the four are very different from each other and hence find it hard to get along. On top of that, things don’t go smoothly in the park—one breakdown after the other force the kids into teamwork.
   Get this book here.
   
3. Iva, Samo und der geheime Hexensee
   
   
   
   Iva and Samo are water witches. On their 10th birthday, they are given the witch’s broom and tasked with taking care of a secret lake for a month. While they both are excited, it is disappointing that they don’t get along! But a common cause of protecting the lake makes them realize that they have more in common than they thought.
   Get this book here.
   
4. Der geheime Kontinent
   
   
   
   This is an adventurous story about Tim and Meike, who go on a school trip in which they stay in a youth hostel housed in an old castle. In the dusty library, students stumble upon a mysterious door that leads to a secret continent- a world populated by unicorns, dwarfs and elves. But the continent is in danger. The two must now muster all their courage to face the dangerous creature.
   Get the book here.
   
5. Volle Fahrt ins Abenteuer
   
   
   
   Elani and Flo spend the holidays at their Grandma’s farm in Brandenburg. But instead of spending days of boredom doing mundane chores, the two get to look for family treasures on the Baltic Sea. With a tech-savvy grandma who is determined to save the environment, one should expect nothing less!
   Get this book here.
   
6. Im Bann des Tornados
   
   
   
   Noah spends the summer vacation with his parents in the USA near the sea. At first, he is bored but soon finds Emma from the neighbouring farm – and then Lucky-an abandoned little dog, which he nurses back to health and immediately takes to his heart. But it is not a relaxed holiday with family and friends. The place is known for its frequent tornadoes, and Noah has to prove how much courage he has!
   Get this book here.
   
7. Lenny, Melina und die Sache mit dem Skateboard
   
   
   
   Lenny loves skateboarding and is overjoyed when he and his best friend Julius get accepted into the Big Jump competition. Lenny can finally show everyone how good he is. Along with them, Melina, a girl from his class, is also taking part, and both Lenny and Melina must present together. When all is going smoothly, the skateboard disappears and here starts the search!
   Get this book here.
   
8. Die Jagd nach dem Leuchtkristall
   
   
   
   A mysterious letter leads the twins Anne and Christian to clockmaker Stanislaus’ shop. The old man learns the luminous crystal has been stolen from King Confucius, which will cause the earth to sink into darkness. But before he can do anything, he is kidnapped. Now, earth’s fate is in Anne and Christian’s hands.
   Get this book here.
   
9. Das geheimnisvolle Spukhaus
   
   
   
   Moritz visits his aunt during the holidays. Here, he experiences strange things happening in her house at midnight. Moritz is unsure if it is a prank by the neighbouring boys or if the house is haunted. With his cousins Stella and Kamil, Moritz waits at night to confront the ghost. Along the way, they uncover a dreadful secret that dates back to Roman times.
   Get this book here.
   
10. Die Krokodilbande in geheimer Mission
    
    
    
    When Mike and Danilo find a letter worth thousands of euros on the street, they can’t believe their eyes. In the quest to find out why someone was sending so much money and to whom, the two get on the trail of a ruthless animal smuggling ring. With the clever Jo, the shy postman Felix and Tappsi, the baby crocodile, the two detectives try to stop the crooks.
    Get the book here.
    
    

These can also be beautiful gifts for children back home in India who are learning German as a third language and want to improve their vocabulary through reading. Since general reading books in German are not so easily available in India, and if they are, they are steeply-priced, you can consider buying books from Germany and taking them as gifts.

Check out many more exciting books here.

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