Longest Night of Charlie Noon, The

Reach for this book when your child starts expressing anxiety about the future or feels overwhelmed by the pressure of growing up. While it presents as a fast paced wilderness mystery, it is actually a profound exploration of how we perceive time and face our fears. The story follows three children who enter the woods for a simple challenge but find themselves trapped in a shifting landscape where night refuses to end and the laws of physics seem to break. Christopher Edge masterfully weaves together hard science with deep emotional intelligence. It is perfect for middle grade readers who enjoy puzzles and high stakes adventure but are also ready to grapple with philosophical questions about memory and the passage of time. You might choose this to help a child see that while we cannot stop time, we can control how we choose to spend it with others.