Top Leadership Books for 12-Year-Olds – Inspiring Future Leaders

Leadership books for 12-year-olds are plentiful, as they are not only cornerstones of context, grammar, and symbolism but also learning qualities.

Leadership books for kids are the fundamental ones that help students learn about leadership. We all know that leaders are an essential part of any functioning society, whether big or small. Natural-born leaders are just nothing. Everyone develops leadership skills over time.

These skills start developing in a child, and it’s up to them whether they want to strengthen them over time or just fizzle them out. The best source to learn lessons about leadership is children’s books on leadership, as they encourage them and help them promote and apply those habits in their daily lives.

Here is a list of some of the best books about leadership for kids:

1. Better than a lemonade stand! Small Business Ideas for Kids

Written by Daryl Bernstein, this is a marvelous novel written by him, and the most important reason to love it is that Daryl was only 15 years old when he authored the first edition of this book.

The novel is a beautiful guide for young business-minded students as it provides various tips and tricks to get started early and allows them to learn the qualities a leader must possess.

By reading this book, kids will learn to start up their own business with small startup costs and the procedure to retain future customers, as it provides them with advice related to pricing, supplies, time management, and advertising.

2. You are a champion

Written by Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka, who was recognized as a superstar but now has become a leader in activism, mental health, and defining your path.

You Are a Champion is the book that will teach your kid how to be the best they can be and show them how to never stop learning, dream big, practice like a champion, and be comfortable with who they are.

Written with journalist Carl Anka, this mind-blowing novel is full of stories from Marcus’s own life, brilliant advice, and some top tips.

The lessons provided by Marcus in this novel will indeed engage your kid in a way that will help them learn valued skills and inspire them to become great leaders in whatever capacity they choose. 

3. The Giving Tree 

Written by Shel Silverstein, “The Giving Tree” is a heart-touching story about a boy and his apple tree. The story about unconditional love and selflessness is the most important reason it attracts many kids.

If your kid reads this story, they will learn that after being a leader, one has to stay mindful of the demands on their employees, maintain balance, and learn to be productive without cheating or running themselves empty.

In this story, you will read that a young boy came to visit a tree every day to eat apples and to keep the tree entertained. The boy’s demands kept on increasing until there was nothing left on a tree apart from a stump for him to sit on. 

4. The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

Written by Stephen R. Covey, “The Leader in Me” is one of the best leadership books for kids.

By reading this novel, your child will learn the importance of setting goals, taking initiative, being positive, and being a good leader. Covey also provided a list of tools the kids may need to succeed in their leadership.

Favorite Quote for Stephen Covey:

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

– Stephen R. Covey

This novel is an excellent source for kids who want to learn about leadership in life, as it is mentioned in the book how one could become an effective leader in their homes and communities.

5. I Campaigned for Ice Cream: A Boy’s Quest for Ice Cream Trucks

Written by Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw, “I Campaigned for Ice Cream” is an excellent example of never being too young to fight for what’s right.

This is the true story of Jacob’s son, Joshua, who was on a quest to have ice cream trucks returned to his local town. Ice cream trucks were deemed illegal in West Bloomfield, Michigan, due to an outdated law passed in the 1950s.

Young Joshua thought it was unfair, so he campaigned for it. He embarked on a year-long journey to change the law and successfully did that. This motivating novel will teach your child the importance of being proactive, working hard, thinking positively, collaborating, and discovering their hidden talents.

6. The Questioneers

Written by Andrea Beaty, The Questioneers is a picture book series that features diverse female characters as positive role models.

In this book, your kid will get to examine how, even after being a girl child, females become role models and pursue all kinds of passions and interests that they want, such as science, technology, engineering, maths, and activism.

This amazing book includes scientific and historical facts applicable to real life, and the fun-to-read rhymes throughout this creatively designed book are full of inspirational messages like believing in yourself, learning from failures, and problem-solving. 

7. Hatchet

Written by Gary Paulson, Hatchet is the ultimate teen survival story that teaches one not to let the odds of success deter one’s efforts but also the best leadership qualities one should possess.

This is the story of a 13-year-old boy named Brian. Brian, who was flying in a plane, The plane in which he was flying crashed due to a sudden heart attack suffered by the pilot, but Brain managed to survive the crash.

After the crash, he finds himself in the Canadian wilderness with no supplies, tools, or food, so he has to find ways to survive. Brian was on the verge of death, but he didn’t lose hope and kept fighting, resulting in his rescue by the end of the book. 

8. The Confidence Code for Girls

Written by Claire Shipman, Katty Kay, and JillEllyn Riley, The Confidence Code for Girls is a motivating book for girls.

It is an empowering and entertaining guide that gives girls the code to become bold, brave, and brave fearless. This amazing novel will teach a lot to your girl as it highlights some extraordinary role models who are gritty and far from perfect, the importance of taking risks, doubting themselves, and even failing, but what matters most is finding the confidence to accomplish the goals and keeping on moving.

9. Number the Stars

Written by Lois Lowry, “Number the Stars” is a story that shows the importance of not letting fear get in one’s way of success.

This story is of a young girl named Annemarie, who contributed to the Nazi resistance during World War II in Denmark. Annemarie and her family help a local Jewish family through small acts of bravery and successfully escape them into neighboring Sweden.

By reading the story, your kid will get to know that one should always strive to do what one thinks is right in their heart, that it is alright to be afraid when venturing into unknown territory, and that the leader needs to be strong-willed so that they could keep their team confident and more successful.

10. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind 

Written by William Kamkwamba, this amazing book has several themes that will encourage your child to read, but they need to understand everything.

One such theme is the importance of seeing the difference between opposing an idea that is logical and persevering with it because you know that you are right and have something revolutionary. The main character of this novel seeks to save his village from drought by using his wind power.

By reading this book, your 12-year-old will learn more about technology, and the willingness to try to learn could make everything possible.

Wrapping Up 

For a leader, it’s easy to get demotivated when their goal seems impossible. Books teach kids a lot through immense hard work, dedication to staying alive, never giving up, and constantly pushing and striving for bigger goals.

With encouragement and exposure to opportunities and resources, your upcoming leader will never stop developing their skills. By reading these leadership books, kids will learn what it takes to be a leader or an entrepreneur.

The books mentioned above are some of the best books about leadership for kids that you may make your kid read, as they will encourage them towards reading and learning and teach them not to give up. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.