That there are no great books for year 9 pupils

[Multispool]

When you include the criteria:

around 200 pages (short)
no sexual abuse/assault elements
no racist language (even when used to reveal the dreadful racism of times past)
nothing suicide related

I mean there are books but I can’t find anything loveable

Am I just shit at looking?

101 Dalmatians is short and although the story is familiar and "young," the language and syntax would be suitable for older.

Or Dr Doolittle?

Just asked my dyslexic 14 yr old what he is reading at school.
Holes by Louis sachar

Please tell us more about the parental complaints! What grounds?

I would imagine use of the N word.
I've seen it discussed before on MN and a number of schools no longer teach it due to it being problematic for reading out in class.

As the mum of a very vulnerable 15 year old surely being exposed to risky things in a text is a good way to start conversations? He is a prolific reader and we often use texts as chance to talk about things.

Surely it depends on the children in question, and having a mix in the class will require more caution than for one who is a) Older and b) 'a prolific reader.
You can discuss things 1-1 at home in a way that can't be done in a classroom.

I was definitely reading adult books by that age. I think your biggest issue is the 200 page limit.

Have you looked at short stories?

How about 3 Men in a Boat (jerome k jerome?)

Such a great book! Parallel plots, loads to discuss

Truman Capote - breakfast at tiffanys
Aldous Huxley - Chrome yellow
F Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Classic fun. It would need a bit of an edit though.

What about My Family & other animals by Gerald Durrell or the James Herriot books - both adult but accessible as there is a separate story in each chapter.

I read ‘a brother in the land’ by Robert swindells when I was in year nine (30 years ago) thought provoking and stuck with me to such an extent that I still own a copy

William Mayne was convicted of sexual abuse of at least one young girl. Served a prison sentence.

Neil Gaiman has been accused of some extremely sleazy non-consensual behaviour (to put it at its absolute mildest) with much younger women. He denies all the allegations. No criminal charges as far as I know. I'm not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Yes this. I read it 1:1 with my son and it was fine as we could discuss the issue (extensive use of the n word and racist attitudes). Whilst racist attitudes are not necessarily presented as correct in the text, I can see how/ why in a class of 30 you don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or that a spotlight is somehow on anyone who is black. I’d still recommend for 1:1 reading as the characterisation is so good it’s hard not to have an empathetic response. Also not suitable for the OP as there is gun violence and some other violence.

I remember reading Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH when I was in Y7 - would this be too dystopian? It’s just over 200 pages according to Amazon.

A Christmas carol

(at Christmas obvs)
words can be a bit tricky but the story is so well known.

The dark is rising by Susan Cooper.

Pratchett has too many references for younger readers. They struggle with them.

I don't know about this but I'm not sure. Ursula Le Guin, Alan Garner, endless quantities of books long the chalet school, Madeline l' Engle, TH White, Elizabeth Goudge.

A wizard of earthsea Ursula K LeGuin
Time machine by HG Wells
Journey to the centre of the earth Jules Verne

more recently
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Oh, yes - Chocky by John Wyndham.

dated (set in the 1970s) but not dystopian at all - the story of first alien contact but as telepathy with a pre teen.

great book, still remember it well. I went on to read everything he ever wrote.

Arthur C Clarke the city and the stars is also very good. Not dystopian at all.

Hitchikers series

Azimov sci-fi

We studied A traveller in time by alison uttley in year 9

I used to love Christopher Pike's books at around that age

Alice in Wonderland is great!

At that age our English Lit teacher had us reading Rhinoceros by Ionesco, which no one understood but was great fun and totally absurd, but maybe a bit much for your criteria!

The Man who was was Magic by Paul Galico

A Wizard's guide to defensive baking sorry, can't remember the author.

Anne McCaffery The Harper Hall stories Dragonsong, Dragonsinger