Book recommendations for fussy 9 year old

[Freshfaced]

9 (nearly 10) yo DS is Cressida Cowells biggest fan. We've read all the HTTYD books (twice) and she's not writing the Wizard on Once books fast enough!
They work for him- very imaginative and action packed but also great character development and quite emotional in parts.
Books he's read recently that haven't been as successful-
-Alex Rider series- plenty of action, not enough emotional character development
-Bridge to Teranithia- quite enjoyed it but the ending may have scarred him for life.

• who let the Gods out- trying too hard to be clever with in jokes he didn't get but knew he was missing something which annoyed him.
• Michael morpego. Just not enough action.
• David Walliams and Roald Dahl- too anarchic and "mean" and he didn't find them funny

He loves The Iron Man (Ted Hughes)
and The Hobbit.

He reads for 60 mins a day reasonably happily but I really need to find something that sparks his imagination more.

He's a bit young for Alan Garner and Terry Pratchett.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Has he tried Harry Potter? Also worth a look:

Archie Greene
Narnia
Maudlin Towers
Asterix
Edge Chronicles

The Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan. Funny, exciting, and inclusive, my 9 year old devoured them, as did all his friends. They are the books that turned him into a fiction reader.

A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Chronicles of Narnia
Beasts of Olympus
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
The Last Wild
Percy Jackson
Eragon

Ok. Some good ideas here. Percy Jackson looks promising. We did the Harry potters but he was never that gripped.
I'll check them out now. Thanks!

Definitely A Series of Unfortunate Events!

My DS adores the Who Let The God's Out series...but he's 11, so may just get the jokes more easily.

Anthony Horowitz's Diamond Brothers series is v funny
Eoin Colfer- Artemis Fowl is quite a large series, eight or nine books, lots of character development. He also has written some very very funny books that are for people slightly younger (7-9) called The Legend of Spud Murphy, The Worst Boy in The World, and Captain Crow's Teeth(?) which are brilliant (I read them myself!) and feature.a 9yo boy and his brothers.

There's a good series, just right for 9yos, by Michelle Paver, the Gods and Warriors series. He's probably a little too young for Wolf Brother yet.

Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series is wonderful too. He may prefer you to read it to him though, but my son read them at 10 I think.

Please don't rule out Pratchett!
The Diggers, Truckers, Wings series (also known as The Bromeliad) is perfect for his age. The Tiffany Aching series of four books are also aimed at younger readers, and definitely have lots of character development.

Roman Mysteries?

Holes
HIVE
Young Samurai

Any of the Rick Riordan, and we are all loving the Magisterium series at the moment. Also Artemis Fowl is very good.

The Artemis Fowl books by Eion (?) Coffer. Series of 8 and a spin off.
DS(11) was Cressida Cowell’s biggest fan, but now he’s Artemis’s biggest fan.

My nine year old avid reader Cressida Cowell fan has read and enjoyed A series of Unfortunate Events, Percy Jackson, The Roman Mysteries, Pratchett's Tiff Aching books, the Hobbit and the Narina chronicles. He is drifting in and out of Harry Potter but isn't totally hooked on them. He is tearing through Faintheart at the moment.

Has he tried any of the Diana Wynn Jones books?

My daughter loves the Ransom Riggs series. The first one is Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. Think there are 5 books. Also loves the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Oh! Some more lovely suggestions! I'm so very curious what got deleted in the post above- this seems the most innocuous of threads!
Anyway we've started Percy Jackson and he's cheerful about it. Bought the first Artemis Fowl as well although the blurb worries him a bit as he's very law abiding!

Might look into the Terry Pratchetts for slightly younger age groups.

Some really nice ideas.

Hi @Freshfaced!
I published a free (for a limited time) ebook for ages 9-12 on Amazon called “Memory Lane Was Moved”. If you look it up on Amazon, it should be one of the first results.
Hope this helps!