Which of the two books suits which reader

Two books, and they are not interchangeable. Handing a twelve year old the younger one is the most common way this goes wrong.

The Demon and The doG: ages seven to twelve

Eighty three pages, grades two to six. A demon called Damon, a job at the Demonic Defense, a plot he does not understand, and a dog. Spooky in atmosphere, funny in execution, moving from the first page.

This is the one for a younger reader, a nervous reader, or a reader who needs to finish something. It is also the one to start with if you are not sure, because a child who finishes it will ask for the other.

The A.I. and The Alien: ages ten to twelve

A hundred and seventy one pages, grades five to six, published May 2025. Science fiction, with a girl at the centre of it.

Longer, later, and structurally more ambitious. One reader described enjoying the little hidden stories in it, which is a fair description of a book that rewards paying attention rather than one that simply moves.

If you have a nine year old

Start with The Demon and The doG. If they finish it in two days and want more, the second one is within reach even slightly early, because a reader with momentum can handle a book that is nominally a year ahead of them.

If you have a twelve year old

Start with The A.I. and The Alien. A twelve year old handed the shorter book first may read it, enjoy it, and quietly conclude that this author writes for children, which closes the door on the one that was actually for them.

The overlap between the two stated ranges is ten to twelve, and inside that band the deciding factor is not age but appetite. A ten year old who reads constantly should have the longer one. A twelve year old who does not read should have the shorter one, and will not be insulted by it, because eighty three pages of demon is not a book that announces the age it was written for.

Reading order, if you are buying both

Demon first, in almost every case, even for an older reader. It is the clearer statement of what this author does, and the second book is more rewarding once you have seen the trick performed simply.

They are not a series. There is no continuing character, no cliffhanger, and no obligation to read both. A child who loves one and shrugs at the other has not missed anything.

A third one is being written

There is another book in progress. It is not finished, there is no date, and nothing here will pretend otherwise until there is something real to say. If you want to be told when it exists rather than checking, ask Bryant directly.