A Tourist's Guide to Glengarry by Ian Mcgillis.

A nine-year-old boy tries to write a book by writing down everything that happens in one day. However, the day he chooses turns out to be one of the most eventful days of his life. I love this book because everything that happens is perfectly realistic and captures the perpetual confusion of being nine. Quite often, books where children have adventures give the protagonists an excessive amount of freedom and insight. This book does not fall into that trap, and is the better for it. The only thing the protagonist can do that I couldn't at age nine is wander freely around his neighbourhood at any time of the day or night, but that's perfectly plausible for his era and his location. A really sweet story, and a quick read at just over 200 pages.