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[Busybird]

My 13 year old DD is an avid reader but I am struggling to find new books that she likes. Can anyone help out with ideas please?

 

She has read the 'Mates, Dates', 'Truth, Dare', 'Angus, Thongs', 'Noughts and Crosses' and Princess Diary series but found them too boy oriented (she thinks boys are very silly creatures ). She is sporty and horse mad and enjoyed the Heartland and Chestnut Hill series but reads them like comics. She has enjoyed 'Stargirl', 'Curious Incident', 'Life of Pi', Twilight and Hitchhiker series but keeps going back to reread her brothers books (Cherub, Artimous Fowl, Young James Bond etc.). She needs something more challenging but didn't enjoy Charles Dickens or Jane Austin so I need to find modern writers who write books for girls that are not just about girl / boy relationships!

 

Reading the above it looks as if I divide their books into girl and boy books. I don't and they read each others books all the time. It just seems especially hard to find books for young, teenage girls that don't major on relationships

[patsylabrador]

She might be ready for some of the classics, like Emma or Pride and Prejudice. They're pretty good for young girls who are good readers.

[Busybird]

I gave her Pride and Prejudice and promised to sit down and watch the TV series with her when she had read it. This turned out to be more of a treat for me though. She found the book slow and didn't show any appreciation of Colin Firth

[Redwing]

Is it worth trying to get hold of some of the Pullein Thompson pony books? bit border line on whether she is a little old for some of them but a few were quite involved - I certainly read them till I was about 15 but things move faster these days

 

Of course Black Beauty is a classic and the Pullein Thompson sisters did some follow on books to this too

 

An excellent set (4) of books I read about that age were by Helen Forrester, they are stories about her life growing up in Liverpool during the war, really harrowing (but not distressing) in places but excellently written, she also did a few that were fictional but some 'sensitive' topics were covered in those so you might want to read the 'plot line' first on those although they are officially childrens books

 

There are also a lot of funny books about the trials of moving to the country and settling in - people setting up smallholdings with little knowledge etc.....

[ubereglu]

She might like Phillip Pullman books and possibly booksby Jaclyn Moriarty.

[Falkor]

My favourtie book of all time and I read it first when i was 14/15 was To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

 

It is meaty but not heavy going like I found Austen at that age

[Busybird]

She has read (and enjoyed) the Dark Materials series.

 

On your recommendations, I have ordered a Jaclyn Moriarty and a Helen Forrester. I have 'To Kill a Mockingbird' on my bookshelf so shall offer that to her as well.

 

Keep the suggestions coming please

[Chucky Mama]

Has she read the Twilight Series and all of the Malorie Blackman books (Noughts & Crossese etc). Jodie Picoult The Pact & My Sister's Keeper. Depending on age and maturity, The Lovely Bones.

[Cinnamon]

I am impressed with her taste in books - The Life of Pi is a classic,but not an easy read.

 

Trying to think what my book mad daughter was reading at that age,or what books of mine she has enjoyed

 

'Memoirs of a Geisha' she loved, as well as 'The Red Tent', nut they are both more historical.

 

Has she read the 'Adrian Mole' books?

 

We all loved 'The amazing Maurice & his educated rodents', which might pave the way for more Terry Pratchetts?

 

How about the 'No1 Ladies Detective Agency' series too? They are wonderful.

[Falkor]

Just been thinking back and I think I was reading Stephen King at 13 so perhaps I am not the best person for this kind of question

[PurpleTree]

Think I was reading Stephen King from around 13 too.

 

How about the James Herriot books? I used to love them, and would happily read them now if I had them.

 

Agree about the Terry Pratchett 'childrens' books, I've got the Wee Free Men ones.

[Redwing]

Oooh good one the James Herriot books are ace, I still get them out and read them if I am tired and want a nice easy read

[The Dogmother]

Rosie is 11 (gooing on 15 ) and has read all the Twilight books - she's on to another vampire type series now, i will check which one it is.

[Falkor]

oooh yes - I have just read The Vampire Diaries and although they are not as good as Twilight they are worth reading if that is your thing!

 

Just tell her to go into them like she has never read Twi

[Woodcat]

What about the first of Susan Coopers the dark is rising series. She might be a bit young for the later ones but Over Sea Under Stone is probably about right and it's a good fun adventure story i loved it when i was her age.

 

If she likes fun ones then some of the Bagthorpes books like Ordinary Jack and Absolute Zero by Helen Cresswell. Or the other one that she might like is Tamora Pierce's circle of magic series they were being published when i was about that age i think and carried on after i stopped reading them so i think there is another series that followed it.

 

She might like is from Anne Mccafreys Pern series, some of them are a bit too old for her yet but Dragon song and Dragon Singer would both probably be fine. The other possibly daft suggestion is The Hobbit i think it was around then that i first read it for myself rather than somone else reading it to me and totally adored it.

 

Beth

[jlo]

Lian Hearn has written a series of books on The Tales of the Otori. They are excellent and my daughter enjoyed them - as did I!!

[Snowy]

Maybe not so adventurous, but in a similar vein to James Herriot (and equally hilarious), what about Lilian Beckwith's The Hills is Lonely? There is a whole series, wonderful books!

[The Dogmother]

I have checked with Rosie now and she's read...

 

The Twilight series

Evermore

The House of Night series

 

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner is also recommended.

[Rhapsody]

The Tiffany Aching books by Pratchett- Wee Free Men, Hatful of Sky, Wintersmith. How about Watership Down, My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, and as has been said James Herriot if she likes animals. Or (light sci-fi) Ursula Le Guin? The Danny Wallace books are funny and entertaining and an easy read, ditto Bill Bryson and Ben Elton.

[Busybird]

Lots of suggestions here for me to check out - thanks all

 

DD has read The Hobbit and the Dark is Rising series but there are a few here that I have on my book shelf that she hasn't tried. She took the first James Herriot to bed with her last night so will hopefully enjoy that.

 

I have just bought the first half dozen of Pratchett's Discworld series for DS1 - are those supposed to be children's or adults books?

[PurpleTree]

The Discworld series are meant to be adult books, but there's nothing particularly 'bad' in them.

 

I don't know about Ben Elton, I've read most of them and they can be very explicit, maybe ones to read before giving to your daughter and deciding for yourself.

[Snowy]

The Tiffany Aching books by Pratchett- Wee Free Men, Hatful of Sky, Wintersmith. How about Watership Down, My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead, and as has been said James Herriot if she likes animals. Or (light sci-fi) Ursula Le Guin? The Danny Wallace books are funny and entertaining and an easy read, ditto Bill Bryson and Ben Elton.

Ursula le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea - I remember that! part of a trilogy if I recall, great books! And that reminds me of another, Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen - based around Alderly Edge in Cheshire with a bit of Arthurian legend thrown in. I don't know about teenage girls, I think I'll have to revisit some of these myself!

[bigmommasally]

Most of what I could think of has already been posted - The only others I could come up with are Gerald Durrell - My family and other animals and the Virginia Andrews Flowers in the Attic trilogy

 

[The Dogmother]

.....I don't know about teenage girls, I think I'll have to revisit some of these myself!

 

You can borrow mine.... teenage girl that is!

[Sunshine]

Loads of good suggestions. My sister (just turned 12 on Wed) is an avid reader and reads so quickly, I struggle to find books in the teenage section of the library for her!

 

I'm going to copy some titles out so i can look for them next time i go to the library.