She’s a pretty good reader for her age, some books/series she’s read and loved are Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Skyward, Aurora Rising, and Alex Rider. Looking for books that she’ll enjoy but might challenge her a little. Was debating Hunger Games. What are some suggestions you have?
by h8er23
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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor H. Porter
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
– The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon series)
– Hunger Games (I’m reading the newest book now!)
-His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
– The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry (The Giver is my favorite book of all time)
– Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
I’d wait a bit for Hunger Games.
How about Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy or Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series or Michele Paver’s Chronicles of Darkness (cave boy stories starting Wolf Brother)?
Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke
I would suggest the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, starting with the Wee Free Men. The protagonist ages up with the reader and she’s just the right age for the first book. They’re funny, action packed, and a little dark as the series moves on. They also deal with the importance of critical thinking, and themes of grieving a lost loved one, finding your place in the world, defying societal expectations for girls, and helping others.
If you think she’d like a story about a young witch who uses her annoying baby brother as bait so she can beat up an evil fairy with a frying pan, I’d give it a go.
Sounds like she’s right in that sweet spot where she’s craving more depth but still loves a fast-paced, adventurous read. Given what she’s already enjoyed, here are a few that might stretch her a bit without losing the fun:
* *The Hunger Games* is definitely a solid choice if she can handle darker themes. It’s intense but thoughtful, and if she liked the high-stakes strategy in *Alex Rider*, she’ll probably get pulled in fast.
* *Ender’s Game* by Orson Scott Card might be a leap in complexity, but kids who like tactical thinking and emotional depth often find it unforgettable. It hits harder than it looks at first glance.
* *The Gilded Wolves* by Roshani Chokshi. Great mix of puzzles, found family, and historical fantasy. It’s a bit denser than *Harry Potter* or *Skyward*, so might be a good “next tier” challenge.
* *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman. Grabs you fast, but it’s also loaded with big ideas about morality and society. Great bridge into more philosophical YA.
* *The Mysterious Benedict Society* by Trenton Lee Stewart. A little more whimsical, but still clever and layered. Lots of problem-solving and strong emotional payoff.
If she liked the space sci-fi vibe of *Skyward* and *Aurora Rising*, you could also check out *Illuminae* by Kaufman and Kristoff, though it’s more experimental and might feel like a leap, depending on her comfort with mixed-media storytelling.
Curious, what kind of themes or characters does she tend to gravitate toward the most? That might help dial in some hidden gems.
Redwall series!
Start with Redwall
Why don’t you get her into that good shit that’s well written. Go Hobbit into Lotr, and then when she is older, give her the simirillion.
Before Suzanne Collins wrote “The Hunger Games” she wrote a series called Gregor the Overlander Series: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262430
I enjoyed it as an adult but it is written for the +/-10 year olds
John Flanagan,
Sherwood Smith,
Tamora Pierce,
The Bromeliad Trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, Wings) by Terry Pratchett.
Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey
(Best starting point is the Arrows Trilogy – Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)
Magic Circle series by Tamora Pierce (Book 1 – The Magic in The Weaving)
Also – The Lioness Rampant series (Book 1 – Alanna: The First Adventure)
Archives Of Anthropos Series by John White (Best starting novel – The Tower Of Geburah)
Doona Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey (Decision at Doona, Crisis on Doona, Treaty Planet)
How about some nonfiction. Moonshot by the astronaut Deke Slayton. Kids are always fascinated by space.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. They are entertaining, fairly wholesome. Animal characters live together, being beset upon by other animal characters. Detailed descriptions of food… to the point that you’ll want the cookbook.
The scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novick – it’s similar to Harry Potter in that it involves a magical school but the school tries to kill its students (and sometimes wins). Most of the main characters are girls & women. The series discusses social issues and human nature with more nuance than HP.
The Chris Colfer Land of Stories series. My 9yo is devouring them.
Some books off the top of my head:
-Everything by Marissa Meyer
-The Hobbit
-Dragonfruit
-The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea
-The Black Beauty series
-Riding Freedom
-The Last Dog on Earth
-A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
-Frost by Kozlowsky
-The Indian in the Cupboard
-The Outsiders
-Hunger games is a good one
The Abarat series by Clive Barker.
Although if I’m not mistaken he never finished the series, but still there’s three really good installments. He is also a fantastic artist and illustrated the books himself. Nothing compares to getting to see illustrations of exactly how the author envisioned the world and it’s characters in their own mind. And a female protagonist too!
Disney bought the rights in the early 2000s hoping to make a Harry Potter-esque franchise from it, but they never went through with it unfortunately.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Emily Of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery
I’d wait a bit on Hunger Games and Ender’s Game (starts with him killing a bully, uses the F-word) it’s a great book but maybe not for a ten-year old. I like Tamora Pierces Alanna books very much. There’s a tiny bit of sex, but I think presented in a way that is appropriate for pre-teens. Both my kids loved The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings at around 10. I loved it at 11. I love the Lloyd Alexander Prydain books. Starts with The Book of Three. Also Edgar Eager is a lot of fun and was highly influenced by E. Nesbit whose books are wonderful (longer and more Victorian in style.)
Spy School series.
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O’Shea
Seconding “Inkheart” and “Hunger Games” will likely work as well if she can handle it thematically.
Hatchet!
I’d wait with hunger games, its so brutal…
I’m in germany and there’s a series that came to mind. There’s an english translation available, maybe it fits?
Kerstin Gier – Ruby Red Trilogy
Gregor the Overlander series by SUzanne Collins is written for her age group and is awesome.
My son is an academically advanced 9 year old, here are some of the things he’s read either together with me or on his own in the last year or two:
A Wrinkle in Time (it’s a series)
The Chronicles of Prydain (series)
The Chronicles of Narnia
All of Roald Dahl’s works including his nonfiction
His Dark Materials (series – though I’ve only read the first so far and have heard they include more mature themes later on)
I’ve heard many recommend The Green Ember series, though I only read the first book and didn’t like it.
Look into books by Christopher Paul Curtis, we’ve read Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham, which were great, and I know he has more
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (and the “sequel” written by a different author – which was good)
The Wild Robot
Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There by Scott Kelly (Young Readers edition)
The whole *[__The Mysterious Benedict Society__](https://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Benedict-Society-Paperback-Boxed/dp/0316460966/)* series. So much fun!
I second Inkheart series. Also, Wildwood Chronicles by Colon Meloy.
I want to create a bot for this because literally EVERY TIME I see this question, I recommend the Aru Shah series. I feel like 10 is a perfect age to enjoy what they are. If she’s already read HP, these are a little lower in reading level, but I don’t think they’d feel boring. Very Percy Jackson but all about girl power and Hindu gods instead of Greek. There’s also a pretty good subtext about how badly classic myths treat female characters and how our stories can be distorted in the telling. Heavy on empathy but plenty of action and magical settings and good use of metaphor, and plenty of things worth reflecting on.
Hunger games is pretty dark for a ten year old, but might be okay. Below is a mix of stuff very similar to what she is reading and might like, and some slightly more YA “stretch books” she might like next.
Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend (I bet she’d really like this)
The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer (generally anything by Marissa Meyer)
The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer
Read the rest of the Riordanverse after Percy Jackson (kane chronicles, magnus chase, etc)
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
Maybe The Selection Series if she likes some romance
Alan Gratz books for some Historical Fiction
Fairy Tale Reform School by Jen Calonita
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson
Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman