My kid is struggling to find books she likes at her reading level. She really dislikes the angsty teenage drama that seems to be endemic in a lot of middle school literature.
What are some fun and exciting reads for her age level wih minimal teenage angst? Any genre is fine, but she's really enjoyed fantasy books lately. Bonus points if it involves horses. Thanks!
by LeChuck5000
14 Comments
No horses or fantasy but when I was her age I LOVED The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin! An after life book so it’s fantasy adjacent and if I remember, it isn’t angsty.
I loved the Sammy Keyes series when I was her age — spunky mysteries and light on the drama/romance. Not fantasy but a series near and dear to my heart.
The Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett (first book is “Wee Free Men”). Zero teenage angst! No horses though IIRC.
The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle!
And maybe The Wings of Olympus, by Kallie George?
At her age the fantasy books I absolutely adored were The Secret of the Unicorn Queen series by various writers. Book 1 is Swept Away! by Josepha Sherman. Girl from 80’s middle America gets sent through a portal and end up with a bunch of Xena types riding Unicorns.
I absolutely refuse to re-read these because I don’t want to ruin the memories of my 12/13 yr old self so I can’t actually say if they are any good or not, but they are age appropriate.
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
I don’t think it has (much) teen angst, but maybe Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan?
Seems like she’s right at that in-between middle grade and YA phase. Here are some that I enjoyed that are kinda older middle-grade/younger YA. And clean if that’s important to you.
I love Lockwood and co series. By Johnathan stroud
Dealing with dragons, and the dark lord’s daughter by Patricia c wrede
Ember and the ice dragons by heather fawcett
Savvy by Ingrid law
The key to extraordinary, and hummingbird by Natalie lloyd
The princess academy by Shannon hale
East by edith pattou
Howl’s moving castle by Diana Wynn’s jones
I coriander by sally gardner
Leviathan by Scott Westfield
Keeper of the Lost Cities!!!! It’s one of my favourite series ever and altho it definitely has it’s flaws its still so good and entertaining
Savvy by Ingrid Law is a great one for a 13 year old. It might read slightly young to her (though the protag is 13), but it’s a gem.
A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong is all about mythical creatures, adventure, and friendship. It doesn’t really have horses, but there is a unicorn and a pegasus as well as griffins and other creatures. There isn’t much teen angst, but there is a relatives death in the beginning. It’s a 4 book series, I’ve read the first 2 so far, and it’s very good.
{{Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce}} (4 books) about a female knight. There are horses.
“Ella Enchanted” and pretty much anything by Gail Carson Levine were some of my favorites at that age