Doesn't like "too much violence or smooching". She's struggling a bit because she reads a lot, but much of the tween stuff is too young, but she's finding some of the teen stuff is too mature for her taste yet.
Varied taste, classics, historical fiction, fantasy, but also likes funny stuff and contemporary girl deals with life stuff if it hits right, especially if there are pets involved.
Things she has enjoyed recently: Anne of Green Gables & Emily of New Moon, What Katy Did, Little Women, Terry Pratchett Wee Free Men (& the other Tiffany Aching books), Redwall series, The Selection series, Jennifer Nielsen Words on Fire (and her other similar books), Harry Potter series, Michael Morpurgo, The Hobbit, Code Name Verity, Inheritance Games, Robin Stevens Murder is Bad Manners series, some of Judy Blume, The Goose Girl.
by perusalandtea
9 Comments
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Diane Duane’s Young Wizards might hit well for her based on some of her other favorites. The first is SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD. If she likes the Tiffany Aching books she’d probably enjoy the other Discworld books, especially the Witches ones (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, and Carpe Jugulum).
I think she would like any of the Tamora Pierce books. Some smoochin involved but not much.
I loved Ella Enchanted, and The Two Princesses of Bamarre at that age (both by Gail Carson Levine
You might try Mercedes Lackey — the Valdemar books are generally clean (there’s some romance, but no smut) and the violence isn’t graphic. Magical talking horses … There’s an absolute ton of them, too, so if she falls in love with the series she can binge on them for quite awhile before she runs out.
She may also be old enough for Lois Bujold. Some of the books have romance but there’s nothing explicit. The Warrior’s Apprentice is always a good starting point for a teen.
*City of the Beasts* by Isabel Allende, which I read around 12/13, and apparently there are a couple of sequels.
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
She should check out Princess Academy by Shannon Hale! I still really like that one as an adult.
I would also recommend Gail Carson Levine’s books. Ella Enchanted is the most popular, but I personally love Fairest.
If she ever feels like reading a book that will make her cry, nobody does YA historical fiction like Ruta Sepetys. But, since they’re pretty much all set during dark historical times it’s definitely a particular mood. Between Shades of Gray and The Fountains of Silence are my personal favorites.
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I was obsessed with them all through my teens, they’re so good. It’s about a pet cat who goes to live in the forest with a clan of wild cats.