Land of Stories - perfect for children who loved fairy stories when a bit younger.

[We3bunniesOfOrientAre]

My dd (nearly 8) has just finished Land of Stories - the wishing spell, by Chris Colfer. The first few chapters were a bit bleak, but then they go into a book which takes them to another dimension where they meet classic fairy tale characters - snow white, red riding hood etc, who have all grown up a bit and all interact with each other. It is a bit scary in places, but had dd gripped, she is sometimes a reluctant reader, but finished this in a week. It is 400+ pages, would say ideal for confident 8/9yr old to read alone, though are a few trickier words. She loved these fairy tales when younger, this book revisits them in a slightly more grown up way.

[3b1g]

This sounds like the sort of thing DD would enjoy soon. She likes the Rose and Lily books but does find them a bit long for her, so 400 pages might be a bit ambitious at the moment.

[We3bunniesOfOrientAre]

This was the longest book she has read, we read a few bits to her, but she was so gripped by the story that she was reading under the duvet! We had it from the library. Was fairly large type, which makes it easier. She was a bit unsure at first, but once she got past the first few slow chapters she couldn't put it down! Will have to look for the Rose and Lily books, still exploring the preteen literature available, just so pleased to be beyond rainbow fairies.