If she likes Hunger games, Harry Potter and murder mystery...

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

What can I get her for Christmas? Dd is nearly 12. She is an able reader. She likes Hunger games more than maze runner. She still likes HP but growing out of it a bit now. She enjoys Agatha Christie but would also like something more contemporary. She will borrow her sister's Robin Stevens books but will want something a little more challenging for herself. She enjoyed Ali Sparks books, but has read most of them and again wants something more challenging.

She enjoyed the James Herriot books (more modern vet series might work) and liked a streetcat named Bob. She is ok with people dying but not animal cruelty. She has no interest in romance novels. She isn't too keen on classics. Any ideas?

[TheTartOfAsgard]

Harlan Coben does a YA series that is really good. The first one is called Shelter.

[noblegiraffe]

Diana Wynne Jones if she liked Harry Potter. The Dalemark Quartet would be good, or Hexwood, or The Dark Lord of Derkholm.

[FriedSprout]

I enjoyed Lord of the Rings at that age, hated the Hobbit though.

[Parkourbench]

Twilight series
Patrick Ness - Chaos Walking trilogy

[TheDropBear]

Divergent series-Veronica Roth
Dystopian YA where people live in groups depending on their personality.

Old Kingdom series- Garth Nix
YA fantasy about a family of good necromancers.
Keys to the Kindom series- Garth Nix
YA fantasy where a normal boy is chosen as ruler of the universe.

Unwind- Neal Schuesterman
YA where abortion has been made illegal but at 13 parents can choose to "unwind" their children for organ donation.
Great book but possibly more suited for 13/14+. I'd recommend reading it first.

[mirokarikovo]

William Nicholson "the wind singer"/"slaves of the mastery"/"firesong" (the wind on fire trilogy)

Ursula Le Guin - "a wizard of earthsea", "the tombs of atuan", "the furthest shore", "Tehanu", "the other wind"

[user1471481356]

Vampire academy? It's YA and not particularly gory.

[nooka]

If she finds animal cruelty then not Chaos Walking. My ds wouldn't read past the first book because of an incident with a dog (to be fair it is very upsetting). Great writer though. Wouldn't recommend Divergent, first two are good (first is better than the second) but the last one seriously falls apart. Diana Wynne Jones is still one of my favourite writers, and I really like Garth Nix too. Ursula Le Guin writes excellent childrens fantasy and some very thought provoking adult stuff.

I also recommend looking at Tamora Pierce (the ones for older readers), Kristin Cashore, Megan Whallen Turner, Jonathan Stroud and Sarah Prineas. All interesting YA fantasy writers.

[VintagePerfumista]

I'm in the same boat, so placemarking!

dd is just 13 and starting to read Agatha Christie too, but I think finds the books hard-going compared to the television versions which she loves. Ditto Inspector Morse.

What about Northern Lights? (I fecking hated it but tbf I was reading it directly after HP7 and at the same time the godawful films came out)

Re: Diana Wynn Jones- where would you start? With the one-offs or Chrestomanci? I re-read Chrestomanci a few years ago and I'm afraid I noticed how badly written in parts they are, which irritated me. (I know that's heresy about the great DWJ, but it really grated!)

[Witchend]

My favourite DWJ is Power of three.
I'd have said Chrestomanci books are aimed slightly younger. Although Pinhoe Egg is probably my second favourite.

[blondiebonce]

Michelle Harrison ? I'm currently reading her book The Other Alice which is a mystery/fantasy. Main characters are 11 and 16.

[Popsicle789]

How about Percy Jackson books .. the lightening thief etc

[alterego2]

Or Pittacus Lore - I Am Number 4? First of a series

[nooka]

I started reading DWJ when I was quite young (my big sister read them to me in the 70s) and have read most of them many times since so I know when I read them now that a fair chunk of the enjoyment comes from the layers of nostalgic memories. Objectively most of her later books (especially where they are sequels or same universe books) really aren't in the same league as some of her earlier books, fun but not very thought provoking. But then they are after all written for children and not for adults so possibly not a fair judgement :)

So for example I think of the books in the Chrestomanci universe Charmed Life is really by far the best, although the Lives of Christopher Chant is pretty good. Witch Week, the Magicians of Caprona and the Pinhoe Egg have some good characters and interesting ideas but Conrad's Fate is a bit thin. I love Howl's Moving Castle but not so much Castle in the Sky or the House of Many Ways. All the Dalemark books are good, although Cart and Cwidder which I adored as a child isn't as good as I remembered it to be (it was out of print for years and I was super excited to be able to buy it).

To a reader new to DWJ I think I'd suggest Power of Three, Dogsbody, Archers Goon or (and!) The Ogre Downstairs. For slightly older readers Fire and Hemlock (probably too much romance in the plot for the OP's dd) and probably my favourite although the saddest Homeward Bounders.

[BlueChampagne]

Gerald Durrell?

[BlueChampagne]

Second Ursula le Guin.

[Allalonenow]

Another vote for Ursula le Guin.

Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn, starts with Grass for his Pillow.
The Dark is Rising series, Owl Service and Red Shift by Alan Garner, anything by Rosemary Sutcliff.

[madamehooch]

Seems like she likes books with a good readability factor rather than a particular genre.
Try the Girl Missing trilogy by Sophie McKenzie. Assuming she's read Murder Most Unladylike?