Fiction books for DD age 8 reading age 11?

[chicaguapa]

She devours books and quite often reads one a night so I'm having difficulty keeping up! It's also hard finding books that aren't about topics that are too 'adult'.

Books she's recently read and loved are: Jacqueline Wilson's Sleepovers, Marley & Me (children's version), Roddy Doyle's Rover Adventures, Jeremy Strong Laugh your socks off series. She's currently working her way through Enid Blyton's Mystery series which she seems to be enjoying. She's moved on from the Rainbow fairies books and Magic Puppy/ Kitten.

I need some to add to her Christmas wishlist so any recommendations?

[chicaguapa]

Should add that she's read Roald Dahl too.

[luciemule]

Your DD sounds just like mine!
I was sooooo fed up of those blooming fairy books!
Now she's into Beast Quest - books recommended by a boy. It sounds like they very boyish but the characters are a boy and a girl who go on adventures to release different good beasts from an evil spell they've been put under. Once they;ve released the beast, it often leaves them something like a dragon's tooth etc to help them in their next quest. DD (almost 8)loves them and there are lots to collect.
Michael Morpurgo is another great author for that age.
How about the Narnia series. I loved the magician's Nephew (1st one) when I was 9.
If you check out amazon.com?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21, you might find the Magic Tree series which is a canadian series about a boy and a girl who have different adventures too. Hope this helps?

[luciemule]

Forgot to mention famous 5.

[FranSanDisco]

Dd has just turned 9 yo and is currently reading Enid Blyton's St. Clares series. I have just bought a set of 4 books from the Septimus Heap series from the Book People. She is starting to know what she likes and doesn't like and has decided to stop reading a High School Musical book she was given for her birthday as it wasn't interesting. I am secretly happy about this if I'm honest. Some other books she loved this year are When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit, The Enchanted Castle and a books by Judy Blume, Jeremy Strong and Betsy Byars.

[shockers]

There's a little girl in my class ( yr 4) who sounds like your daughter. I gave her Black Beauty a few weeks ago... she loved it! Sent her home for the holidays with The Secret Gardene Children and It.
The girls are also enjoying the Darcy Bustle Magic Ballerina books but they are all little ballerinas themselves!

[StinkbotsMum]

Ask in your local library, there should be someone clued up.

Does she like horses? Because an awful lot of the horsey literature is suitable (see horsecrazy.com): all the Black Stallion series, My Friend Flicka, Saddle Up and some others. MIL keeps supplying us with various horse-oriented volumes for ~age 11, suitable for when she was young, that she acquires somehow (DD enjoys them, and she's not at all horsey either).

Hardy Boys series.

If she's a Thrill-seeking girl, Captain Underpants, and Most of the Storm Rider or Percy Jackson series are reasonable (tiny bit of kissing, that's as adult as it gets we've found).

[shockers]

Darcy Bussell!

[StinkbotsMum]

Warrior Cat series, too, by Erin Hunter.

[chicaguapa]

I've just come across Michael Morpurgo and have now added The Butterfly Lion to her list. I'll have a look at the others now. Thanks.

[shockers]

And Five children and It... keyboard and brain both playing up

[FranSanDisco]

Dd read Black Beauty this year as she's horse mad - it is sad though.

[FranSanDisco]

If you like Michael Morpurgo then Adolphus Tips is lovely as is Born to Run. Dd really grew to love the characters and talked about them alot.

[chicaguapa]

She loves animals so will definitely put Black Beauty on her list! Thanks!

[MissClavel]

My DS1 is very similar. He has just got into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and is reading them faster than I can get them from the library for him. He also likes Captain Underpants, Jeremy Strong and a few of the more boy-friendly Jacqueline Wilsons. And he loved the first of the Lemony Snicket books, though I had to help out with vocab quite a lot.
Luciemule - Beast Quest sounds great

[MadHairDay]

She sounds similar to my dd, just turned 9. She is reading black beauty atm and loving it. She has recently read her way through the Malory Towers series and is going through the famous five books very quickly. She also enjoys Harry Potter a lot now, plus the Narnia books. She loves all the Roald Dahl books.
Recently read Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce which she enjoyed, the Railway Children and the original 101 Dalmatians (NOT the disney version) which is a lovely story.

[shockers]

Philippa Pearce wrote a few nice books... I remember one called something like The Little Gentleman... it was about a mole.

[Takver]

Does she like the Horrible Science, Horrible Geography etc books? If she hasn't tried them, they might appeal, my dd loves them. There's also a Knowledge series by the same publishers that look good, I've got one about codes and code breakers tucked away for a rainy day (having read it myself first just to be sure it was suitable )

[florenceuk]

Cornelia Funke - there are two DS liked, Igraine the Brave and Dragon Rider.
My Story series - lots here if she likes history, on offer from Scholastic Book club.
Roman Mysteries (on offer from Book People, 15 for £15)
Spiderwick chronicles

[StinkbotsMum]

I found the Horrible History books a bit grim and explicit for my 7yo DS! Stuff like Aztec sacrifice... I would leave them until age 9+ with my DC.

[Takver]

I think the Horrible Science & Geography are ok though - I've had a flip through them and there's nothing too graphic (even in the Suffering Scientists one). Murderous Maths also looks good - dd's got one out of the library at the moment, and she's really enjoying it.

[EvilTwins]

David Almond - lovely, whimsical and original stories that don't patronise. Skellig, Counting Stars, Heaven Eyes - all good. Kit's Wilderness is also good but poss a bit sinister for an 8 yr old.

[Takver]

Just thought, DD really enjoyed the Lion Boy trilogy by Zizou Corder (recommended to us on here) - good old fashioned adventure story with a bit of a futuristic twist to it.

[pugsandseals]

DD age 7 has the same reading age & we were really struggling until we found the perfect books to replace rainbow magic- Stardust/sky horses by Linda Chapman. Which have now been read & re-read & re-read... D has also worked through the following fantastic books:-
Genie Us/ Genie & the phoenix by Steve Cole & Londa Chapman,
Astrosaurs & Cows in action by Steve Cole,
Anything by Gwyneth Rees,
Faraway Tree Series & Wishing Chair series EB
Horrible Histories.
She also chooses her own books from the school library which she loves doing!
Hope this helps!

[pugsandseals]

Linda Chapman's ive-scating series comes out after xmas- DD can't wait

[ChasingSquirrels]

I've just ordered The Borrowers for ds1, might be a bit old but I'm hoping it will be ok.