Please recommend YA books for 15yo DD

[justkeeponsmiling]

She reads a lot and has started to look for more "grown up" books recently. She is quite mature for her age and has started to stray into the "adult fiction" section of our local library recently and I'd like to steer her away from there for a bit longer whilst trying to find some new stuff that would ebgage and interest her...

[ragged]

Try the Curse Worker series by Holly Black. It's like Harry Potter meets the Godfather.

[ragged]

For some reason I end up reading & enjoying a lot of teen fiction, like
Pigtopia
My sister lives in a jar on the mantlepiece
The Highest Tide (Jim Lynch)

There was something I was eyeing up for 14yo DD the other day but decided to hold off.. Not Animal Farm, Streetcat named Bob, maybe?

[justkeeponsmiling]

Thank you, never heard of any of those so that's fab. I fancy the sound of some of them myself!
I havd recently read "All the truth that's in me", is that classified as YA? I feel that I can't really trust my own judgement when it comes to books for her because as soon as there is a hint of sex or violence in them I immediately discount them. Silly I know!

[cdtaylornats]

The two Jonathan Stroud series
Bartimaeus Sequence
Lockwood & Co.

Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Terry Pratchetts Discworld

Eoin Coifer - Airman

P. G. Wodehouse - Jeeves & Wooster series

James Herriots vet books

Bill Bryson - Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, The Road to Little Dribbling.

Alexander McCall Smith - No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

[cdtaylornats]

Some of the books I listed are not really designated as Young Adult but none of them have much in the way of sex or violence. Well Herriots books do but mostly animals.

[justkeeponsmiling]

Brilliant thanks cd . That's exactly what I'm looking for. She's not really interested in a lot of the teen weepies I usually associate with "typical" ya books like "The fault in our stars" so suitable adult fiction is great.

[CoteDAzur]

"She is quite mature for her age and has started to stray into the "adult fiction" section of our local library recently and I'd like to steer her away from there for a bit longer"

Why?

[LemonBreeland]

I'm with CoteDAzur, why do you want to steer her away from Adult fiction? I started reading adult books at 13, as I had outgrown my childhood books and there wasn't really any teen stuff around then.

Most books don't have huge amounts of sex in unless they are erotica, and she is old enough to read about sex in books.

[LBOCS2]

I was dipping into my parents' books at about 12 or 13. Most of my sex education came from Ken Follett and Jean M. Auel I think that as long as the subjects are dealt with appropriately in the book (I.e she's not just reading American Psycho or GoT) then it can be a good introduction to adult themes. One of the most popular YA books when I was a teenager was Judy Blume's 'Forever', which dealt with a teenager's first sexual relationship (and subsequent break up). The main thing I remember about it however, is that in it, his penis was called Ralph.

Anyway, back on topic, Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy is very good, likewise Trudi Canavan's Magician's Guild books. Much less 'wet' than things like TFIOS.

[Jayne35]

I strayed into adult books fairly young too and I seriously think some of them should be age restricted. I used to read Horror (Richard Laymon, Shaun Hutson etc) and it really was not suitable.

Recently read a YA series by Michael Grant starting with 'Gone' and thought they were brilliant, not too childish but not too adult either.

[justkeeponsmiling]

Because she put a Meredith Wild trilogy on her xmas wish list... apparently it is similar to that 50 shades shite. She told me she didn't know what it was and apparently read the blurb on the back of one of them and it sounded interesting. Other books on her wishlist included one by Danielle Steel and "Near London Road " by Samantha Young, "Scotland's answer to EL James" (so it says in the Amazon reviews).
I haven't got a problem with her reading adult fiction, I just want it to be something suitable!

[justkeeponsmiling]

Sorry, the above was an answer to cote and lemon .
Yy to books having age restrictions! As I tried to say above, I know she is ok to read about sex and violence to a certain degree, I'm just struggling to gauge the right level. I guess by looking mainly for YA books the decision has been made for me and I don't have to read it and decide how much is too much, as I think I can be a bit overprotective without wanting to be.
So I do welcome adult fiction suggestions that she may enjoy and that are suitable!

[badb]

I can recommend Irish author, Louise O'Neill. She has two YA books out, Only Ever Yours a few years ago, and Asking For It, this year. That said, they are really for more mature teens I suppose - really important themes and ideas, but both are quite serious, particularly Asking For It.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

DD is loving Val McDiarmid's Northanger Abbey ATM. How about Georgette Heyer?

Basically it's about picking a genre she likes and then going for either YA or adult world in that genre.

But most of us spent our late teens reading Virginia Andrews, Shirley Conran, Steven King and James Herbert surely, with little ill effects.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

I don't think staying in YA is going to work as a way to avoid sex and violence, though.

I found The Knife of Letting Go trilogy very violent, for instance. And the new Louise O'Neill is about rape and while I am sure it will be excellent, I doubt she pulls any punches.

If you're worried about keeping her away from explicit material and want an easy rule of thumb for how to do it, you're better off steering her towards adult fiction from an earlier period. (Obviously there are exceptions, but if you avoid the obvious things like Henry Miller or A Clockwork Orange or genres like horror you'll probably be ok.)

I don't really think you should worry though - at 15 she should be reading adult fiction and can probably cope with more shocking stuff than you think.

[badb]

You know, maybe Louise O'Neill might have been the wrong recommendation alright, countess, particularly Asking For It. I mean, I think it's dealing with really important themes for teens, especially consent, but it's hard going alright and you know your daughter best, OP. I agree with the Countess that vetted adult fiction might be better.

You know, maybe an author like Jodi Picoult probably would be OK. Personally, I don't like her books, but think they would be good for teens ready to move on. They generally have interesting stories and are usually not too violent or 'sexy'. Based on what your daughter has been reading, it might be a good stepping stone into adult fiction.

[badb]

Forgive the "you know, maybe" repetition in paragraph starts I composed the message over the course of the last 20 minutes. I've been working all day! I'm tired!

[justkeeponsmiling]

I'm sure yoy are right countess . Still though, Meredith Wild, ugh!! If it is anything like 50 shades I would hate for her to read something like that. She does not need to read about buttplugs just yet, and almost more importantly I would hate for her to read romanticized versions of abusive relationships and thinks that this is normal.
It's not so much that I think she can't cope with shocking stuff, I just read it and think noooo, not my little girl . I read some racy stuff when I was 15 without any ill effects, so I know she can cope and will probably benefit from exploring some more "adult" themes.
I will look at all the suggestions, very much appreciated, thank you all!

[WildStallions]

Noughts and crosses by malorie Blackman.

[ImperialBlether]

I grew up on Agatha Christie and Mary Stewart books. I particularly love The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart.

Description on Amazon (doesn't do it justice:

An English June in the Roman Wall countryside; the ruin of a beautiful old house standing cheek-by-jowl with the solid, sunlit prosperity of the manor farm - a lovely place, and a rich inheritance for one of the two remaining Winslow heirs. There had been a third, but Annabel Winslow had died four years ago - so when a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow comes 'home' to Whitescar, Con Winslow and his half-sister Lisa must find out whether she really is who she says she is.

If she likes The Ivy Tree I can guarantee she'll want to read all the others.

There are a couple of MNetters I know who've written YA adult - one set in the future, another in the past. Each of them is really well written and tell a great story.

www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Wounds-Katharine-Edgar/dp/0993159214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446140717&sr=8-1&keywords=katharine%20edgar&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 Five Wounds by Katharine Edgar]]

Description on Amazon:

It is 1536. The north of England has boiled over into rebellion against Henry VIII and the rebels march south towards London, growing stronger by the day. Sixteen-year-old Nan Ellerton, sent home from her convent when the King's commissioners arrived, has been promised in marriage to a powerful lord. When both he and his son Francis become embroiled in the revolt, Nan must choose - help the rebels, even though it could mean paying the brutal penalty for treason, or betray her beliefs and risk eternal damnation. A stunning historical novel for teenagers from debut author Katharine Edgar, Five Wounds tells a story of adventure, passion and courage, set against the backdrop of the Pilgrimage of Grace.

Changed Souls by Harriet Truscott

Description on Amazon:

After the virus came, everything changed. Seventeen ­year-old Lucille is left with just a pile of debt to remind her of her dead family and their failed farm. Working for the Mayor to control the spread of the disease seems like a chance to repay her father’s betrayal. Now, the city is under an authoritarian regime, incinerating bodies, rationing food and quarantining families. When Lucille is called to the Mayor’s own apartment to take away a murder victim, everyone but her seems intent on a cover-up. Then the only person she trusts disappears… Little by little, Lucille realises that the service she put her faith in is corrupt to the core. And now she must learn to make her own choices about what loyalty and betrayal mean.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I honestly don't think you should be telling her what she can/can't read at 15. By 15, she'll be aware of far more than you might wish her to be aware of, and reading is a safe way of finding out about things. I'd rather my children read books than watched a lot of the films that young adults these days seem to watch without batting an eye, tbh.

A fantastic YA series is Lian Hearne's 'Tales of the Otari' - it has an awful lot of sex and violence though! Dd1 read it at about 10/11 and survived the experience, although she did tell me later that she was fine with the violence but skipped some of the sex!

And yes to Stephen King. I'd recommend, 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon' or 'Misery' or 'Cujo' as a starting point.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

YY re 50 Shades and its ilk though. NOBODY should be reading that crap, let alone teenage girls!

[ImperialBlether]

I would just encourage her to go to the library, tbh, and have a good look around.

Or maybe she could look up lists of cult books?

Remus, when I was at school we used to read the Skinhead books - they were a lot worse than fifty shades of shite!

[SkaterGrrrrl]

YA:

I Capture The Castle (a coming of age classic)
The Fault in Our Stars ( two teens fall in love, they both have cancer)
The Hunger Games

Adult but nothing too extreme:

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy
Anything by Jodie Picoult, her latest (think its called Leaving Time is especially readable and one of the main protagonists is a teenage girl)
Gladys Mitchell - interwar detective stories much like Agatha Christie.