Getting a Teenage Girl to Read!!!!

[MabelStark]

Hi all, have been reading these pages for a while but this is my first time, I think of myself as a real bookworm but a friend of mine had me a bit stumped today!
My friend has a daughter of 13, who is doing ok at school but is just not interested at all in reading or in her English classes at school. Her daughter likes Maths, Science, Geography and attends Drama classes.
My friend thinks that if she could get her into books, her interest in English might ignite and it would improve her spelling and vocab. Ideally she would like a book that they could read together... I ony had a couple of suggestions, Anne of Green Gables and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Can anyone suggest a book a little more contempary, I am out of touch with Teenage/Crossover Fiction. Many thanks

[noonki]

My DSS loves Twilight series - recommended by his friend who is a girl

[mumblechum]

"Elsewhere". Sorry can't remember the author. Got it out of the library recently & it's contemporary and a little offbeat.

[witchandchips]

Anne of Green Gables a bit too young. Think she'd probably go for some science fiction of the john wyndham (day of the triffids, chocky, chrysalids) type

[DorrisMcWhirter]

What about the Northern Light's trilogy?
I second the Twilight series too, they are fantastic (although may depend on how mature she is as probably aimed more at 15/ 16 year olds - however, I enjoyed them too and am 33!)

[witchandchips]

malorie blackman (noughts and crosses) is also good

also Isabelle Allende has done a few books for teenages (i actually find these easier to take that her adult books tbh)

[noonki]

I 3rd Malorie Blackman

and though not contemporary I loved loved loved To kill a mockingbird at that age (and still do)

[witchandchips]

Nick hornby wrote a book "Slam" (?) about and for teenages. Teenage couple gets pregnant finds it hard + then copes. very good

Also she might go for something more factual like "wild swans"

[PrimulaVeris]

Some Jacqueline Wilson books are more teenagey

Also 'Princess diaries' and other books by Meg Cabot

If she has issues with English & reading these are not difficult to read.

[BitOfFun]

Louise Rennison? Malorie Blackman (quite scary tho). I would say Wild Swans is off-puttingly long if you aren't a natural.

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Marley and Me if she loves dogs. Some Nicci French thrillers if you check the content first.

It depends very much on the girl tbh. What we need to find is content that is pitched to her interests and maturity level first, and then think about how challenging/easy a read it is, depending on what's required. I work in a bookshop and help people find the right book every day, but it is definitely more a question of the above than just gender, age and what we used to love ourselves. Is there anything else you can tell us?

[HonoriaGlossop]

funnily enough I remember at this age (while trying to be too cool for school with all my friends, talking about boys, passing round the naughty pages of Danielle Steel in tutor group etc) what I found and LOVED to read was a) Goergette Heyer and b) PG Wodehouse



So I'd suggest some real old fashioned 'light' stuff like that, you never know, she might love it!

[HonoriaGlossop]

Do I mean Danielle Steel? I might mean Jackie Collins actually

[NoblesseOblige]

luoise rennison - "knocked out by my nunganungas" and so forth are ok, also cathy cassidy and older end jacqueline wilson too - if she is reluctant to read i'd be inclined to hopd off on the shared reading sessions until she gets a bit more into it on her own - might scare her off all together?

[NoblesseOblige]

point horrors are also still around, stephenie mayer's vampire series are really well written and darren shan is meant to be good...thgou he doesn't float my literary boat personally...

[pointydog]

You want pacy, easy to read stuff if you want to try to get her interested in reading, not the classics.

You could try a couple by ANthony Horowitz - Groosham Grange, Return to Groosham Grange and Granny are ace. Catherine MacPhail has written some good pacy social issues ones (Missing, Wheels). What about Jacqueline Wilson's ones for older readers like Kiss?

Ultimately, though, I think some people are just not at all keen on reading and writing.

[DrHorrible]

Twilight!!!!

Vampire Love Story with an incredibly charismatic leading man/vamp.

[DrHorrible]

What does she like to watch on tv/films? it gives an idea of genres

[MabelStark]

Am overwhelmed by the response thank you so much everyone. As she is quite a girly girl think will buy her the Meg Cabots and see how those go down. Will also pass your advice to my friend - thanks again. I love this board!!!!!

[teafortwo]

I would suggest....

ANYTHING SHE wants to read!!!

Buy her a 20 quid book token - drop her and a mate off in Waterstones and come back in no less than one hour!

[stleger]

If she likes 'non fiction' type subjects, would she like biographies better? The Vampire series are very popular too. Also Louise Rennison, Sue Limb etc. who 'live together' on bookshop shelves if she likes boyfriends and crises.