Aibu to suggest alternative books to 12 year old DD when she asks to read something I believe is unsuitable for her age?

I wonder if she'd enjoy the Legends and Lattes series, they're cosy fantasy with zero smut.

Censoring reading materials will likely put her off asking you. I read everything I could grab

It’s a false equivalence to compare seeing films or videos with reading a book. She will read a book at her own pace, stop if she doesn’t want to read it and will see images in her mind’s eye that come from her imagination, not someone else’s. Explicit text reads differently when you are an adult.
IIRC the author was a teenager when she wrote it and the fantasies are fairly adolescent. It’s a beauty and the beast retelling, after all.
I‘d let her read anything she wanted. If she’s a reader she probably will realise it’s dreadfully written.

Consider the Dianna Wynne Jones Chrestomanci series.

Depending on why she is struggling to get into Lord of the Rings it may be worth seeing if you can get hold of a 6 book version rather than the more common 3 books which can seem like a lot.

Have a look at Shadow and Bone (Leigh Bardugo) - might be one you discuss first.

As Old as Time by Liz Braswel (and other Twisted Fairy Tales) may also be of interest.

(it is always worth double checking the categorisation of books there have been a number of people who have noticed Adult Fantasy Romance being shelved in the Young Adult section of bookshops)

Recommend Midnight's Twins YA fantasy by Holly Race - all the violence is clearly in the dreamworld the teenaged heroes inhabit and patrol at night, so better than the Hunger Games in that respect, romance is not explicit. I have adult friends who adore this series.

I'm sorry to hear that. 💐 Maybe I was overgeneralising too much from my own experience. I was allowed free reign to read whatever I wanted as a child and it was an entirely good thing for me. I exhausted pretty much all the local libraries, but I don't remember coming across anything with any extreme content, some adult stuff but nothing traumatising. I might just have been lucky I didn't come across anything extreme, if I had I can't know how that might have affected me. Because so many children don't read anything unless forced to my first instinct is to not want to discourage any reading.

I can’t wholeheartedly agree there. My parents let me read whatever I wanted and I wished they hadn’t. I could read at an adult level by age nine, so I ended up reading sexually violent books that I had no context for and they gave me a warped perspective of what was common in adults.

OP’s daughter is older, so it’s a different situation, but I see people say things about “you shouldn’t restrict what children read” and I wonder if they realize how detrimental it can be to let any child of any age read whatever they want.

“Am I being unreasonable to think DD should read some more romance/consent books before reading about sexual assault?”

You mentioned she’s read The Hunger Games books - you know there’s stuff in there about forced prostitution and sex trafficking, right?

I wouldnt let my girls read anything unsuitable for their age and maturity. I was shocked my 9 year old had started reading the boy in the striped pyjamas at her middle school library. I brought it up with her teacher at parents evening and her teacher had never thought about this issue before. That surprised me.

I’d just be glad that she’s reading!

Mortal instruments by Cassandra Clare. Its a series and sex doesnt appear until and its not graphic, its about first time and right person

I noticed Asda near me has a section in their children’s books specifically for YA fantasy. I also noticed they had Kiss of the Basilisk which if you see her innocently picking up OP confiscate it at once and read it yourself, it’s pure filth

She'll be fine. I don't think it's a good idea to restrict children's reading.

Lauren Roberts is good for younger readers, still romantasy but totally PG (slow burn romance, no sex) but with similar packages to the more adult books so they feel in that style

I still internally giggle whenever I hear the name Ralph 😂

If she wants to read Sara J Maas I'd recommend she starts with the Throne of Glass series, its brilliant, more violent than ACOTAR but less detailed sex scenes. Also some other good fantasy series that would be suitable would be Robins Hobbs Farseerer and Liveship trader books, Nightworld series and Raymond E Feist (the first trilogy - it can get quite heavy after that).

She will come across it soon enough though so if she really wants ACOTAR its not actually that bad.

I was reading my way through my mums Jilly Coopers at that age. I think ACOTAR is fine for a 12 year old.

My username may show my bias but Throne of Glass is a masterpiece and I'd say suitable for her age if she's fairly mature as some of the themes can be a bit heavy (not necessarily sexual, I think from memory it's all closed door save for one scene in EoS and a few in ToD).

Has she read the mortal instruments series? They're good fantasy for that age I'd say. There's lots of spin offs as well so well over a dozen books I think.

The matched trilogy as suggested above too, also the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. The I am number four series is actually pretty good too.

As a fellow flowers in the attic at 12 reader (plus countless other darker books), I'd say ACOTAR isn't appropriate past the first book really, especially not Silver Flames.

Having said all of that, well done on raising a kid with such good reading taste so early!!

Not being funny but how do you actually stop a 12 year old reading what they like. I used to go into the public library and read there for hours at times at that ago.

If you’re wanting to defer ACOTAR because of the graphic nature of the sex scenes and she’s already read Fourth Wing then I’m afraid that horse has already bolted…

I’ve read them and love them. I wouldn’t recommend until around 14-16 at the earliest.

If she’s after a more grown up read and likes fantasy she should have a look at The Braided Path series by Chris Wooding.

The author is YA writer and his YA fiction is really good too. The Braided Path I read for fun when I was at uni and really enjoyed it.

Its well written but not super violent or sexual although does have those themes discussed.

ETA: I also read Jilly Cooper when I was a bit older than her. Loved them all and still do, think it was actually a good introduction to more detail about sex.

I would definitely say no to ACOTAR. Book 1 isn’t too bad but books 2-5 have some quite explicit sex scenes and I’m not sure most would be comfortable with their 12 year old reading that. The Throne Of Glass series is definitely more YA (from memory there’s one sex scene but it’s not as detailed as acotar).

AGGGTM is possibly slightly more appropriate. I listened to the audio book and watched the BBC version. It’s got some more adult themes but is aimed at YA.

some books I remember reading and enjoying were Witch Child by Celia Rees, The Declaration by Gemma Malley (a YA dystopian novel), At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper, Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging series by Louise Rennison. I’d suggest reading some of the popular “booktok” books first yourself to check it yourself think they’re suitable (one post earlier in this thread mentioned their teen requesting Elsie Silver books and they are 100% not appropriate for young adult readers but are very popular online), and be wary of books that look YA friendly on the cover or are in the YA section- there’s lots that look very innocent and tame but are not!