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Children's books

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Original poster

Books for 13yo dd who has just read Divergent?

59 replies

CocktailQueen · 13/09/2016 19:01

She loved it but is looking for something less harrowing this time. Have Googled, and so many teen/YA books are scary/sad/terrifying.

Any recommendations? We both read and loved Em Bailey's Shift.

OP posts:
TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 13/09/2016 20:56

The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld is great.

Wonderone · 13/09/2016 20:53

Sophie Kinsella has just done her first YA book Finding Audrey that gets good reviews.

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 13/09/2016 20:45

Thanks! Some great ideas. Funnily enough, she's just added Noughts and Crosses to her birthday list.

Have bought her the Howell book - thanks, StuntNun -

She's read the Hunger Games books but they made her cry (and me). We need something less nihilistic, more positive, I think.

Have just bought her the Chaos Walking trilogy and the Howell book - thanks, StuntNun and NewCross.

Think I'll read the Crysalids first, to check out how scary it is. Thank you :) You can never have too many books!!

OP posts:
JedRambosteen · 13/09/2016 19:35

Suffice it to say, the last few years of staged cinematic releases of The Hunger Games & Divergent films has been fab. Actually, The Hunger Games books are good but a bit bleak. Better again than the Divergent & Noughts & Crosses series. Those stupid Twilight books were boring as fuck though - and not a healthy relationship.

JedRambosteen · 13/09/2016 19:29

Mallory Blackman's 'Noughts & Crosses' series. Imagines a world where whites are the oppressed minority and discriminated against to explore racism & has love across race & class boundaries. Better written than the Divergent books, more interesting. (In a previous job, I had very busy periods where I would bash through YA fiction series as a distraction/short term insomnia solution.)

StuntNun · 13/09/2016 19:23

The Psionic Pentalogy by Adrian Howell would be good. My 13yo likes Ali Sparkes' Shapeshifter series. Rippler by Cidney Swanson is another option.

Millipedewithherfeetup · 13/09/2016 19:11

My dd loved the Diary of a chav series ( l read them tooBlush), very funny, teen fiction.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 13/09/2016 19:10

I always recommend it: has she read Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy? One of my favourite YA writers. He also wrote The Rest of Us Just Live Here, a novel told from the point of view of the "normal people" in a school with "Chosen Ones" in it (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer if it focused on students other than the Scooby gang!)

WorkingBling · 13/09/2016 19:06

I would recommend John Wyndham. Old, but excellent. Chrysalids is a good entry book. Day of the triffids also good at that age.