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Original poster

Suitable books for quite an innocent 12yo girl whose a very good reader

109 replies

MirkleMe · 23/02/2020 19:35

My 12yo DD is capable of reading adult books but obviously the topics are not suitable, especially as she's quite niave.

She's in yr 7.

Any suggestions

OP posts:
TakeMeToYourLiar · 23/02/2020 20:24

I was your daughter

Pratchett books, particularly the Tiffany Aching ones
Noel Streatfield
Jane Austen
Jane Eyre

OublietteBravo · 23/02/2020 20:23

Has she read the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens?

Wallabyone · 23/02/2020 20:21

Skellig by David Almond

HelenaJustina · 23/02/2020 20:21

Katherine Rundell
Rest of the ‘Anne’ series?
My 8yr old has read Tiffany Aching by Terry Pratchett - 12 would be fine and she might fall in love with the Discworld
The Alanna series by Tamora Pierce

Redwinestillfine · 23/02/2020 20:20

The Hobbit, Lord of the rings?

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 23/02/2020 20:16

As for more modern books, how about The Hunger Games trilogy? Or Dust, Shift and Wool (a future dystopian trilogy), or The Maze Runner series?

AnotherEmma · 23/02/2020 20:13

Another vote for His Dark Materials. I was an avid, advanced reader at that age and loved the books.

Also, things like The Book Thief and The Night Circus spring to mind.

You could go into a good bookshop and ask, I find the staff are often knowledgable and happy to make suggestions.

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 23/02/2020 20:12

At 12 I loved Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes stories, What Katy Did, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Lark Rise to Candleford, etc

Lucked · 23/02/2020 20:11

If she likes Judy Blume try Paula Danziger and Lois Duncan (of I know what you did last summer fame) but she was has loads of books.

FraterculaArctica · 23/02/2020 20:10

Arthur Conan Doyle? I devoured Sherlock Holmes as a 12 year old

ShowOfHands · 23/02/2020 20:09

Oh yes. Pratchett is a v good call. DD is trying to collect them all from charity shops alone. We are missing only 6.

FraterculaArctica · 23/02/2020 20:09

Has she read the When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit trilogy?

SpeedofaSloth · 23/02/2020 20:08

Terry Pratchett is generally not very racy. My 11yo has read Mort, and the Tiffany Aching books.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 23/02/2020 20:06

Dark Materials is a good shout, it's complex but child-friendly.

Austen is good around this age. When I was around her age I read a lot of classic-classics that have probably fallen out of favour a bit - Children of the New Forest, Huckleberry Finn, Dickens, Bronte sisters. Let her crack on with them, but do talk to her about what she's reading - I imagine for example the racism in Huck Finn would be quite hard to read now.

ShowOfHands · 23/02/2020 20:04

My 12yo loved the classics like Moby Dick, Treasure Island etc when she was stuck between the ability to read more complex works and the maturity to understand the nuances. This was towards the end of primary school, y5 ish. She also worked through some classic adult texts like Austen, Bronte, Little Women, Harper Lee, Atwood etc. Now she's 12, she reads all sorts of dystopian, disturbing stuff but the classics were perfect before she was ready. She prefers Poe, Hoffman, Shelley etc when reading classics nowadays.

bookmum08 · 23/02/2020 20:04

Little House on the Prairie series. I was obsessed with those at 12. (still am to be honest)
Back Home by Michelle Magorian I also read and re read.

IDontDrinkTea · 23/02/2020 20:00

The Magyk series by Angie Sage

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 23/02/2020 19:56

His Dark Materials
Little Women
Twins at St Clares

Ilovellamas · 23/02/2020 19:56

Warrior cats??? My cat obsessed year 7 loved them and luckily there are loads of them.

Original poster
MirkleMe · 23/02/2020 19:54

Also read the Narnia books. She's pretty much covered everything we would have read as children.

It's the next jump up I'm struggling with.

She's read a lot of Judy Blume.

OP posts:
RuudGullitOnAShed · 23/02/2020 19:54

K M Peyton's Flambards series

Original poster
MirkleMe · 23/02/2020 19:53

She's read Harry Potter,.Anne.of green gables and Mallory towers etc

OP posts:
SurpriseSparDay · 23/02/2020 19:52

Think I got into Georgette Heyer at about that age.

Agree the classics (particularly 19th century writers) bridge a gap between children’s fiction and modern adult reading.

I’m not sure any particular topics need be out of bounds though. It’s more a matter of the language used and the attitudes portrayed.

ThePlantsitter · 23/02/2020 19:51

The classics are perfect for kids like this! E Nesbit, CS Lewis, Noel Streatfield.

The evolution of calpurnia Tate and its successor (forgotten) are really lovely books, written recently but set 100 years ago.

lljkk · 23/02/2020 19:51

Nancy Drew!

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