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Children's books

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Original poster

What Deutsch or English books for dd aged 12? She is not yet ready for romance, and doesn't like fantasies.

92 replies

Nighbynight · 22/01/2009 21:37

dd is representing our town in a reading competition, in German.

She has to choose a book, ideally by a German author, and as mentioned above, she thinks kissy books are Beaughh, and fantasies are stupid. She likes real books about real people. She has had enough difficulties in her life not to like books with sad endings.

She recently enjoyed Bruder zu Verschenken ("Brothers to Give Away Free"), by Sandra Saborowski, in fact she read it in the first round of the competition.
We are now looking for something similar - it's got to be suitable from 12 years old (we suggested The Railway Children, but apparently that was too young).

any ideas??

OP posts:
frogs · 24/01/2009 21:55

I confess that at this age I really got into Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.

But probably not the effect you're after. How about Wanderer, Kommst Du nach Spa...? Or some Cornelia Funke?

emkana · 24/01/2009 21:51

Nighbynight, I hope your dd makes a decision soon! Am awaiting it eagerly!

emkana · 24/01/2009 21:50

Don't know about superior knowledge...

I had forgotten all about Sansibar, so thanks for mentioning it!

Fauve · 24/01/2009 21:31

I bow to your superior knowledge, Em. Your Judith Kerr suggestion is a good one by all accounts - I've got it on dd's bookshelves (in English) but for some reason she refuses to read it - me pushing it too much probably.

emkana · 24/01/2009 21:28

I also loved Sansibar when in school, but I think it's more for older pupils (14 +). It's quite complex.

Fauve · 24/01/2009 21:18

I did Sansibar oder der Letzte Grund by Alfred Andersch at school and LOVED it. It's quite short and vocab is fairly simple, but the story is fantastic.

KatyMac · 24/01/2009 21:11

Oh wow - I will get t out the library for DD

I can remember sitting on the school field crying about it - I must have been about 10 or 11

emkana · 24/01/2009 21:10

I hope there is something in there that she likes.

BonsoirAnna · 24/01/2009 21:10

Yes, KatyMac, that's the same book.

ZZZen · 24/01/2009 20:41

Hi NN. Did dd see anything she liked? In my neck of the woods "Jugendbibliothek" means children's library (from littlest up, not Jugend as in teenager so they have everything from easy readers up, just more than in the small children's section most libraries have.

(I wasn't meaning sex drugs and all that stuff, heaven forbid!)

I think it's great about your dd doing this,especially since German hasn't been her strongest language up till now.

KatyMac · 24/01/2009 20:27

Did the little girl in that knit something in exchange for milk (or the other way round?)

I read something like that & I wanted to re-read it & the knitting stuck in my mind - she unravelled something to re-knit it?

Original poster
Nighbynight · 24/01/2009 20:23

Thank you Anna. What an interesting story - there are so many little-known tales from this period of history.

Hello zz!
I went to a bookshop today, and noticed many of emkana's suggestions on the shelf labelled 10-12J. I would say, that this is dd's reading age, she is not precocious. The "Jugendliteratur" was too grown up for her taste I think.

she is just going to have a look on amazon for the books listed on this thread.

OP posts:
ZZZen · 24/01/2009 10:28

Thanks Anna, will keep an eye open for it

BonsoirAnna · 24/01/2009 10:08

No, it isn't an upsetting book at all. I re-read it many, many times between the ages of about 10 and 14. It's an uplifting book, I think - it is a first hand account of a young girl/teenager surviving great hardship. I think it is very good for pampered modern teenagers (and I include myself in that description) to read about real teenage hardship.

ZZZen · 24/01/2009 10:05

Thanks for that. Gosh tough life that girl had but infinitely better than the other alternative would have been. Was it a very upsetting book to read Anna? I'm wondering what age group it would be appropriate for.

BonsoirAnna · 24/01/2009 09:59

The Endless Steppe

BonsoirAnna · 24/01/2009 09:57

Fabulous book. I'm sure it exists in German (I have bought it in French for children here). It's the true story of a Polish Jewish girl who was deported to Siberia during WW2. One of my all time favourites.

ZZZen · 24/01/2009 09:56

don't know that book Anna

BonsoirAnna · 24/01/2009 09:48

The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig.

Congratulations to your DD (and to you, for being her Mummy).

ZZZen · 24/01/2009 09:46

Hope it goes really well for nn. Can you just go to a biggish Jugendbibliothek and rifle through the shelves looking for something together?

Original poster
Nighbynight · 23/01/2009 22:30

oooh thank you v much Em! Lots of books that are new to me there.

I will see how quickly she can reject all of those tomorrow.

OP posts:
emkana · 23/01/2009 21:53

I'll stop now, promise

emkana · 23/01/2009 21:52

max von der gruen - vorstadtkrokodile

Kurt Held von Sauerlaender - Die Rote Zora und ihre Bande

Judith Kerr - Als Hitler das Rosa Kaninchen Stahl

Emmy von Rhoden - Der Trotzkopf

Erich Kaestner - Das Doppelte Lottchen

emkana · 23/01/2009 21:12

Some of these books are more of a light nature (Rudi Ruessel), some are a bit more heavy. You know your daughter, you know what she can "digest"

emkana · 23/01/2009 21:11

Hans Peter Richter - Damals war es Friedrich (this is about the friendship between a Jewish boy and a non-Jewish boy during the 3rd Reich. It said recommended from age 14 but I'm sure I read it when I was younger than that)

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