Classic books for a teen girl

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DD (14) has always been an avid reader and when she was younger she was well ahead of her peers on reading level/vocabulary etc - but the past few years she's fallen into reading endless romantasy series. She loves them and I've been happy that she's reading, but she had an English test recently and I was surprised by her vocabulary - they're learning An Inspector Calls and there were lots of words she didn't know the meaning of (altruistic, contrite, omniscient etc).

I think she'd benefit from reading a broader range of books and she's on board - but 'hates old books'. The last two years the school had this awful system which forced them to read a very narrow range of books which she hated and would have completely switched her off from reading if she hadn't discovered the romantacies. She hated the secret garden, little women, Sherlock Holmes.

At her age I loved things like Jane Austen, wuthering heights, Ursula le guin, and I feel like I've read pretty much every classic. But then, I had nothing to do except read 😆 There are so many other distractions on her time now - and so many easy/attractive/viral tween novels - I need things she'll love to be able to compete.

Any recommendations for books I can suggest to her?

Personally I would leave her to read the books she is enjoying.

You could try posting this in the What we're reading topic OP.. You might get some useful suggestions.
Has she read the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy? These were books my son read in early teens. How about the Adrian Mole diaries?
I was an avid reader in my teens but the things I enjoyed - like Muriel Spark, Dorothy L Sayers, Dodie Smith etc etc would probably be far too.dated and old fashioned for your DD.

I wonder if you might be better passing some modern classics/ literary fiction her way, rather than focusing on the classics themselves. I absolutely loved Anne Tyler and John Irving as a teenager - well written books that felt 'grown up' and stretched me, but that still reflected the world I was in. I think Ann Patchett's Tom Lake, for example, would be great for a teenage girl, as would most of David Nicholl's books, or writers like Meg Mason or Coco Mellors. Maybe even Yesteryear?

I read very widely at that age (loved the Greengage Summer) but also Science Fiction - Asimov, Bradbury - also some Fantasy type books and Terry Pratchett. I think be glad she's reading - and she'll probably widen things out hersel at some point.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

both might appeal !

This was my first instinct and if she's resistant or it's putting her off reading I definitely will. But at the same time I loved reading as a teen/young adult and maybe there's a genre out there she'd love if she tried it!

Hopefully I'll get some good suggestions here and I'll give her the opportunity to choose if she wants to give any of them a try

Thanks that's a good suggestion. She tried the hobbit, didn't like it. Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy might be worth a try, I'm sure I have it somewhere. She's a bit too anti-boys at the moment for Adrian mole 😆

Thank you this is just what I need - books I'm less familiar with I can look into.

As much as I love reading, it's taken a major back seat since having children so I'm really out of touch when it comes to more modern classics

Big sci fi fans here but she's less keen so far. I love Terry Pratchett and own them all but she doesn't like them. I'm hoping she'll try again when she's older. I think a lot of the references that made me laugh out loud at the time go right over her head because they're so dated but I hope when she's more mature she'll appreciate them more

Thank you, I'll take a look

Couple of other thoughts in a similar vein: Tommorrow and Tommorrow and Tommorow by Gabrille Zevin and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Taylor Jenkins Reid might be worth looking at too.

Hope you find some things she loves!

How about John Wyndham? I loved all of his books at her age. Or I Capture the Castle? Rebecca? East of Eden?

As a big romantasy reader myself other non-romantasy books I've loved are Rebecca, 1984 and anything by Agatha Christie.

Does she read on Kindle or physical books? Kindle is quite useful as you can hold down any word you don't know and it will give you the dictionary definition so although I love physical books.... for learning vocabulary I actually think Kindle is great.

If she likes romantasy, would she like Georgette Heyer? Plenty of romance, well written & an easy way to absorb some social history.

Tomorrow X3 is a good shout, my teen enjoyed that. Also agree with Rebecca.

What about The Handmaid's Tale as literary dystopia? Other modern literary books she could try:
The Hate U Give
Home Fire
In Memoriam
The Song of Achilles/Circe
Fingersmith
Eleanor & Park
The Bell Jar
These have all been popular with my Dds

I would just leave her to it, honestly. Trying to force stuff on her she doesn’t like is the surest way to turn her off reading. It’s great that at her age she loves reading so much.
Ive always been a vociferous reader and I’m not sure I would have know what omniscient meant at 14! And I don’t like many of the old ‘classic’ novels either. Anna Karenina for example is boring as hell.

Not sure if this will help with vocab, I don’t really feel knowledgeable enough to comment on that but at that age I was very bored by Austen etc and ‘literature’ in general. I really did get into more accessible books like

agatha christie and other golden age of detetective (or old fashioned stuff)
PG Wodehouse
Bill Bryson
Some of Alan Bennett’s good plays (history boys, lady in the van)
Amusing stand-alone things like 3 men in a boat

more recently I have unexpectedly enjoyed books by
Joanne Harris
Emma Donaghue

I would encourage she tries things and see what suits her.

agree with pp's that perhaps aiming her towards slightly more literary modern fiction might be the way to go for now? Stuff like the secret history (huge influence on most dark academia/romantasy books), or the lovely bones?

I don't think any of this is 'forcing' her, personally I think its fine to say if she enjoys reading she might want to widen her horizons - the romantasy stuff is fine but nobody would ever call it great literature. It doesn't have to be one or the other, she can still read the stuff she likes while trying other, better written, stuff she might also like.

I read my 1st Mary Stewart book at that age and loved it- think it was The Moonspinners or Nine Coaches .

ooh Joanne Harris is a good suggestion also Tracey Chevalier.

Might she also enjoy some non-fiction about the history of witches and witchcraft?

Maybe Margaret Atwood. Lots to appeal to a teenager and all different. I'd agree with Madeline Miller, Song of Achilles and Circe. I wonder about some Kamila Shamsie's books too, cultural link to Middle East/India/Pakistan in many. Barbara Kingsolver? Maybe start with Demon Copperhead.
Modern literary fiction is so huge and varied I'm sure she'd find something she liked.

OP, not a dissimilar story. DD15 doesn’t read as much as she used to but for the past couple of weeks she was gripped by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid mentioned upthread) after a friend recommended it.

His Dark Materials
Terry Pratchett - start with the Tiffany Aching books.

Anything useful here? 14 Books Every Teenage Girl Should Read | LoveReading https://share.google/8e51aBZZBu1m1l8Rz

She could also try Phillip Pullman, Margaret Atwood, Malorie Blackman or the Hunger Games series if so inclined. But mostly I'd just be happy she's reading anything and not trying to influence her too much. I was completely obsessed with Virginia Andrews at that age and managed to go on and successfully complete an English Lit degree.

How about (for good stuff that's a bit more modern):
Life of Pi
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
The Book Thief