To ask if these books are too old for DD?

[ladyjadey]

DD1 has read every book in the house three times. She has read everything in the local library. She has read everything I read at her age - almost 11, all the st Clare's and Malory towers books, all the David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilsons, Andy stantons.

She needs some new books and Louise Rennison has popped up in my searches, of Angus thongs and perfect snogging fame. Are these books too old for my DD? Does anyone have any experience of her novels? I don't want to buy something that I won't let her read but we've just run out of everything (any other suggestions gratefully accepted)

Thanks in advance

TheProblemOfSusan my parents and their relaxed reading rules meant I read The Crucible at 9/10. They couldn't quite work out where my sudden interest in Witchcraft and whether Salem was an actual place and not just a cat from Sabrina came from.

'Not necessarily fine literature but she was an author who got being a teenage girl.'

I remember reading an excerpt from one of her books where her heroine goes to a fancy dress party dressed up as a stuffed olive. Really made me laugh

I wouldn't buy them for an 11 yo, no. Far, far, farrrr better options out there.

What Katy Did. Hated that one too. She was such a goodie two shoes, even when she broke her back and was stuck in a wheelchair she just sat there politely smiling at everyone. Victorian attitudes towards physical disability would not have suited my temperament!

This thread is so helpful. I struggle to keep my DCs supplied with books. Some great suggestions here - thanks!

'Talk to a bookseller in your local shop, actually - they'll be much better at recommendations than MN.'

^^ They'll know what's currently popular. And what's good. Rather than a MNers fondly remembered pony club books from 1967.

11 yo old here reads LOADS, all kinds of things, she hasn't enjoyed any of the classics so far (school reading list), she tolerated Black Beauty but only because she's horse mad.

She's just finished the HP series, she's now reading the Beasts thingy & something else, I'll try to remember to look & report back tomorrow.

My dd was into the Wildwood Trilogy,she was into adventurous stories,preferably a bit complex.Terry Pratchett also good,the Tiffany Aching ones are a great start and intro .If you want her to read classics and she devours all books within reach then just have them on the bookshelves, she'll read them when she's ready.

NumberOne oh that part is hysterical! There was a movie made of the book (With Aaron Taylor Johnson, if I'm not mistaken) and that part still has me in stitches. Even my sister who is mid thirties (so too old for the books when they came out) finds it hysterical.

Wow! Thanks everyone, I thought I would get just one or two replies and I'm bowled over now I've checked back!

I think I may have to take notes, so many suggestions

Lots of great advice already, would add Chris Riddell books, like goth girl, Michael morpugo- adolohus tips, alone on a wide sea, war horse. My dd enjoyed all of these, also - Heidi, swallows and amazons, also there is a great slightly younger version of I am Malala. Oh and Eva ibbotson!

She is not old for her age but is an avid reader, I would say she is quite naive in many ways so I don't want to make her grow up too quickly but she did enjoy some of my old Judy Blume novels (obviously not forever, that one is a long way off her radar at this time).

She would be bored by quite a few of the classics as I think she would find them too 'old fashioned' but I might try her with watership down.

The babysitters club could be a winner. She isn't a girly girl so I'm not sure about the sweet valley high books, but then I never read any of those myself. At her age I was reading agatha Christie and quickly moved on to horror novels

I remember my very intelligent and very immature DD reading lots of Jilly Cooper books when she was 11. I always read JC's newspaper column about her dogs so I was blissfully unaware that her books were rather more raunchy!

I came to suggest The Babysitters Club books, there's about 200 of them so plenty to keep her going and they were my absolute favourite books at that age.

Yy to Rick Riordan, he's really popular with my DCs.

Get her on to Terry Pratchett. Try the Wee Free Men first, the main character is a girl your DD's age.

I remember someone mentioning about The Babysitter Club on a recent thread and it wasn't that great in the same ways of the Sweet Valley books. They don't age well. Wouldn't have a hope in hell of getting published nowadays. Plus, they're just craps writing; each book following the same basic storyline, I really wouldn't encourage her to get into them.

Rick Riordan is excellent, DS devoured the books and his interest in Greek mythology is massive now!

italiangreyhound I had completely forgotten about Rumer Godden! I'm getting excited on her behalf now, so many fantastic books.

I may have to put aside the four I have on the go and re read some of my old favourites.

Second hand bookshop is also a great idea. With 4DC and FT work it's easy to be lazy and buy on amazon but there is nothing like a good bookshop. Local fetes are usually great, the last one I went to we came home with about 20 books for her for about £1.50. She gets through them so fast, she has read all her new Christmas books already and we were back to the bookshelves tonight.

I will give the Angus books a miss for now, I don't think they are really her scene and probably too old for her yet, I just needed some inspiration and I have it by the bucketload

The girls in my form (y7) seem to enjoy modern books that are fun and accessible. There are quite a few who are absolutely acid readers but classics are not in the slightest bit appealing to them! Watership down is an awfully tedious book to read, please don't subject her to that!

Popular authors from my form
Cathy cassidy (she's been mentioned a few times)
David Walliams (his books are really funny)
Girl online (there are currently 7 girls in my form reading one of these books, I'm not sure what they're about, probably rubbish but they're certainly popular)
Diary of a wimpy kid (more popular with the boys but the girls are happy to read them too)
Harry Potter
Anything with ponies in (this may be specifically the pony club girls in my form, but we've definitely got a pony theme happening atm)

This is the image of the Little Plum book I had. uk.pinterest.com/pin/355854808040660327/

But I had to buy a new version for dd, who has not read it yet!

This site has reminded me of Paddington too!

Oh and Frank Cottrell Boyce. He's fantastic!

And if she's into historical fiction have a look at Mary Hooper. She's written some great kids' books set in Tudor times and some set in 17th century London. Really enjoyable.

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mary+hooper

I was very into Diana Wynne Jones at that age - if she's read Harry Potter, start with Witch Week, also Jinny and Shantih books by Patricia Leitch if she likes horse books. I used to love books by Lois Duncan, but she might be a little too young.

If she reads very fast, she might benefit from something a little more dense, Watership Down as suggested, is great, the Hobbit, and if she likes that - Lord of the RIngs - particularly if she has seen the films. To Kill a Mockingbird is rightfully a classic, although it has adult themes. I agree with Agatha Christie, the Sherlock Holmes short stories, if they're not too old-fashioned. Likewise Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, if she has seen any TV adaptations and likes them.

I loved Jenny Nimmo's Charlie Bone books, they're brilliant and not girly! I would also read anything; I didn't read Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging till I was about 13. I did however read all my mum's Mills and Boon books when I was about 9