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

I would second Skulduggery, very funny and great female protagonist, also Artimus Fowl.

I second Agatha Christie.

I loved all the fantasy stuff - JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, Diana Wynne Jones , Philip Pullman and I got into Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books as an adult (Wee Free Men etc). Septimus Heap is good (but nothing is better than Potter IMO!)

If she doesn't: Eva Ibbotson, Meg Cabot, KM Grant (Blood Red Horse), some Philip Pullman.

I loved the animal stories like Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Animals of Farthing Wood etc, though she might have already read them.

I know you said she's read all the Jacqueline Wilson books that she's got her hands on, I would advise caution with JW in future and checking the titles because some are for older readers and some of the content is questionable e.g. Love Lessons. (student-teacher fantasy romance that doesn't seem to acknowledge grooming/abuse - student expelled, teacher keeps job).

If she likes animal stories/adventure, I also read Jack London's books, and Gary Paulson (survival stories like Hatchet) around 11/12.

I read a Louise rennison book at around 11 and enjoyed it. You could let her watch film first see what she thinks.

Have a look at the Francis Hardinge books, beautifully written (great new big words I have to look up at 34, with high level education) with funny and thoughtful ideas. A little like JK Rowling excellent use of language and well thought ideas.

Need to get off on the school run so no idea if these have been suggested.
Michelle Magorian - Back Home. Loved it at that age. Also Goodnight Mr Tom.
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of GG, also Emily of New Moon.
Trebizon series - Anne Digby I think.
If she likes school stories she might like the chalet school series. There's hundreds of them. Bit old fashioned but that never put me off!

And Jenny Nimmo - the snow spider.
The haunting - Margaret Mahy

I'd be unwilling to try the books you mentioned OP particularly if she's just moving on from Mallory towers . My same age dd is obsessed with Antony Horowitz. You can buy cheap bundles off eBay and the honour is similar to some of the authors you've listed that your dd enjoys

The humour not the honour !

thirdthoughts we borrowed love lessons from the library and we were warned of the content by the librarian. I scanned the content and was less than impressed - I didn't think it was sending the right messages to impressionable young ladies. It went back unread.

Another vote for Swallows & Amazons - and all others in the series. Winter Holiday would be good at this time of year
Lone Pine Club
The Little White Horse (I'm sure I read somewhere that this was a great favourite of J.K. Rowling
What Katy Did
Anything by Noel Streatfield
Little House on the Prarie * 7 or however many there are
Little Women
A Little Princess; The Secret Garden
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators and the Mystery of the
Trixie Belden
Nurse Matilda
Chalet School
And yes, all the other Enid Blyton mystery / adventure books. Series after series after series.

Ah, well flagged up by the librarian. I kind of could have understood if it had been one of her early books, published before a more modern, grown up understanding of grooming and gently allowed to fall out of print or published with a warning note. But it was published in 2005! I understand that young girls can fantasise about teachers, but I think an author of YA books has a responsibility to not blame infatuated teens and to show that the adult teacher 'in love' is at fault and give a realistic idea of what should happen if such an inappropriate relationship was discovered today. Not impressed.

This is a great reference for my DD who is just about to turn 10. I've picked up loads of classics mentioned above in charity shops. We still do bedtime stories so I read them to her so we can discuss 'tricky' bits together, especially old fashioned language. Currently reading 'Blackhearts in Battersea' which is great and it previous one was 'The Water Babies' which was very tricky in language but I remember adoring at a similar age (she enjoyed it too). Other hits were John Masefield Midnight Folk/Box of Delights and all the Narnia novels.

To read herself she chooses the lighter end of fiction - David Walliams and that ilk. She has enjoyed Morpurgo, particularly 'Private Peaceful' and anything by Eva Ibbotson.

Seen quite a few books I'd recommend already recommended.
First I always put this warning cos I didn't realise this and it caught me out - some Jacqueline Wilson books are aimed at older teens (eg the girls under pressure series) - DD1 read one at about 8 - I then found out it has a bit in it where 'Magda the Slagda' thinks she is going to be raped ...not suitable for an 8 yo - for an 11 yo I guess it is your call.
I started reading all those kind of books or skim reading them - before letting DD read them - then at least you are prepared or you can delay them reading them until you think they are mature enough. (One series that springs to mind are the Rachel Riley diaries by Joanna Nadin - for age range 11-14 - and were quite funny but a bit in places - like at one point the main character wishes her parents were cool like her friend's - and would talk about blow jobs at the dinner table....)

DD read Cathy Cassidy and Karen McCrombie (Ally's world series) and Meg Cahoot and the Geek girl ones which (iirc) were all safe enough really - but do check!
(She's nearly 16 now - so not sure about the age suitability of all of them and I no longer check ...I do have a nearly 10 yo too but thankfully she isn't really into those kinds of books...)
Diary of a Wimpy kid and Dork diaries were (are) favourites here too (and safe) -as were the Lemony Snicket ones and the Percy Jackson series. And the School of Good and Evil and the Lady most Unladylike series are popular with DD2's friends (10-11 yr olds) .
DD moved onto the Hunger games series, Divergent, The Maze runner, the Cassandra Claire City of books...saw I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith recommended and that is one of the few books not written in the last 10 or so years that DD enjoyed.
Another girl in a book shop saw DD looking at Cassandra Claire books and recommended The Selection by Kiera Cass. DD liked it but there is a series and she only read the first one or two ...

Terry Pratchett
Diana Wynne-Jones

E Nesbit,
What Katy Did series
Little Women
Anne of Green Gables
Secret Garden

She won't know if she likes them till she tries. And it's really easy to order from libraries these days.

At that age I got super into Agatha Christie. I would consider those more age appropriate, than the Louise Rennisons, but I also got very into Bridget Jones about age 13 which were seriously inappropriate!! I remember feeling very naughty reading them and my mum was not impressed!

All the other suggestions here are better than the full frontal ones: entertaining, literary merit and moving into more challenging language.

Eva Ibotson. She is wonderful!

It's okay to read a book because you find it amusing. Not everything has to be challenging and literary. Fun is allowed!

Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, maybe Terry Pratchett, Eva Ibbotson, The Artemis Fowl series. I would say the Northern lights series (His Dark Materials) has some quite mature/scary conceptual parts to the series, which might be a bit old for 11, but the Phillip Pullman "Sally Lockhart" series would go down well I think. If she's a young 11, or after some light, east reading, the Lucy Daniels series Animal Ark, eg Hamster in a hamper, might be worth a go.