Aibu to want more non-scary stories for older kids

[Meanmate]

My child is coming up to 10 and going through that phase where everything is scary. Loves books and is an advanced reader but still finds the Harry potters are too scary (can’t get beyond book 3) and lots of the other books seem to have similarly exciting/scary/slightly supernatural or spy type frightening themes which means child can’t then get to sleep. Anyone have any tips for funny or non scary books for a slightly sensitive child who reads voraciously? Still needs to be a really good story! Pref not old fashioned writing - couldn’t get into the secret garden , swallows and amazons etc.

Oh, just thought of an excellent modern novelist for DDs: Katherine Rundell. Really good (in an old fashioned way) books, DD1 and I read Rooftoppers in Paris (well, I read the first chapter then she read ahead of me ) and it was fab. DD1 has now read all the others, The Wolf Wilder was a particular hit.

Definitely Sir Terry Pratchett from the Tiffany Aching books, to the Jonny and the .... Series,and The Truckers/Gnomes series

This looks like a good list: nosycrow.com/blog/best-books-for-10-year-old-girls/

Does she read any non-fiction at all? I loved horrible history, horrible science etc and while some of that might be a bit gruesome I'm sure there are more appropriate versions of that sort of thing.

Has she read Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

Maybe a bit too saccharine (and appearance-obsessed), but definitely not scary are the Sweet Valley Twins books (precursors to the Sweet Valley High ones) - easy reads and enjoyable when i was 11-ish.

I really really loved the Tamora Pierce books as well for a bit of adventure and magic (non scary, I promise). Particularly the original Lioness quartet about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight, and the Wild Magic quartet about a girl who can talk to animals. I think her subsequent books were aimed at a slightly younger audience so may be suitable now? (I had grown out of them by the time they came out so never read them).

Helen Creswell's Bagthorpe series.

The Family from One End Street series.

Frank Cotterill Boyce. Good sequels to Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Anthony Horowitz Diamond brothers series is great and funny, some death but not scary. Probably quite an easy read but my 8 and 10 year old love the 'Fizzlebert Stump' series and 'stink bomb and ketchup face' for pure silliness.

The fire within series by Chris d’Lacey
Eva ibbotson
Carl Hiassen - Flush, Holes
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate Dicamillo

Oh this is so fab, so many ideas thank you.some I have never heard of which is just great as a whole untapped source. Others like sweet valley twins take me right back - lovely escapism and I can work on the appearance stuff separately if it comes up. I loved those books.

I love the idea that there’s an awful lot of literature out there that won’t necessarily scare the shit out of her!! That’s fabulous.

My two both loved the stink bomb and ketchup face series - I can still remember reading aloud from the first book about a lovely descriptive summer morning with sun streaming through the window when ketchupface opens it and says ‘oy blackbird, shut your beak’ and chucks a shoe at it - my youngest was in hysterics for ages, and made me read it out continually. Great fun.

For my own two pennies, can I recommend:

the School for Good and Evil series by sonan chainani ? Fantastical but not too scary (she’s put book 2 down during current scary period though). Book 3 is ginormous mind.

Ella on the outside - Cath Howe - great for girls who are always horrible to each Other!

Beetle boy. G Leonard

My brother is a superhero - David Solomons

All read in a flash and received the stamp of approval here.

And I do read with her yes, we had stopped because I read too slowly for her but started again when she got the fears and it’s really lovely. I might try some old classics again and see how they go. I so want them to love the secret garden like I Did!!

My dd is 12 and a massive reader. Quite often find her sat in her pants with her head in a book instead of getting ready for school.
Quick look though her extensive book shelves I would suggest.

Ever after high
The potion diary’s
Serena Valentino (Disney stories but told from the perspective of the villain)
Diana Wynne Jones series
Dragon rider by Cornelia Funke
Ross welford (kind of like David walliams but a bit more challenging)
Ruby redfort.
The many worlds of Albie Bright
Cat weatherill

Definitely Terry Pratchett. Start with the Wee Free Men, then A Hat Full Of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight and The Shepherd's Crown. I miss TP 😔

I say library too, the biggest one near you. Can flip through them and pick out ones that won’t freak her out.

My 11YO doesn’t handle Murpurgo or Harry Potter well at all but my 8YO loves both of them (although she’s only just at the end of POA now so that may change with GOF) 11YO finds some of the JW books really upsetting too.

I was a sod for stealing my Dads Stephen King books and scaring the crap out of myself when I was around 9 years old

I have a sensitive 9 yr old...

Michelle Magorian
Eva Ibbotson - e.g Journey to the River Sea
Hilary McKay's Casson series - modern writing but old-fashioned, safe, feel to it.
The Trebizon series, set in a boarding school, but more up to date than Mallory Towers etc.
Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine Series - a more modern feeling Famous Five, similar levels of peril.
Judy Blume
Dork Diaries
Daddy Longlegs and its sequel, Dear Enemy (old, but IIRC the writing is quite fast paced and modern-feeling).
At that age I was also starting to read Austen, but my own DD is no where near ready.

Louis Sachar- the Marvin Redpost series went down well with my sensitive 9yo.

Also the famous five, choose your own adventure editions particularly (all from the library).

I learned my lesson about stealing my dad's Stephen King and Dean Koontz books the hard way too! I still had a cuddly toy clown on my wardrobe when I tried to secretly read IT at ten years old. Didn't pick up a horror novel again until I was about 20.

Another one for you op, I can't remember the name of the author but the last unicorn is a short novel I really enjoyed around year 6 or 7 of school

Had another couple of thoughts:
How about the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe? I know you said she doesn’t like old-style prose but my DS didn’t either and he loved those - I started reading them to him and he read ahead.
Another thought (may be a little young for her) is the Jeremy Strong ones - Hundred mike and hour dog etc - especially if she likes funny books.
I see you’ve already come across the My Brother is a Superhero ones, we have all 4 in the series.

There's a Facebook page called 'A Mighty Girl' that often has great book book recommendations for young people, mainly for girls. I've bought lots of their recommendations for my DD (11 yr old bookworm). Some books she's read over the last year or so and loved are (she loves stuff set in World War 2!): The War That Saved My Life, The War I Finally Won, A Night Divided, Resistance, The Skylarks War.

Other non-war books she's loved in recent times include:
Wonder, The Girl of Ink and Stars, Counting By 7s.

I've bought her the first two James Herriot vet books for holiday, apparently they're suitable and enjoyable for advanced child/teenage readers.