To as for your reading books/authors recommendations for a 10yr old strong reader!

[LittleOwl153]

So my daughter is 9 almost 10yrs old (Yr 5). From what I understand she is a strong reader for her age. (She is about level 6 on the accelerated reader programme.)

She is struggling to find authors she likes and can get into which are the right sort of level.

She has read lots of Jacqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton (malory towers, St clare etc), diary of a wimpy kid, Sibeal Pounder (- witch wars/bad mermaids).

She has recently rejected Enid Blyton famous five/secret seven, Cogheart, and Worst Witch.

School have suggested the Chronicals of Narnia but I'm not sure that's catching her either.

She doesn't like anything deamed "scary".

So does anyone have any suggestions as to what to try?

My 9yo really enjoys the Agatha Oddly books. She also loves Helena Duggan (Perfect books) and Michelle Harrison. Nevermoor also went down well.

Diana Wynne Jones definitely.

If she's liked Enid Blyton's school stories maybe try her on the Chalet School - not sure what's currently in printor available used but I think she's the right age to start those.

Antonia Forest maybe? Might be a step up but try her on Autumn Term which is in print.

Heidi
Anne of green Gables
Little house on the prairie series
Mallory Blackman books

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn—classic story about a young girl coming of age. I was an advanced reader and my teacher gave it to me when I was 11…loved it and continued reading it over and over. In fact I need to get a new copy as mine has long ago worn out!

My DD has been reading David Baddiels young adult stuff. They are thick tomes though, so she'd have to like the style. Walliams-esque I think, but I'm not sure.
Go to the library so if she doesn't get on with it you haven't squandered money!

Goth girl books by Chris Riddel. Similar to the Ottaline series but for slightly older children. I enjoy them!

Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl were huge hits here. I assume you’re not mentioning Harry Potter because it goes without saying? Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge is fabulous but perhaps a bit too challenging.

Of the older books, Noel Streatfeild is great - start with Ballet Shoes. E Nesbit is fun - try Phoenix and the Carpet. Just William, Mary Poppins, Dr Doolittle all worth a look. Also Cue for Treason, The Eagle of the Ninth.

Seconding Diana Wynne Jones, Series of Unfortunate Events and Goth Girl.

www.mumsnet.com/books/books-to-give-your-10-year-old-self

Cressida Cowells's "wizards of once" series is as good as her "how to train your dragon" series (DC loved both), as is Jessica Townsend's Morrigan Crow series (Nevermoor/Wundersmith). DC also really enjoyed The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, though they are older books (I read them as a child and loved them too).

Damien Dibbens "History Keepers" books are excellent.

I would second a PP's suggestion of Emma Carrol's books- my DD liked a Pinch of Magic and Frost Hollow Hall.

I would also suggest take a look at Kiran Millwood Hargrave- The Way Past Winter and The Island at the End of Everything, The Girl of Ink and Stars were really lovely books.

DC have also loved books by Peter Bunzl (Cogheart series), Katherine Rundell (Rooftoopers and Wolf Wilder in particular) and Naomi Novik- Temeraire series and the WONDERFUL Spinning Silver.

Abi Elphinstone (e.g. Sky Song) and Catherine Doyle (Storm Keeper's Island) are also very good.

And HOW could I have forgotten the wonderful Micheal Morpurgo?!

Some interesting suggestions many I haven't heard of...

David walliams she has read lots of and has outgrown I think
Lemony Snickett is definitely one I will find in the loft for her
Roald Dahl she liked the younger ones, but Charlie and choc factory and the other longer books didn't catch her.
Swallows and Amazons is an interesting though as we actually live near to where that was written so she has had the NT version...
Harry Potter is too scary. I'm trying to read the first book with her but it's not going to well..
Judy blume I remember the teenage ones but not the younger ones..
Tolkien would be too much for her way to scary. Cinderella is too much for this kid!
Terry Pratchett we have tried dragons at crumbling a castle
.? Not sure whether that is typical but she didn't like it.

I just wrote a longer post tagging some of you but it disappeared! So going to do it in bits!

Hi OP,
My dd is same age as yours (9 and turns 10 in August). She’s a voracious reader so I’ll try to list some of her favourites below.

1. Ruby Redford series - her favourite series /books of all time so far (she used to love all the Enid Blyton Malory Towers etc, so maybe your daughter might love this too). Meaty books about a fantastic girl heroine who basically has to save herself/the world and is geeky and odd but just fantastic. It’s well written and chunky, without being scary so I’d highly recommend these. My dd lends her copies to all her friends at school so they are obviously popular with many. She has re-read them all at least 5 times. She puts them at no. 1 in her top 10.
2. Ballet Shoes - beautiful classic book that she is currently rereading. One of my favourites as a child.
3. Skylark’s War - I have just read this and so did dd, beautiful book with evocative descriptions.
4. Northern Lights (Philip Pullman trilogy) - this is probably too scary for your dd but my dd loved these.
5. Little Women - another she has reread x3 and loves
6. Michael Morpurgo books - all!
7. Boy in Striped Pyjamas - my dd is obsessed with WWI and II so she loved reading this from a child’s point of view. I read it too, very sad but that’s partly because as an adult we can fill in all the unspoken aspects, which might go over some children’s heads. We are really enjoying sharing books so this might be something you can do - she gives me the books she loves to read and I pass on any that are appropriate for her and then we chat about them afterwards.
8. Jane Eyre - she loved this but I think she probably is a touch too young to understand all the formal language and will reread in a few years to get the most out of it.
9. Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend - a recent book she really enjoyed

10. Wonder (and the sequel Augie & Me) - by Palacio - hugely loved books by her and all her friends. 11. Jacqueline Wilson series about Hetty Feather 12. The Secret Garden 13. The Borrowers 14. Boy Underwater by Adam Baron 15. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd 16. Goodnight Mr Tom / Carrie’s War 17. Katherine Randell books - my ds can’t cope with scary books and loved The Explorer (which dd then read and enjoyed too). Her other books look fantastic but we haven’t got them yet.

Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series is good fun.

If she’s a strong reader she might enjoy some children’s classics like The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, the Anne of Green Gables books and Gene Stratton-Porter’s Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost. None of those have any supernatural or very scary content.

Is it scary books or emotionally charged books? Two of my favourite children’s books are Libby Hathorn’s Thunderwith and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. They’re not scary, but they do pack an emotional charge.

Perhaps Little Women and following. The Borrowers, The Railway Children, The Rats of Nimh and Charlotte’s Web and T H White’s The Sword in the Stone are all classics for a reason. Also The Children of Greene Knowe, A Wrinkle in Time and The Phantom Tollbooth.

A real favourite of mine is Jane Gardem’s Bilgewater.

Lemony snicket series, how to train dragon series, the spider wick chronicles.

Northern lights.

I second Anne of Green Gables series. Caddie Woodlawn.

If she likes horses then the Silver Brumby book (Elyne Mitchell), My Friend Flicka (Mary O'Hara), the Swallows and Amazons series, all the James Herriots. I read Born Free at about that age - my first proper adult book.

Any Rosemary Sutcliffe if she's a history buff, Ronald Welch's series starting with Knight Crusader. All the Little House on the Prairie books.

All the Drina books by Jean Estoril and the Noel Streatfields for theatre and dancing.

Finn Family Moomintroll?

Another vote for Michael Morpurgo. Also
Little House on the Prairie.
David Baddiel books.
Eva Ibbotson books.
Any Noel Streatfield (Ballet shoes etc).
Chalet school series (best bet is to get bundles on eBay)

Oh, I second Cue for Treason! I forgot about that one @RandomNameChange415.

I'd go for the classic ones as other pps have suggested so Ballet Shes, Mary Poppins and their various sequels, Nurse Matilda, E Nesbitt etc

As she liked Malory Towers and St Clares I'd definately have a look at Chalet School which will be age appropriate. If you think she'd like something historical and can find it then Masha by Mara Kay is a lovely boarding school book set in Imperial Russia which I and subsequently DD1 have read many times over. Also Jean Plaidy wrote 2 books for children - The Young Elizabeth and The Young Mary Queen of Scots which might be a good introduction to her historical fiction if she liked them. The children's titles are out of print but easily available on ebay etc.

My sister and I spent all our weekends reading as children so I have loads of recommendations!

When Hitler stole pink rabbit - I still love this now!

His dark materials series - Northern lights is the first one

The Ruby in the smoke and the other books in the series

I capture the castle

A wrinkle in time

So many classics such as The Railway children, a little princess, Heidi, Pollyanna, little lord fauntleroy, the just so stories etc.

The curious incident of the dog in the night time

Stardust

How about all the Meg Cabot Princess Diaries series?

I LOVED Susan Cooper when I was your daughter’s age but maybe they would be too scary. In the first one the peril is fairly mild, but there are a couple of scary moments so maybe won’t suit her.

My DD is nearly 11 and is miles ahead in reading age proper book world loves reading , her favourite shop is Waterstones. She likes David Walliams and Harry Potter and some others who without rooting out the books i can't remember 🙈.I also love books such as crime fiction and she will often read them after me .She would happily spend a whole day in the young adults bit of Waterstones .

Bookworm not world 🤣.

Just found one David Baddiel that is one my DD and Phillip Pullman think thats how it is spelt she has read some of his books at school and said they are really good .She has reading age of 13-14 and liked his books .