Challenging (but not too adult) books for an able 11yr old reader...

[FifiVonEpstein]

Dd is a good reader (always come up as a few years older than her actual age - not stealth boasting, just trying to give you a level for her ) and now she has started secondary school she wants to read more challenging books. A number of girls in her class have read 'the fault in our stars' - have any of you read it? Is it age appropriate?

She's at a tricky age of wanting to read more difficult books but I am concerned that although I don't want to baby her, she is only just 11yrs and possibly not ready for full on teenage fiction.

Any other suggestions?

When I was 11 many years ago I was hooked on agatha Christie and the James Herriot vet books.

I read my first Isaac Asimov at 11: Caves of Steel. It hooked me, and I worked my way through all his short stories. It started a life-long addiction to classic sci-fi.

I started David eddings at that age and loved them.

Another vote for the Uglies series. I thought it was quite thoughtprovoking, kind of Brave New World for YA - but not as dark as say Hunger Games / Divergent.

DD also really enjoyed the Ingo series. As well as Garth Nix's Mr Monday series, the Sabriel series are also fine for this age.

Just also remembered Seraphina (+ sequel)? another fantasy one dd liked.

WEllwellwell - -I think I might have to go and reread my David Eddings books, now. Thank you!

Elidor (still scares me a bit, but I know that I'm a wuss!)
The Earthsea books
The Railway Children
The Chronicles of Narnia
Alice in Wonderland/Looking Glass
Peter Pan
The Wind in the Willows

How about some poetry? Dd, also 11, is currently going to bed with a BBC anthology Poems of Childhood. It's not poems for children, but poems about childhood.
Spike Milligan
Hilaire Belloc

Chinese Cinderella

A Gathering Light

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece

The 5th Wave

Girl Missing

Also

The Twelfth Day of July

Back Home

The Other Side of Truth

Spy for the Queen of Scots

Fallen Grace

All of the above will take her into the teen section (which she is obviously keen to do) without the content being too inappropriate. Could I just say however that 'teen' does not equate to challenging. There are still some wonderful reads for her age group and it may be than she just needs to widen what she reads rather than to head straight to the teen section.

Yes good point! I'm happy for her not to be rushing into her teens

A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley