Books for 13yo dd who has just read Divergent?

[CocktailQueen]

She loved it but is looking for something less harrowing this time. Have Googled, and so many teen/YA books are scary/sad/terrifying.

Any recommendations? We both read and loved Em Bailey's Shift.

I would recommend John Wyndham. Old, but excellent. Chrysalids is a good entry book. Day of the triffids also good at that age.

I always recommend it: has she read Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy? One of my favourite YA writers. He also wrote The Rest of Us Just Live Here, a novel told from the point of view of the "normal people" in a school with "Chosen Ones" in it (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer if it focused on students other than the Scooby gang!)

My dd loved the Diary of a chav series ( l read them too), very funny, teen fiction.

The Psionic Pentalogy by Adrian Howell would be good. My 13yo likes Ali Sparkes' Shapeshifter series. Rippler by Cidney Swanson is another option.

Mallory Blackman's 'Noughts & Crosses' series. Imagines a world where whites are the oppressed minority and discriminated against to explore racism & has love across race & class boundaries. Better written than the Divergent books, more interesting. (In a previous job, I had very busy periods where I would bash through YA fiction series as a distraction/short term insomnia solution.)

Suffice it to say, the last few years of staged cinematic releases of The Hunger Games & Divergent films has been fab. Actually, The Hunger Games books are good but a bit bleak. Better again than the Divergent & Noughts & Crosses series. Those stupid Twilight books were boring as fuck though - and not a healthy relationship.

Thanks! Some great ideas. Funnily enough, she's just added Noughts and Crosses to her birthday list.

Have bought her the Howell book - thanks, StuntNun -

She's read the Hunger Games books but they made her cry (and me). We need something less nihilistic, more positive, I think.

Have just bought her the Chaos Walking trilogy and the Howell book - thanks, StuntNun and NewCross.

Think I'll read the Crysalids first, to check out how scary it is. Thank you :) You can never have too many books!!

Sophie Kinsella has just done her first YA book Finding Audrey that gets good reviews.

The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld is great.

DS is a bit younger, but we're all enjoying the Miss Peregrine series (film out later this month).

Good idea to read books first. I think chrysalids is fine and ultimately happy. More so than divergent definitely. Or hunger games. But avoid midwhich cuckoos of his for a few year...!

Oh, I want to read Midwich Cuckoos - sounds fab. Thanks :)

Have checked out the others too. The Uglies/Pretties one sounds good too. But maybe not very cheerful?

I remember reading books at dd's age - and younger - and crying for hours after them - The Diddakoi, by Rumer Godden, and A Little Princess, and dd seem,s to have inherited that from me...

I love the Chrysalids, it was one of my favourite books. There is also Children of Dust which at least has a hopeful ending...

I'd recommend Tamora Pierce. But be aware that the third Lioness book has some sex in it (no more than in Judy Blume (and less explicit). Certainly less worrying to me than the third Twilight). You might want to read it first. The later ones are better than the early ones I think.

Also the Old Kingdom books by Garth Nix. They are fantasy but have a Rosemary Sutcliffe quality to them too.

At that age I also started to really get into Anne McCaffery's Pern books. Dragonsinger/song are probably the best place for a young girl to get started. I like the books by her much better than the later ones with her son.

We are looking for the same cocktailqueen

It's a bit disappointing that books aimed at 13 year old girls are either chick lit or terrifying

I was going to recommend Uglies - it's much more upbeat overall than Divergent / Hunger Games et al. Also agree with the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey if she likes fantasy. Has she read the Mortal Instruments / Infernal Devices books by Cassandra Clare? They're urban fantasy and also not depressing - lots of wisecracks and romance amongst the demon-chasing and world-saving.

14 y/o DD likes Rainbow Rowell (esp Fangirl) - yes, they're teen romances, but well written and entertaining.

Ready Player One isn't specifically YA, but dd really enjoyed it (actually, I've not run into anyone who's read it and doesn't like it) - near future SF set in an online world.

Just remembered another series, if she's looking for a light read. The Night School books look like they're going to be twilight-esq vampire romances from the cover, but actually are teen-spy-school-conspiracy-theory-light-thriller, nothing deep and meaningful but amusing.

(That's Night School by CJ Daugherty, not Night School by Lee Child!)

I can recommend Blame, by Simon Mayo (yes, that Simon Mayo...); great concept, well written and pacey. More in the series are promised. My boys loved Divergent and Noughts & Crosses, and were very taken by Blame.

(Mind you, it's still in the dystopian arena... what about Little Women?)

She has read Little Women, thanks.

I've bought her the Flambards series as well - I loved them as a child!

Simon Mayo?? Must Google again...

It's a bit disappointing that books aimed at 13 year old girls are either chick lit or terrifying

I know, Treggle. It's the way publishing is going at the moment. Like HP spawned a whole load of books about wizards, so Hunger Games has spawned a whole load of bleak dystopian books.

I lIked Sweet Valley High as a girl - wonder if they're still around?!

Was also about to recommend Malorie Blackman's latest - Chasing the Stars (a rewriting of Othello, but set in space. S'riously.) But then remembered that it had me sobbing. Was good, though!

I was going the say Pretties/Uglies/Specials too, it is much less harrowing and far more adventure based than other YA stuff, it is also interesting social comment, I liked them

I loved sweet valley high too. Do they still exist and any modern version?

I had my nose permanently in a book at that age. Why can't I remember what I read?

I did read a lot of fantasy - David eddings' belgariad was a classic. Ditto the Pern books someone else recommended. I read Robert Jordan wheel of time at that age too or perhaps a bit older.

I read Roots as a teenager too. Might be interesting for her.

Classics? Austin/bronte etc?

Nancy Drew? Or is that better for younger children? I think they have modernised them.

At that age I also started to really get into Anne McCaffery's Pern books. Dragonsinger/song are probably the best place for a young girl to get started.

I was a big fan too, back in the day. I started reading them to my sons at bedtime recently & realised I was missing the 2nd one. Amazon came through, but it was expensive & they are hard to find in real bookshops. If you want a set for posterity, I'd buy them up soon. I have a feeling they are headed for obscurity.

I also read David Edding's Belgariad in my teens. Good to find myself amongst friends.

Anyone know if the books Ender's Game (film) was based on are any good? The film had lots of interesting ideas and bon mots, but I'd be interested to know how much was down to good screenwriting & how much to the source material.