Books to read to a very bright 11 year old

[Kuriusoranj]

My oldest child is a super bright just-turning 11 year old, reading age of 15 and a great vocabulary. She reads All. The. Time. We are holding on to our tradition of reading to/with her - it's just such a lovely thing to share at the end of each day, for as long as she still enjoys it. However, we're struggling for some new material, so I'd love some suggestions.

Things she has read alone:

• Rick Riordan in all forms, she loves the bones of him
• The Martian - loved it
• Incorrigible Children series
• Artemis Fowl - didn't like it
• Agatha Christie - she loves them
• The Maze Runner series

Things we have read with her recently:

• HP, just finished book 7
• Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
• The Golden Compass
• Before that, we did a bunch of classics - Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and so on

We've been trying The Hunger Games but she's struggling to get engaged and wants to read it herself instead. We're all wondering if it's because it's written in the 1st person, but that's only a theory.

We have a general low-censorship policy. The books she's choosing for herself tend to be YA ghost stories/junior horror and so on - she's developing quite a taste for the creepy! By her age I was deep into James Herbert and Stephen King, but she's not there yet. On the other hand, that's not the sort of thing that we want to read to her - she finds it easier to manage her reactions if she reads stuff herself.

Googling brings up lots of suggestions for 11 year olds to read, but not so many for books to read to them. I'm thinking maybe Lord of the Flies next. I'm particularly interested in any suggestions for classics that might be entertaining to read aloud - maybe Jane Eyre? Pride and Prejudice?

Any suggestions. literary mumsnetters? Anyone else faced the same situation?

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross Poe was going to be my suggestion too! I remember having tell tale heart read to me at that age. Suitably scary!

I loved a bit of Daphne de Maurier at that age. Her short stories might be worth a try.

Mostly following but my DTSs are the same age as your DD and I read them Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series a while back but it would still work for them now.

How lovely!
A few things I loved at around that age ( I think...)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anything by Nina Bawden- carrie's war,Keeping Henry etc
Jane Eyre
Oliver Twist, David Copperfield
Roald Dahl's 'Boy' ?

Goodnight Mr Tom,
Sherlock Holmes.
Peter Whimsey

Oh I loved Mill on the Floss at that age too

i'd be inclined to go old fashioned - the books are longer & have more complex language & sometimes unusual concepts that benefit from discussing with an adult.

So - Rosemary Sutcliffe
Ronald Welch
Arthur Ransom

Definitely Sherlock Holmes (although I read those myself at a similar age)

Others I remember my mum reading (I was probably younger but they hold happy read out loud memories):

Little House on the Prairie
Little Women
Anne of Green Gables
Heidi
The Borrowers

Other good read aloud stories:

Storm Warning - Corrie ten Boom
The Silver Sword

She's probably failing to engage with the hunger games because it's a bit rubbish. She is at the prime age to start reading classic sci-fi that can then be replaced with dustopuan novels. So we're talking The Chrysalids, Day of the Triffids, Time Machine, Slaughterhouse then moving on to books like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaid's Tale and so forth. This is of course assuming that you are completely comfortable with adult themes. You could try going full out classics but given your what you have read lists I would hold off until she's read a few low level literary novels first so that she can get a feel for literary technique. Ishoguros work is a good stepping stone in many ways.

Dd read A Wrinkle in Time as it was recommended by... Nick Jonas!

I agree with pps that very often a child's reading age is... I don't know - 43?! - but that doesn't mean that they can appreciate every novel. So many books I am re-reading now and enjoying them, whereas as a young teen the themes flew straight over my head. Loneliness, lost love, fear of being a spinster etc etc did not move me in the slightest at 13. And Jane Austen? So, so much better appreciated as a wise old adult than a tweenager/young teen.

Conversely I've recommended books to dd that I remember enjoying and when I've re-read those I've been very underwhelmed. Flambards being an example!

I've read aloud to dd every single Noel Streatfeild book. Brilliant! You can really hate some characters! The Gemma series we loved (to hate!) and dd actually started blubbing when we reached the final page: "Goodbye, Gemma! Goodbye!" Sniff!

A niece of that age got thoroughly hooked on Rebecca, after she'd seen me reading it and asked what it was about.

Another that might be good - the most wonderful opening lines just for starters - is I Capture The Castle.

Would definitely second the recommendations of Rosemary Sutcliffe and Michelle Magorian (she's written several as well as Goodnight Mr T).

Penelope Lively - e.g. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

Five Children and It

The Mennyms series...

Arthur Ransome

Isaac Asimov

HG Wells

I have a just turned 12 year old ds but his taste seems quite similar to your dd - his favourites recently have been the Mortal Engines series by Phillip Reeve.
Also, I think every child of this age should read ‘Wonder’ - it’s amazing.

How about some maths based books such as The Number Devil or any from the Murderous Maths series? For something completely different! We find this kind of book is more fun to read together than alone.

And how about The Neverending Story (Michael Ende) - it is quite childish in places but has some deep thoughts packed in there too. I've been enjoying reading it (DS is younger and also enjoying it, but I'm 41 so I don't think it's too childish for older people). Big book, will take you a while to get through.

Placemarking to catch up on this later and post any suggestions that aren't already in here as my dd sounds to have similarish tastes :-)

Hi There
I am the Author of a new children’s book
“Mammoot Lost In Time”
It’s a very funny, exciting tale with just a hint af danger that I think your child would love and if they enjoy it I could arrange to get it signed too..

My dd is just ten but we loved reading moonfleet together, amazing book, story, writing I loved it.

Tennant of wild fell hall is one of my favourites too but isn't the subject matter too heavy for a child?

I captured the castle... Yes!!

Kelly Barnhill books, particularly "The Witch's Boy" and "The Girl Who Drank the Moon".

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.

Jostein Gaarder - Sophie's World, Christmas Mystery, Through a Glass, Darkly.

The Box of Delights plus the first one, can't recall it's name.

The Fox at the Manger.

The Snow Spider plus lots of other Jenny Nimmo books.

Garth Nix-in particular the Keys to the Kingdom series (7 books starting with Mr Monday)

William Nicholson- The Wind Singer trilogy

@Holliewantstobehot I adored Back Home when I was a girl. It's still my favourite book!

Also Little Women, Good Wives, Jo's Boys and Little Men. There's a new BBC adaptation of little women on at Christmas I think so it might be nice to read the book first?

The Enid Blyton suggestions above will be way too young for her but you probably know that.

Boy in the Tower
The secrets of the immortal Nicholas flame series
Divergent series (not as gruesome as maze runner)
The Giver series
Tripods series
small change for Stuart and Big change for stuart
Time travelling with a hamster
Wierdstone of brisingamen books (my DSs love these)
A letter for the king and follow on book
Marianne Dreams
The time of the ghost
The lie tree
Gone series (like mazer runner these are bit gruesome in places)
Momo
Any of the beautiful boys by Brian Selznik ( Hugo cabaret, the marvels etc)
Holes and small steps

City of ember series
Children of the dust (maybe hold off on this for a little while)