DD 11 target from school - more challenging texts to read

[rainydogday]

DD had her school report and her reading target is to read more challenging texts at home. She reads a lot! She's done all of M.Morpurgo books, Harry Potter, J.Wilson, Sarah Cossan, some Emily Barr, John green books, she also now and again listens to Audible books such as Anne Franks diary, Bill Bryson. Any ideas of what next? She's 11 but obviously have to he wary of reading too adult a book! Recommendations welcome!

What about some American classics such as What Katy Did, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Little Women?

His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, starting with Northern Lights
The Chronicles of Narnia
Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dhal
The Indian in the Cupboard trilogy
Wonder by RJ Palacio
The Book Thief
My Family and Other Animals
The Island at the End of Everything
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Rooftoppers and The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Welcome To Nowhere

I read adult books at that age, everything else was boring to me. Just pick with care

Anne of Green Gables
A Little White Horse
Ruby Redfort
Ordinary Jack
The Hobbit
A Series of Unfortunate Events

Older books are more challenging in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure.
Alice in Wonderland
Black Beauty
Heidi

Sometimes when schools say this they want children to try pre 20th century texts: a good place to start is Sherlock Holmes or Robert Louis Stevenson. No point in forcing this, though. If she likes fantasy, try Susan Cooper, Catherine Fisher or Ursula Le Guin. There are lots of good authors for younger teens. Try Katherine Rundell ( as above); Philip Reeve, Geraldine McCaughrean, Lauren Wolk.

I never read a lot of children's 'classics' (things like Little Women) until I was an adult. The language and writing style is quite different to modern books so often actually quite hard for children to read. There is a lot of 'modern classics' I didn't discover until I was about 16. Goodnight Mr Tom and Back Home (both by the same writer - can't remember the name) are still my all time favourites.

bookmum Michelle Magorian is the author. Both those books are wonderful, especially Mr Tom, and well worth reading. Fine for an 11 year old.

JRR Tolkien and Watership Down. I read 2 or 3 Jane Austens at that age - subtleties about pre-marital and extra-marital sex passed by me, perhaps due to the language.

In adult books - would Charles Dickens be too difficult? I also read a lot of Agatha Christie at that age - whilst there are mentions of affairs, there is nothing explicit in any of them, as I recall, though I do remember being creeped out a bit. James Herriot was another author I loved and I can't really remember anything unsuitable in any of those.

I literally would read anything I got my hands on at that age including Jeffery Archer and Dick Francis. Dick Francis probably didn't have as much sexual content but I remember a rape scene from Kane and Abel that was disturbing. I might have been a couple of years older then though. Anyway, just in case there are unsuitable books lying around or accessible on Kindle etc.

Oh yes - Michelle Magorian! Thanks polly. My memory has melted in the heat!

Antonia Forest, if you can find them. They seem at first like traditional children's school stories (and similar), but once you get into them, you realise that they are not - they are much more subtle, some really complex themes and character development.

Lauren St John, not really more challenging than the ones you've listed, but might be another to consider, as there are lot of interesting words and descriptions.

Lois Lowry - The Giver

Thanks for replies. I have tried her on some of the 'classics' but she finds them boring....although I do understand that maybe these ones may be the challenge she needs! She likes modern, teenage, futuristic type books at the moment. The trouble is if I push something that it is boring it may put her off altogether 😳

What about Phillip Reeves Mortal Engines?
Or Phoenix by SF Said.

The wee free men series
Sabriel trilogy
The Hunger games books
Eragon series
Amulet of Samarkand series
Artemis fowl series
Beyond the deepwoods series
The maze runner series

The age of the five series is awesome, priestess of the white is the first, but there are a few mentions of sex in them.

I don't know where you live but do you have a good independent book shop nearby?

There is a wonderful one in Muswell Hill in London where I take my 11 year old dd to. They are fantastic at recommending books and dd can spend ages browsing.

Dd has recently read The Rain by Virigina Birgin.