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Children's books

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Books for girl, 7, no sad needy animals

45 replies

TempestHayes · 15/12/2019 23:54

When my son was this age there were all manner of books - historical fiction, spy books, humour, mythological retellings! - with both male and female heroines. Now almost 11, he loves David Baddiel, David Walliams, Frank Cottrell-Boyce. He's enjoyed Judy Blume and the Percy Jackson novels, amongst a bunch of others.

Now either I am old and tired, or I just can't find them for looking, but I'm looking for a similar range for my DD. Yes, she has access to all the books mentioned above, but she has a soft spot for kittens, magic and female characters. I was like that at her age; I loved female heroes and (because it was the 80s) my favourites were often the sidekicks.

There's an absolute glut of Magical Animal ghostwritten ones - sort, repetitive, honestly dull - and injured rescue animals, but I'm really looking for titles with a bit more to them now.

Spies. Crime solvers. Modern school stories. Myths. Historical. Adventure. Epic fantasy mermaid trilogy. She loves the new She-Ra show, for example, which has so much going on in terms of plot complexity and character interaction. I'd love for something like that in book form.

Female heroines preferred (she'd like it) but she's only 7, so we'll leave The Hunger Games and Jacqueline Wilson for a while.

Just something with a bit more plot depth than Rainbow Fairies :)

OP posts:
OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 16/12/2019 15:21

Sophie and the shadow woods
The accidental pirates
Amelia fang
The little house on the prairie series

HildaSnibbs · 16/12/2019 15:22

Mango and BamBang series
Mariella Mystery series
Dotty Detective series
Nelly and the search for Captain Peabody (and the sequel)
Marge in Charge series
Naughtiest girl at school series
Royal Babysitters series by Clementine Beauvais
Clare Balding's books, the racehorse that couldn't / wouldn't gallop ?
The girl with the lost smile
Little legends series by Tom Percival
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf

HappyPumpkin81 · 16/12/2019 15:26

Alanna by Tamora Pierce. The heroine is a girl who swaps places with her twin brother to become a knight. She has a magical gift but is afraid to use it.

ATowelAndAPotato · 16/12/2019 15:31

Chris Colfer’s The Land of Stories series has boy/girl siblings as lead

Or there’s Chris Riddell’s ottoline Brown books?

The Midnight for Charlie Bone series has a male lead but quite nice.

Or the mister Monday series, again male lead but some good female characters too?

Anndeveria · 16/12/2019 15:32

The Anna Hibiscus books by Atinuke are great. No fairies no magic just great stories about a little girl and her family. My youngest adored them.

Jenniferturkington · 16/12/2019 15:35

My dd7 loves Rabbit and Bear, and isadora moon at the moment. Although she generally just re-reads Steve Backshall’s Deadly 60 book over and over again.

TeenPlusTwenties · 16/12/2019 15:35

Flat Stanley
Stitch-head books by Guy Bass

123fushia · 16/12/2019 15:39

I bought Armadillo and Hare by Jeremy Strong for my 7 year old niece. Chapters of short stories about animals in he woods. Perfect to read 1 chapter at a time and some lovely vocabulary to share and discuss.

iloveredwine · 16/12/2019 15:41

The young ladies detective agency books are fun. my daughter has read them from age 8/9.

soloula · 16/12/2019 15:41

Would she read comic books? DD1 who's 6 is working her way through Teen Titans Go! just now.

WeirdPookah · 16/12/2019 15:46

The Worst Witch!

Magic, cute cats, minor peril that always turns out ok, no sad stuff!

Morred · 16/12/2019 15:48

I expect you've already got them, but if you want to sneak a few animal books in there too, the Sophie... books by Dick King Smith are much better than the usual stuff, and Gobbolino the Witch's Cat is a sad animal with a happy ending that's much more charming than modern ghostwritten stuff.

The Worst Witch books would be really good for her age. Also Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf (short self-contained chapters, so good for bedtime) and Swallows and Amazons (and sequels).

DonPablo · 16/12/2019 15:56

Were reading the worst witch books atm. My ds is 7 and they're perfect. He can read some to me, I can read some to him. Like pp said, minor peril that always works out OK in the end. The set was cheap enough on the book people.

FloraMacDonald · 16/12/2019 16:03

Have you looked on schoolreadinglist.co.uk?
Lots of good ideas divided into different ages.

Guineapigbridge · 17/12/2019 09:13

The Naughtiest Girl in School

NeverTrustASmilingCat · 17/12/2019 10:37

The Carbonel books, Ottoline books, My Neighbour Totoro (book based on the film), The Fox Busters, the Chrestomanci books.

MooseyMoo · 17/12/2019 20:03

Witch Wars series
Bad Mermaids series
My Name is Victoria

CaramelWaferAndTea · 17/12/2019 20:05

Tamora Pierce Alanna books

TempestHayes · 22/12/2019 19:22

Cheers for the suggestions! I remember Tamora Pierce's Alanna series though I'd have pitched it a little older - I could be misremembering. Isadora Moon and Amelia Fang are sort of cute, but they're very short so I tend to just stick to the library for those.

Ottoline are lovely books, the drawings and puns especially. I think we have a Young Ladies' Detective Agency in my son's collection so I'll go and dig that out!

OP posts:
Zuby · 31/12/2019 21:46

Hello

There's a book called 'The Wolf and the Goats' on Amazon. The story has a great message and is not your usual wolf loses against the weak.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/109014198X?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

The story teaches the importance of team work and togetherness.

Hope you like it as much as I did.

Zuby

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