And now we enter the tricky age............ 13

[MarsLady]

DD1 is an avid reader. Her teacher is nicely frustrated with her because whatever she suggests from the library DD1 has already read. Her teacher even asked her to tell her the plots which she did!

I know that she needs to move over to more adult fiction..... and this is the tricky bit........... she's not quite ready for the classics and I don't want to put her off them by making her read them too early.

She's not quite ready for the trip across the road to the adult bookshop and yet she's just coming out of the lovely children's bookshop.

What do I want (apart from me, Taye Diggs, large bed/hammock, beach............)?

Book recommendations for her please. She reads widely. (oh and not Jacqueline Wilson)

Cynthia Voigt? I loved her books.

At that age I ws reading a lot of Georgette Heyer/other historical type books, mainly because that was what our library stocked.

Jane Eyre good for that age (I read it for the first time at 14 and loved it)

You'll prob find she's more adventerous than you think - I read all kinds of stuff I wouldn't contemplate now in my mid/late teens. Having no preconceptions is great!

What about poetry as well - romantics, Michael Rosen's adult stuff, Roger McGough?

perhaps steer her away from the stuff she'll get at GCSE. Does she like fantasy type books? Mary Stewart Merlin books poss good

www.amazon.co.uk/Hollow-Hills-Coronet-Books/dp/0340186119/ref=sr_1_1/203-7342427-4382336?ie=UTF8&s=b ooks&qid=1192537762&sr=8-1

i capture the castle. easy to read, fabulous story, nothing to scare a 13 year old.

TS Eliot? Depends how poncy she is (I was a v poncy teenager)

Let her choose the books she wants to read herself. Really important skill. Explain what each book is about if she asks but otherwise let her make her own mistakes.

Thank you all. Just popped in will read and respond properly later!

I've given her some of the classics and she's not hugely keen.

There's a mountain of choice out there and I've been spoilt by the Children's bookshop who know my children well and always recommend spot on books. I don't think being scared worries her. She's read all of her books and her older brother's books.

What I was hoping for were some titles to take her to see and choose from. She's reasonably good at choosing her own books but can get trapped in one genre (JW for example). So I'll have a look at Cynthia Voigt who I've never heard of and see what else DD1 might be interested in.

Another vote for "I Capture The Castle" - dd1 read it aged 11 and loved it.

Also - now she's 13 (and if you're not too easily shocked!!!) the Georgia Nicholson diaries by Louise Ennison are a hoot. I agonised over whether to give them to dd (she's 12 now) but decided she'll probably hear far worse and at least these talk about "snogging etc" in an amusing and slightly literary way!

She's also recently enjoyed "The Tales Of the Otori" series by Leanne Hearne, which border between teenage and adult fantasy (the latest seems to be in the adult section in the shops).

And of course, Philip Pullman, though I suspect she will ahve read those already.

Thanks Janeite. She seems interested in I capture the castle so she's going to see if they have it in the library at school. Will also get her to look for the Otori series.

Does she like science-fiction at all? What about Anne McCaffrey or Ursula Le Guin? Lots of good historical stuff out there too - try Ann Turnbull Forged in the Fire is great. Celia Rees too if she hasn't read her Witch Child and others.
And of course Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now and all the books on this thread !

More info on CV here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Voigt

Homecoming is a great book. Haven't read the Kingdom series.

u should start her on sweet valley, problem is u may not see her much anymore coz she will be in her room reading permently lol, seriousley i could recomend them books enough, i grew up reading them, whispers is till read em now looool

Marslady
Has she read Before I die (Jenny Downham)?
Also Beast by Ally Kennan

malorie blackman, she may have already read some of these but they are fantastic books, especially the noughts and crosses series.

Does your local librry have a teenage section, ours does which is aimed from 12-16 and is great. It contains some easy reads but also many older fiction books that arent adult fiction.

Dd is 13 and reads all sorts - Zadie Smith, Mark Haddon, Jane Austen, Anne Tyler... basically anything she finds lying around. She loved that US vampire trilogy too - teenage fiction by Stephanie someone. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was another recent hit. Also Atonement (found an old copy of mine after we wept through the film).

Try her with Robin Jarvis, Brian Jaques, Colin Dann. I love those

Also, Anne McCaffrey & David Eddings if she likes the fantasy genre, also Robin Hobb, Mercedes Lackey and Terry Pratchett.

I'd forgotten I'd started this............

Any more for any more????????????????????????

Thanks for those lovely suggestions. I'm making a list and (I'm checking it twice... gonna find out who's naughty or nice............. oops!!!!!!!!!!! bit carried away then) going to stock up!