Book recommendations for 12 year old girl, not fantasy, horror or crime

[motherofonegirl]

My 12 year old daughter is an avid reader but has run out of books to read! She doesn't like fantasy, horror or crime. She enjoys books about people. Has read lots of war setting/survival/success against the odds type books. She has read all Jacqueline Wilson, Judy Bloom, Heart stoppers, Enid Blyton, Sufiya Ahmed, David Baddiel, A M Dassu, Benjamin Zapheniah, Malorie Blackman, Onjali Q Rauf, Katherine Russell, Michelle Magorian. Her reading age is 15+ but she isn't keen on young adult themes yet. Any ideas please?

I think I enjoyed the little house on the prairie series, Jane eyre and My family and other animals around that age.

Does she like horses? What about vintage pony books like Jinny at Finmory? Or maybe classics like Jane Eyre or The Children of Green Knowe.

The Babysitters Club series.

Helen Forrester series, starting with Twopence to Cross the Mersey

https://helenforresterbooks.com/memoirs/twopence-cross-mersey/

Tom's Midnight Garden
Secret Garden
Ballet Shoes

If she likes character driven novels what about some classics like Dickens - Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities. Also To Kill a Mockingbird would be good one for her age / reading age. I'd consider some Austen, I was 12/13 when I started reading them. I think I was about that age when I read some Mark Twain too. Also Anne Franks diary. Ooh and Jack London, Call of the Wild etc.

Thank you for your suggestions. She isn't into horses and isn't an overly girly girl so Baby sitters club might not be her thing but I'll get her some Jane Eyre, My family and other animals and Helen Forrester and see what she makes of them.

It's a while ago but at that age I was reading Josephine Cox and Virginia Andrews. Both will have the odd sex scene but nothing really graphic like more modern books.

(I also used to sneak a read of Mills and Boon but kept that to myself 😂).

Is she ready for Sophie's World yet? God I can't wait until my DD is old enough to read Sophie's World.
It's an introduction to philosophy, in novel / fiction form and perfect for teenagers. If she reads it at the right time it will blow her mind!

I'll save the Mills and Boon until later!

Nothing like a bit of incest! Not sure Virginia Andrews is at all suitable😅. Although I was reading them at 12, along with Jackie Collins and Shirly Conran. The difference being there wasn't much for for YA in those days, kids went from jolly japes with ginger beer, straight into a world of pool party orgies and worse.
Today we have YA fiction as a buffer and the OP has said her daughter isn't ready for YA books yet.

We had Sweet Valley High and Goosebumps as an in-between transition from Enid Blyton to adult fiction in my day.

Thinking back to Enid Blyton they were full of misogyny, stereotypes, corporal punishment and child neglect!

Little Women
Animal Farm
I'm struggling to remember what else mine read at that age. Will look on shelves tomorrow

Remembering some of what I read and enjoyed at that age: To KIll a Mockingbird, The Phantom Tollbooth, Rebecca, Mary Stewart, Anya Seyton, Roald Dahl, Steinbeck...

I came on to suggest this one too! It's a brilliant book, I still love it.
Any other of Jostein Gaarder's books would also be great for a 12 year old.

The Lottie brooks series is great

Joan Aiken - Wolves of Willoughby Chase series
Madeleine L'Engle - she has tons of books besides A Wrinkle in Time

The Doctor Doolittle books (there is a whole series) are fabulous and so much better than any movie ever done of them.

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
My Literature Loving daughter devoured them.

The Midnight Fox.
The Hatchett series
Tudor Roses and other history based books..
by Hilary Mantel and Margaret Campbell Barnes etc.
The Mary Rose - about the ship of Henry VIII.
The Bronte sister's books.
Take her to join a large library with a well read librarian.

I'd not heard of this, had a quick look online and it looks like something she might really enjoy, thank you!

Thank you. Our local library never reopened after COVID and the big library in the next town does have lots of books, but my daughter has either read them or they aren't her cup of tea. They will get books in, but need ideas of what to ask for.

Goodnight Mr Tom and Back Home by Michelle Magorian are favourites of mine.

A couple of books along the "succeeding against all odds tale" a la "wonder" that my dd enjoyed:

Out of my mind
The war that saved my life
Fish in a tree
You're not so awful, falafel (not sure this title is quite right?)

The first two were listed as the favourite books a young teenage group of girls I mentored. (This was in the US and I haven't heard these books mentioned so much in the UK)

Mine also loved the scythe series by Neal shusterman and of course hunger games and divergent

To add I've also read all these books and enjoyed them 😂. Unlike some of the nonsense she reads.

Does she like sci-fi?

Does she like nature?