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?

If she likes war settings, I would recommend Hitler's Canary and Valentine Grey, both by Sandi Toksvig. And Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.

Jaclyn Moriarty (sister of Liane) is a fantastic author for teen girls, and Simon James Green a great author for teens in general.

I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee at her age- both an excellent introduction to the Civil Rights Movement in the US, as is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

Ooh, also classics like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and Peter Pan were ones I first read at about that age.

I would recommend Georgette Heyer my first read was Sylvester ( The Wicked Uncle) or These Old Shades or The Grand Sophy.

Actually after rereading your post I would suggest Georgette Heyers An Infamous Army set in Waterloo.

Also recommend these. I was around 12/13 when I started reading them.

Sorry, I've thought of more! Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and its prequel series, All The Wrong Questions. Very much in the vein of 'surviving against the odds'.

The Hilary McKay books or Cathy Cassidy?

Picking up on the fact she likes books about people, my son recently enjoyed 'Bob, No Ordinary Cat'. It's an adapted version of A Street Cat Named Bob, with swearing removed. There is a follow up too.

Also, 'Wonder' and the following up 'Auggie and Me', but guessing she's read those.

You could go old school with Ballet Shoes, and the other Noel Streetfeild books. Or Ruby Ferguson's "Jill" books. Afaik both of those are fairly free from the stereotypes you sometimes get in older books.

Another series of old books is Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine books, and again I think they're fairly stereotype free (unless we're talking stereotypes of inseparable twins, anyway!)

God not Virginia Andrew’s can’t believe anyone recommended that for a 12 year old - dodgy incest books!

Theres stacks of more modern books Dd was like this at 12. She loved Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya sisterhood / The Great Godden Meg Roshoff / We Were Liars go into any nice independent book shop to the young adult section

I suggest LM Montgomery’s books: the Anne of Green Gables series are true classics and I’ve read them many times for good reason! The Emily trilogy (Emily of New Moon, Emily climbs, Emily’s quest). Also Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm.

Hunger Games and Divergent, and the Philip Pullman books are all fab.
I was reading Georgette Heyer, Daphne du Maurier and The Scarlet Pimpernel books at around that age,as well as John Wyndham and Douglas Adams and Agatha Christie.

Michael Morpurgo?

Has she read any Anne Fine or Jean Ure?

Another vote for LM Montgomery Anne of Green Gables ( unrecognisably better than the tv series 'Anne with an E') or Emily of New Moon Series.

She might also like some adult non fiction travel lite Bill Bryson books - Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Appalatians etc. Nothing unsuitable and very funny.

Mary Stewart is an old Scottish female author who wrote adventure type books with good strong heroines set in interesting locations - usually very light ( no sex) romance - in the 50s. Madam, will you talk', 'The Gabriel Hounds' 'Nine Coaches Waiting'

More contemporary? The Gallagher Girls spy novels despite their rather lurid covers were an enormous favourite of my daughter - and me - at the same age.

Has she read any Michael Morpurgo? My tweens have all enjoyed his books.

At that age I was still reading many of the older children’s books - E Nesbit, Noel Streatfeild, Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), Just William books, Anne of Green Gables series.
Also Gerald Durrell (starting with My Family and Other Animals), James Herriot, PG Wodehouse. And Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. Though you said she doesn’t like crime, maybe Sherlock Holmes is different enough from gritty modern crime to give it a try?

Haha we were all reading this at 12 😂 times have changed. My 13 year old reported back that 1984 had "lots of sex" in it 😁 I was like "erm not sure that's what I remember from 1984 but ok, maybe I won't give you brave new world then. Nor acquiesce to your request to read "the stand" (because I remember the anal rape with a gun part...)

Second this. I loved the Christmas Mystery (I think it's called) at that age, read it every Christmas!

And definitely Gerald Durrell My Family and Other Animals - this was an absolutely favourite, so sweet and funny.

How would she feel about trying some biographies and autobiographies? I used to quite reading autobiographies of my favourite sportspeople as a young teenager, I found them interesting and quite inspiring.

The early Adrian Mole books?

She might like the Vincent Ralph books - some of them are a little bit mystery-ish but I wouldn't say were crime. Could try one. They're quite gripping, can have some jumpy/little bit scary moments.

Has she tried any of Geraldine McCaughren, Tim Bowling or David Almond's elder children's books? Things like Skellig/River Boy/Shadows?

As lots of others have said, can think about the classics - The Little Princess, Secret Garden etc.

Honestly, best bet is probably to have a wander around the library and/or school library and try and handful of new authors. There is a small risk is that she ends up with something inappropriate - at 12 I had a book from my school library of all places that I'm absolutely convinced if any member of staff had read it would not have been on the shelves (the main thread of the storyline was graphic child sex abuse, which was not at all clear from the cover). It was an interesting book in other ways though and I was mature enough to cope, so I didn't tell anyone how wildly inappropriate it was when I returned it which with hindsight I probably should have as I still think about it over 20 years on....

How do you know her reading age? I have no idea what my tweens reading age is. How would school even know this?

Dd has read a few of those on your list and really enjoyed Sarah Crossan.

Lost art of keeping secrets by Eva Rice.
I capture the castle by Dodie Smith
A ring of endless light by Madeleine l'engle
Loved Paula Danziger and the Anastasia books but not sure how much they will have dated.

I ordered my daughter this book. It arrived today and she has already finished it - loved it! Thank you!

As she is called Sophie, it's certainly one to try!

I was going to say Noughts and Crosses until I realised she has read all Marjorie Blackman 🙈 The hunger games books were good (better than the films!) But to be honest I would just let her read adult books... I started swiping my mums books when I was 13/14 and it led to a lifelong obsession with reading.. plus the majority of mainstream adult books arent actually full of smut/gore anyway! (Also modern classics like To Kill A Mockingbird, Handmaid's Tale, animal farm, Of Mice and Men etc were all very readable back then!)