Recommendations for 9yr old

[pushchair]

My daughter seems to have reached an odd stage where she is beyond a lot of age recommended stuff but not quite into adult fiction. She has read and enjoyed Philip Pullman-Dark Materials series and Ruby in the Smoke ones, the dark is Rising series [which I found recommended on here-thanks] The Edge Chronicles and is now whizzing through The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books. We are at a bit of a loss after that. What would you suggest?

My DD is also 9 and has an advanced reading age.

She has loved the Dark is Rising series (and I have enjoyed re-reading them after her) and many of the Philip Pullman ones, but I felt she would appreciate the depth of His Dark Materials in a few years time so have not let her read those yet although they are well within her technical ability.

She really enjoyed Private Peaceful and several other M.Morpugo books, although some where a little easy.

With her birthday book tokens she has just bought some of the 'My Story' series (Titanic, Great Plague and Mill Girl).

I generally get her books that I read decades ago, because even at a challenging reading level the themes are fairly innocent - like The Dark is Rising, when we collected them from the Library the staff said, "Are you OK with her having a teenage book on a child's ticket." (she was 8) It couldn't be less offensive!

I will watch this thread with interest.

I would go for the classics too. Swallows and Amazons, Noel Streatfield, E Nesbitt. All wonderful, and there are quite a few of each of those. I loved them as a child and my dds do now. They also like some of the really old stuff - Gulliver's travels, Arabian nights.

More we've enjoyed here - Stig of the dump, family from one end street, Carbonel series.

For the more modern stuff, Michael Morpurgo is good, we like Jacqueline Wilson, Anne Fine. Joan Aitkin - Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Black Hearts in Battersea.

DD read M.Morpurgo's Alphonse Tips[?] but wasn't mad about it. She does not enjoy the books DP and I read years ago. I think we read quite young things for years like The Secret garden and Little house on the Prairie.

x-posted with ypu fennel. those are all ones we have tried and she did not like them. It's abit disapointing when your child dislikes books you loved and have had on your shelves waiting.

If she likes Hitchhikers, she might like Terry Pratchett maybe?

Try "the Little White Horse" Elizabeth Goudge - my 9yo niece is about to get it. I am re-reading it at the mo and it is very readable even at my advanced age.

I remember reading Watership down when I was about 6 (I was a bit precocious)

What about Judy Blume?

Little White Horse has been tried and I re-read it but she was not impressed. I loved that book!
Will suggest Terry Pratchet but have a feeling Dp may have already tried he is the fantasy fan.

Anthony Horowitz?
Alan Gibbons?

What kind of books do they write?

Hmm just had a look at the lists of those two authors I just mentioned on Amazon, and clearly you'd have to be careful about what you chose from them BUT I would say that my nephew was taught by Alan Gibbons and was reading some of his books whilst in primary school IIRC, and I know a 9 yr old boy who is enjoying Anthony Horowitz books at the moment. My 8 yr old daughter who loves adventure books liked Cornelia Funke's book Igraine the Brave, and she also has a trilogy out called Inkheart which looks good if a little dark.

Diana Wynne Jones. Most of her stuff is pitched at older child/young adult and it's wonderful.

Tolkein
Agatha Christie
Some more modern detective stories checked for content. Ruth Rendell maybe.
Ursula le Guin
CS Lewis
Alan Gardner
Helen Dunmore
Gerald Durrell - The talking Parcel, My family and other animals.

Just So Stories, Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland. You could try Pride and Prejudice; I first 'read' it at about 8 - skipped lots, didn't understand lots etc but reread it many times over the years and loved it hugely. Same with quite a few others of similar ilk (Jane Eyre, Chaucer, Hardy).

Try Eva Ibbotson - Journey to the River Sea is a good one to start with

Diana Wynne Jones

Mary Hoffman

There are a serie of books about dragons by Chris d'Lacey which are 'older' than they first appear

Thing to watch out for is content with 'older' books - depends on her emotional maturity iykwim

Great, have nice big list of things to try now. Thanks

My DD's all-time favourite book is Adolphus Tips. She (and I) love Michael Morpurgo books - they nearly all make me cry though

She is currently reading and loving Journey to the River sea, and has just read and enjoyed Anne of Green Gables.

I am a bit about the advanced reading age comments, and books being too easy. I love children's books - they are obviously much too easy for me - it's about engaging with the story. FWIW my daughter had a reading age of 16+ at 8.

I think it isn't so much about reading age, easiness, etc that's a bit of a red herring - the OP's DD obviously leans towards the fantasy/adventure genres and so needs recommendations along these lines. I very much second Diana Wynne Jones and Cornelia Funke - I also recommend Michelle Paver and although I haven't read Christopher Paolini's Eragon series I suspect that might be suitable too. Also what about Lord of the Rings?

Philip Reeves - Mortal Engines. Also his Larklight series is excellent.