Appropriate 13/14yo books for 9yo dd?

[gibbberish]

Help!

9yo dd4 is a voracious reader and has long outgrown Jacqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton and fairy/animal type books.

She has just read all 5 of James Patterson's Maximum Ride series which she absolutely loved (highly recommend them btw).

But what can she now go on to read? She doesn't like books with boys as the main characters. I can't let her read Harry Potter or books about vampires etc as she suffers nightmares and I dont think they are appropriate. And lots of older books feature boyfriend/girlfriend storylines which she would hate and I'm not keen for her to read.

So where do we go from here? Any recommendations? She loves adventure type books with a bit of humour.

Thanks for reading.

Crikey she must be about the only 9yo who has never read Harry Potter! Are you quite sure it would give her nightmares? Have you tried?

If she is this sensitive you might struggle to find something "adventurous" that won't keep her awake.

Have you tried all the classics? THey can keep a voraciously reading 9 year old going for several years. Swallows and amazons series (feisty adventurous girls), E Nesbit (ditto), Noel Streatfield (ditto), all the classic girls' boarding school stories (my dds like these, though the context bemuses them rather). Joan Aitkin Wolves of WIlloughby chase series (more feisty girls).

more modern ones for this age include Michael Morpurgo. Phillip Pullman.

I agree 5Foot5

How about Frozen in Time

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Penderwicks

All could give nightmares if extremely sensitive though. I think HP is quite mild really.

Thanks for your responses.

I wouldn't say she is over sensitive but she really doesn't like supernatural/demon type stories. She is absolutely fine with fast moving adventure stories, like the Maximum Ride series.

Thanks for the recommendations. Will definitely follow up the classics Fennel and the ones you mentioned Hoopy.

How about reading in the original some of the classics which she knows from films etc? Like Alice (Wonderland and Looking-Glass), Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins (there's a whole series!) or Peter Pan, for example.

The Borrowers books, E Nesbit (especially The Railway Children as it is written from the elder girl's perspective), Swallows and Amazons series, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Women.

Judith Kerr (The Tiger Who Came to Tea) also wrote a book about her childhood as a 2ndWW refugee, which is perfect for this age group: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.

This is a lovely age to share reading - I'm introducing my dc to books that I loved as a child, and they are introducing me to books that they have enjoyed.

My Y5 dd loves the His Dark Materials trilogy - and the main character is a girl, which is an added bonus. She also likes Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books. The Hobbit is another favourite book.

I don't know if you've read the Maximum Ride series yourself but they include characters called 'the Erasers' who are cruel and bloodthirsty, half wolf/men who kidnap one of the main characters, kids kept in cages, mutant dog people etc etc....

You could try her on Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, although these do get darker as the series progresses. Like the Maximum Ride series, you will find these on the 12+ shelves in most bookshops and libraries.

What these Maximum ride books here They are a lot more demonic and scary than Harry Potter.

Yes I have read them myself and yes they are scary and quite dark. But they are also very witty and about real people so are not demonic.

All I know is she really enjoyed these books and I would like to find something along the same lines for her.

I did try her with the Alex Rider books but she feels that they are more books for boys. She's very set in what she likes and doesn't like.

Thanks very much PrettyCandles - lots of really good suggestions there.

Has she read the Lionboy trilogy? (Did you recommend them to me Fennel maybe?)

Maybe too young but dd's 10 y/o friend loves the Molly Moon books as does dd (age 8).

She might also like Diana Wynne Jones' books which are fantasy but not scary and more 'realistic' than HP (The Chrestomanci series are good ones to start on.)

If you could get her past the fact that the main character is male, might the Earthsea books appeal?

What about the Narnia series? They are all lovely.

Also, has she read the Roman mysteries (might hit the spot if not, female lead character, adventures etc)?

The Lady Grace mysteries are also often recommended on here but maybe for slightly older readers - haven't seen them myself.

Also, what about Rosemary Sutcliff - was a thread recently about her - real classics.

Try Anthony Horowitz' 'Power of Five' series - full of action but maybe not so boy orientated as Alex Rider. 'The Girl Who Could Fly' is an excellent book about a girl who is sent to the I.N.S.A.N.E. Institute (a school for children with exceptional gifts) when the inhabitants of her small American hometown don't appreciate her special talent. Skulduggery Pleasant is also a very popular series for boys and girls of your daughter's age group and upwards - don't be put off by the cover, they are less scary than the Maximum Ride books.

These are JUST BRILLIANT!

Madamehooch, those sound like just what we are looking for.

Thank you so much everyone. Going to follow up every single one. She will have enough to read for the next 10 years haha.

I so appreciate this honestly. Have spent the last month trailing around every bookshop I can find to no avail. Why didnt I think of just asking MN in the first place?

I do think this is odd, I haven't read Maximum ride but DS has, as well as HP and he says the Maximum Ride are just as scary and they are aimed at teenagers, whereas HP was originally aimed at 10+ although they have aged as HP grows up.
Maxiumum Ride has human dog hybrids and people with wings, hardly real people.

HOw on earth has she outgrown jaqueling wilson.The older ones are clearly aimed at teenagers.

Who knows bruffin? Can't really explain it any better, sorry.

All I know is that she is very adamant on what she likes and doesnt like and I can't change that.

She doesnt like HP and she doesnt like Jacqueline Wilson.

Can't change her mind. Have tried her with all sorts of book I was sure she would like but she is looking for something very specific I think.

And they are real people in MR. Genetically modified but human. Not the living dead which is what scares her in HP.

Thanks so much maryz. All good suggestions.

You really should let her read Harry Potter. The worst that can happen is the killing curse (a flash of green light and your dead) It almost seems like you think HP is not good enough for your DD. If she likes to relate to the charactors, then you cant go wrong. Friendship, loyalty, family and relationships are common threads throughout the series.

The lemony Snicket books are a decent read for this age. His Dark materials are very good but I think your DD would enjoy them better when she is a bit older. They are easy enough to read but she would probably miss some of the more complex threads running beneath the surface. Something that comes with age and experience rather than reading ability.

That's exactly it maryz.

Fair enough teamcullen

Will google the lemony snicket books. Thanks!

We have a similar issue with dd1 (also 9).

She has read the Lemony Snickett books and liked them.

She will not read harry Potter(though she has watched some of them) as she doesn't like the whole wizrd/witch/slight fantasy ideas. She also wouldn't read a lot of the Enid Blyton ones abiut fairies etc. Or Chronicles of Narnia.

She really liked some Eva Ibbotson books, though not all.

She has rwad many of the classics such as railway children, Anneof Green Gables etc, Ballet Shoes, Borrowers, PollyAnna, What Katie Did series, all that kind of thing.
All the Enid Blyton boarding school, Fanmous Five, Secret Seven. Loads of Chalet School ones.

She is now reading Sweet Valley Twins , some Judy Blume, Clarice Bean, Jacquelien Wilson, and some other Francine Pascal books that were mine.

Thanks for that. The Eva Ibbotson books look very good.

It's funny how they can have such firm ideas on what they like and dont like at such a young age!

DD is 8 & loves Clarice Bean & just getting beyond fairies too! If you can get her to try Artemis Fowl they are fantastic (DS do all 6 books on one 'game' if you need bribery to get her to try). DD loves them but isn't quite old enough for the language although the content is fine. Another set to try might be Sarah Jane Adventures if she has any interest in Dr Who? I also have The Hobbit, all the Narnia's and the Secret Garden put up for when she's ready for something slightly longer.

Hope this helps! It's very difficult once the fairy/puppy stage starts to grow tedious. We have the same problems with J Wilson too!