Book recommendations for 9yo DD please - fiction and non-fiction

[MaggieW]

DD loves reading. She has loved Roald Dahl and is reading his autobiogs at the moment and also the Mitchell Symons sciencey fact books but I'm looking for inspiration for her upcoming 9th birthday for both fiction and non-fiction books. Any recommendations gratefully received!

Hi MaggieW:

The Guardian has some great recommendations here: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/mar/24/childrens.library

My 9 YO DD1 loved The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (her 9th birthday present). E. B. White's Charlotte's Web and C. S. Lewis' The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe are also great. We haven't read Mary Norton's The Borrowers yet, but that is next on the list.

It's not on the Guardian list but Cressida Cowell's How to Train your Dragon was a huge success with DD1 just recently.

HTH

My 9 year old DD has really enjoyed David Walliams books. She also absolutely loved Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest series, and my old favourite E Nesbitt's Five Children and It.

Dd is 8 1/2 - she loves Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, David Walliams, THe Cressida Cowell books, Charlotts Web, the Secret Garden, and the Worst Witch books.

My dd is reading Helen Dunmore's Ingo. It really is the most enthralling children's book - we are reading it at bedtime and then she reads chapters by herself. I am going to have to re-read it once we are finished.

She also has loved E Nesbitt, Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Worst Witch, plus Harry Potter of course.

The Charlie Small books are just real page turners

Thanks all. Some really good ideas here.

Could she manage Anne of Green Gables?

At that age my dd loved the penguin children's classics range - Heidi, the Little Princess, the Secret Garden, Five Children and It etc. Also David Walliams books, the Famous Five, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter.

Non-fiction- horrible histories or there is a series of books which are fictional diaries of people in different periods of history so they learn about the great plague, the Elizabeth I etc.

Lots of great recommendations, just to add - Noel Streatfeilds, Ballet Shoes, Eva Ibbotsen - Return to the River Sea, Harry Potter series, Mallory Blackman - Operation Gadgetman.

My 8 year olds favourites include:
The Drina Series by Jean Estoril (quite old but great for kids that like ballet/dance)
The Harry Potter Series
The Lemony Snicket Series
The Emily Windsnap Series
Anything by Michael Morpurgo or Eva Ibbotson
Children's classics like Ballet Shoes, A Little Princess and the Railway Children
Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown (also old)
Those Mary Hooper books about the Tudors/Stuarts
The Daisy Star Series
Most things by Jean Ure
Most things by Jacqueline Wilson

DD is 9 and loves ponies. If yours does as well then I heartily recommend the Stacy Gregg series - Pony Club Secrets and Pony Club Rivals - both well written with great characters and authentic plots.

My SD was a quite advanced reader but at a similar age she loved the Ingo series and also a series of books called The Various, Celandine and Wild Wood - by Steve Augaurde. I picked the first one for a present and it was a huge hit.

Also all the Lemony Snicket books.

My DD (9) is obsessed with the Warrior Cats series ( but then she's crazy about cats!). Before that it was Harry Potter, which I highly recommend.

Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren
Mrs Pepperpot - Alf Prøysen
Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes - Lauren Child