Books for 11 year old girls

[cakesandtea]

To go along the thread for boys...
Anything that is popular amongst girls with ASC? DD loves Dork Diaries and David Williams. With illustrations.. I want to shift her to something different, but not so advanced as to put her off.

Any ideas for non-fiction books and books conducive to 'broadening the horizon' ? (sorry sounds pretentious, I mean to accumulate some awareness of the broader world while reading an unassuming book that wouldn't scare an ASC girl)

Books similar in style to Dork Diaries are the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, Middle School series by James Patterson and Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon.
She might also like graphic novels. I know the Asterix books are very popular in this format in the school library where I work, but there are loads available.

non-fiction, if she's interested in science a couple i really like are:
Bill Bryson's 'A really short history of nearly everything' (an illustrated/more child focused version of his 'a short history of nearly everything,' but packed with info,
and
the illustrated version of Richard Dawkins' 'The Magic of Reality: how we know what's really true.' The illustrations are beautiful, it's not babyish at all.

My dd with ASC liked Dork Diaries and David Walliams. She has now moved on to Jacqueline Wilson which she is enjoying. They certainly give her an awareness of the wider world e.g. family break ups, friendships et c.. You might want to check some of the contents of the books first though just to make sure they are suitable for your dd as there are storylines about boyfriends, and I'm sure my daughter mentioned terminations as well.

Wimpy kid
Jedi Academy - if they like star wars

I run (voluntarily) our primary school library and much as I'd like the kids to read worthy books I've learnt to be happy that they read any book, however crap.
The younger girls love fairy books (Melodie the Music Fairy etc), and Dork Diaries. Also Enid Blyton books. Even the ancient boarding school ones.
I have a shelf of Ronald Dahl books, 1970s books like Worzel Gummidge, five Children and It. I have to work hard to get the kids to try these books.
Be grateful your DD is reading books. Any books.

Thanks for all these suggestions.

I got her to read simplified adventure stories like Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Dickens, but these books were targeted at a bit too young an audience. I also tried very simplified Shakespeare, however it was hard going...

Any ideas of good "bootleg" versions of 'worthy' books, not too simplified for 11 year old?

Anything with good vocabulary that is about overcoming adversity of being an outcast, being misunderstood and finding a friend? (that has not been mentioned, other than Dork Diaries, Wimpy Kid etc)

I like the sound of the Dawkins book.

My DD is 12, with as. She hasn't read much life-forms stuff yet. She likes mysteries, the chalet school books (which have done wonders for her vocabulary), science fiction. But interestingly she never re-reads anything, hates doing that, whereas I love going back to old favourites for the comfort they provide.

The Geek Girl series and also Ruby Redfort. I quite enjoy them myself!

DD11 surprised us on holiday by loving the Shopaholic books. Usually her choices are not very challenging (in my opinion) but I am just glad she's reading. She has read all the David Walliams books and Dork Diaries plus some Horrid Henry. She recently read 'Bird Girl' and enjoyed that and reads some Jacqueline Wilson. A year or so ago she enjoyed the Ramona series (Ramona the Pest, Ramona aged 8). Two summers ago she was reading the Marsh Road Mysteries by Elen Caldecott. The characters are a diverse mix and make a change from our twee village.

DD8 often reads the same books as DD11 - sometimes they swap between themselves - and has enjoyed Dream On, Amber. Her class at school is reading Varjak Paw and she likes that a lot. At bedtime we have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series.

They both like the Nat'l Geographic kids magazine and Lego Friends mag.

At their age, I remember reading the Narnia series and anything about horses - The White Stallion of Lipizza and others by Marguerite Henry are good for mixing history and horses.

What's her current reading level like?

I'm trying to think back to what I read at same age and I think I was moving on teen books then lots of Babysitters Club and Point Horror

If you're looking for more "proper" things had you given any thought to Malory Towers and St Clare's ?

My daughter just read a book called Invisible Emmie. I can't remember the author unfortunately. Simple in style to Dork Diaries but a stand alone story with a twist at the end.
The historical Jacqueline Wilson books are great. Hetty Feather trilogy plus the spin offs - Clover Moon and Rose Rivers.
(I did however also get her Judy Blume's Blubber and Are You There God. She is "totally not interested". I am heart broken! Judy Blume is a legend. Pah. Kids today!)

So many lovely books indeed. The horses resonate, DD has a full shelf of books about horses, I wonder what is it about them... lol

Her reading age is 13, but being on the spectrum, she does not get teenage stuff and complicated emotions and intentions. She also resists details like old style illustrations and non modern language, so it was impossible to get her to read the real Daniel Defoe for example.

I like the victorian background in Hetty Feather as a matter of 'broader understanding', but I don't know how she would react to that.
I suppose it is best to read the real thing like Dickens, Bronte and Jane Austen.

When are they supposed to read the classics? What are they supposed to read at school in year 7?

I liked the worst witch stories by Jill Murphy, but looking them up they might be too young ?

What about the chronicles of Narnia?

I also liked the wizard of Oz series. There are some lesser known books in there which I enjoyed like Ozma of Oz, you can get cheaply if you buy the 15 book series. Again I can't remember what age I read these but I enjoyed them.

I do think reading some of the heavy classics at secondary killed reading for me. It was such hard work. I know many people love those types of novels but i found the language so hard that I at times missed the story.

I think we read Jane Eyre in year 10 for GCSE work, but we did some other classics before that

"Roll of thunder, hear my cry" by Mildred Taylor.
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams.

Have a look at the Mighty Girl website

My daughter doesn't really enjoy reading but has found a series that's hooked her :) It's not going to necessarily broaden her horizons but they are fun, murder mysteries with short chapters, etc. It's the 'Murder Most Unladylike' series. (She'd also read the books you daughter had and is now 12yrs old)

The secret cooking club books very popular with 10 year old DD. The Children of Castle Rock is brill - I read it after DD as I was hooked during her doing the reading aloud homework which her school insists on. We’ve just finished reading “when Hitler stole Pink Rabbit” together which was great; very historically interesting and a lovely story. She’s also read the first two of the Northern Lights triology.

DD (11) has enjoyed Katherine Rundell. Also the Murder most unladylike and Chalet School books. She also likes Just William books.

She is also struggling to find books that she enjoys reading. She's tried some teen books but a lot in the library seem to be about depressing subjects - boyfriends who kill themselves and the like. She's not ready for those ones.

She's decided she doesn't like fantasy books either - in spite of enjoying Harry Potter - so that narrows the choice enormously. If it's not people dying then it's magical worlds and if she won't read those that doesn't leave much.

Of course anything I suggest is dismissed without considering it which is annoying.

I agree that it's good to read anything rather than nothing. However, I'd have thought some of the recommendations here such as Wimpy Kid and Enid Blyton are more for 7-9 year olds rather than top primary/early secondary.

11 year olds often read Private Peaceful in Yr 6 and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in Yr 7 round here. Others that seem popular with 11 year olds include lots of the Jaqueline Wilson,mor low effort stuff, and lots also read things like Geek Girl, Hunger Games, Noughts and Crosses and the Carneige shadowing lists. Classic children's fiction can still appeal such as E Nesbit, Arthur Ransome, Noel Steatfireld and France's Hodgson Burnett, or things like Tom's Midnight Garden or Goodnight Mr Tom, which are often used in top primary years. Otherwise, you might be looking at more early adult/teen fiction if they are a good reader and interested in some of the ideas coming up there. Oh and what about Philip Pullman or Harry Potter if she hasn't read all of them yet....lots seem to have read 1 and watched the films but not read all of them.

Other stuff good for crossover between primary and secondary might be Katherine Rundell stuff and Katherine Woodfine, or has been mentioned, the Murder most Ladylike series which seem to appeal to lots from about 9+.

And if they struggle to get going, relaunching bedtime stories can be great for getting into a book and starting it off. It doesn't work for all families but some keep it going a couple of times a week throughout teenage years and it can be a lovely time together plus allow the introduction of more advanced books they might not choose initially.

My 12 year old dd has been reading her way through the many books by Robert Swindles.
She is loving them, her favourite by far being “brother in the land”

Wonder by RJ Palacio - both my DCs favourite book of all time

My DD currently reading The Wildings which is a fantastic book about cats, set in India