DD ‘stuck’ with reading

[BiscuitDrama]

I’m so sad for her, she had an illness which made her a bit dopey and has never really got back into reading.
I’d like to find something easy to read but that feels grown up enough to appeal.

She’s 12 and the last book she really enjoyed was ‘Wonder’, a couple of years ago. She likes books set in normal life. And those that are quite modern.

Looking at amazon for ‘if you liked Wonder’ isn’t really very helpful in what it brings up.

Any suggestions very gratefully received.

Poor little biscuit.
My dd is 11 and into horses so I know more about that really. But one thing I think might really help, is a subscription to audible. Then you can go for books in her age range. I often buy the paperback too but we follow the words on audible whilst looking at the book. We do it together and both enjoy it. We're currently listening to A pinch of Magic, but we've done others too. She also really enjoyed The Nowhere Emporium and of course all the Harry potters.
Hope that helps a bit

The Havens is a set my son enjoyed. Detective type books.

I’d try something she doesn’t normally go for to see if it will spark her interest again.

What does she like - gym, swimming, ponies, fantasy, monsters etc? I've ditched the school books with mine and they read what they're interested in, they enjoy it instead of it being a chore.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I find them really funny and I'm a grown up. They are cartoony / comic -y with lots of pictures. Really funny aspects of a normal boys family life. They are quick to read and one of the only books my non reading DS will look at.

'One ' by Sarah Crossen

Thanks everyone. I’ll have a ponder.

Her main ‘thing’ is art.

Graphic novels might be a good option. Lumberjanes might be good, or some of The Phoenix Presents... series.

Looking for normal
Easy read, American, about a girl 12? Who had a dysfunctional home life, mum with issues. I enjoyed it myself.

The boy at the back of the class
Look at Lisa Thompson’s stuff
Wolves of Willougby Chase series (historical but not fantasy)

If she’s at school, do they have reading lists on the website that she/you could look at?

Would she try a Jane Austen, or the Brontes? At her age I read all my granny’s Georgette Heyer novels and loved them.

Are there any good books about children and illness. Sometimes what pulls us into reading is that other people feel like we feel and have experience similar events.

With reluctant readers, sometimes it helps to offer them books a bit below their actual reading level, so they can enjoy the story without having to concentrate so hard (it can be lack of practice in the skill of reading which puts people off trying).

Some favourites of mine which might work.

Jessica Townend’s Nevermor books.
Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book.
Thunderwith by Libby Hathorn.

Booktrust have a bookfinder - you just put in age and tick boxes for interests, may turn up something:
www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/

I agree upthread with the poster who suggested audiobooks. My DD is severely dyslexic but very articulate and they were fantastic at allowing her to enjoy books for her age range that she couldn't manage to read.

I also found that most popular recent novel series (e.g. Twilight www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Graphic-Novel-Vol-Saga-ebook/dp/B00AFGIZJM/ref=zg_bs_3653065031_21?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=FJ7B7S3E4S4HN0BH148Y) and all the classics are available as graphic novels and/or manga books (Manga Classics are good) usually with beautiful art work (which could appeal as your dd likes art) glossy pages and colour.They were useful for GCSE too e.g.graphic Shakespeare.

If you want to try pure manga (which is usally in black and white with sections read in a particular order) then Fruits Basket is a very funny, cute series with nothing "adult" in it(there are also animated series too), Naruto is also very popular as are Fairy Tail and Kuma, kuma,kuma Bear.

I think there was a modern version of ballet shoes that had good reviews - personally I love the original.
Judy Blume books have stood the test of time too.

I’m not sure why I’m even recommending this but both DDs absolutely love/d the Angus, thongs and full frontal snoggjng. DD2 is 12, a reluctant reader but has made her way through them. They’re easy reads and if you want to get her back into reading, possibly an easier place to start than the Bronte’s or Austen!

Re Georgette Hoyer recommended above - like the PP I’d read them all by 12/13 but I partially blame them (along with Jilly Cooper)for developing completely unrealistic ideas about men and relationships and romance! I loved the Susan Cooper ‘The Dark is Rising’ books at that age.

Terry Pratchett? She could watch the film of The Hogfather and then read the book (I know it would probably be better the other way round, but the Hogfather is quite a long one and knowing/enjoying the film could help to keep her going).

Other Pratchett's are the Tiffany Aching books, which concern a young girl of your DD's age. Or the Wee Free Men.....

OK, all of those are set in the Discworld, but they do in fact really deal with the same Western reality we know and the history mirrors ours too, it's just it's not as obvious as in some other books.