I’ve been really bad lately in getting books for M. It seems the last month or so, she’s been handing me the stack of books back without having read any of them mostly because they don’t sound “interesting.” So, when she came home from the library on Saturday having checked out Orson Scott Card’s Hart’s Hope (verdict: interesting, but very disturbing), it occurred to me that maybe she’s moving beyond the teen section.
So: what do I give a 13 year old girl to read that isn’t too graphic (violence, language, or sex) that is a bit more challenging/interesting/intriguing than the teen books I’ve been bringing home? She tends toward the fantasy, but she also likes historical and realistic fiction, too.
For A/K:
Monster Baby, by Dian Curtis Regan/Illus. by Doug Cushman
Bella & Bean, by Rebecca Kai Dotlich/Illus by Aileen Leijten*
Dora’s Costume Party! (Dora the Explorer) (I was really happy all those weeks when the Dora books weren’t in. Sigh.)
One Wolf Howls, by Scotti Cohn/Illus. by Susan Detwiler
Who Wants to Be a Poodle I Don’t, by Lauren Child*
The Terrible Plop, by Ursula Dubosarsky/Illus. by Andrew Joyner
Just How Long Can A Long String Be?!, by Keith Baker
For C:
Still reading “grumpy Harry”. I’m glad she’s so determined.
For M:
The Strongbow Saga, Book One: Viking Warrior, by Judson Roberts
Magic Street, by Orson Scott Card
The Memory of Earth, by Orson Scott Card
For me:
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, by William Goldman
Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China (P.S.), by Peter Hessler
Ninth Grade Slays: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, by Heather Brewer
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, by Lauren Tarshis
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell in Love, by Lauren Tarshis
The roundup is either at Reading Adventures or A Striped Armchair. Obligatory FTC love: the links are provided through my Amazon Associates account. If you click through and actually purchase one of these books, I’ll get a teeny, tiny payment. But, since no one ever does, and it’s SO much easier using the associates account to put up these links, I’m going to keep doing it.
*Ones that M eventually read.
**Picture books we really liked.
The Book Nut 
When I was her age, I LOVED The Belgariad series by David Eddings.
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Oh! And Jane Austen (or Georgette Heyer to start) could be fun! I fell in love with Austen at her age as well.
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Oh, the curse of the avid reader, Eva: she's already read The Belgariad series. And Pride and Prejudice. She attempted Emma, but didn't get into that one very well. I haven't trued suggesting Georgette Heyer, though.
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Ok. So one of my favorite books growing up was a book called Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes. I own it and have re-read it as an adult and STILL love it.
Short synopsis:
“Unemployed after high school in the highly robotic society of 2154, Lisse and seven friends resign themselves to a boring existence in their “Designated Area” until the government invites them to play The Game.”
That so does not even describe how cool this book is. I'd love to see what a 13-year-old today would think of this book. It's set in the future but it's realistic and definitely about relationships and all that stuff.
Ok. Thanks!
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That's tough. For the fantasy, I'd point her to Anne Rice, but not at 13! Even a good female relationship book like The Friday Night Knitting Club has lots of sexual references even if there isn't a play-by-play scene.
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The Princess Bride. Yay!
I was thirteen when I read that book for the first time, actually… There abouts anyways!
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I recommended this on, I think, Heather's blog (Book Addiction), too, but at her age, I loved Gene Stratton Porter – “Freckles” and “A Girl of the Limberlost.” Also anything by L.M. Montgomery, but I'm sure she's already read those. Those are kind of old-fashioned books, but if she likes historical fiction, she'd probably enjoy them.
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I hope A/K enjoys One Wolf Howls!
Scotti Cohn
http://www.scotticohn.com
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Has she already read all of the Ann Rinaldi books? Or are those too young? Elizabeth George Speare? Donna Jo Napoli? Cynthia Voigt? Elizabeth Marie Pope?
She's probably read all of that already 🙂
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lol! Has she read The Mallorean? It's the sequel series to The Belgiariad. 🙂 (But I'm guessing she already has.) Eddings has another couple of 'epic series' set in a different world that I really loved too.
I'm trying to remember what I read back then-I know a lot of classics (Dickens, Hardy, Austen) and fantasy, but I think most of the other fantasy books I read had some definite sex scenes in them-I just skipped over those bits-or were kind of violent. Like in middle my best friend and I were obsessed with The Year of the Cat-a ridiculously pulpy trilogy about ancient Egyptian magic and panthers. lol I can't remember if there were any explicit sex scenes-I doubt it, but the panther guy was very sexy. And the panthers like hunting people.
Has she read The Wednesday Wars? I read that last year and loved it, but I'm also older now.
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What about Juliet Marillier's adult stuff or Mercedes Lackey…though I've read neither, it doesn't seem like they'd be the type to have questionable content but maybe someone else can add?
I also read Austen around that time but can't seem to remember anything else I read! 🙂
Casey
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