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Need Book Recs for 13-year old Girl (modern titles preferred)


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I am looking for book recommendations (asking for a friend).

 

She has a 13 year old daughter who is very sensitive to certain topics and themes.  Many have recommended titles to her but they are usually fantasy stories or books written at the turn of the 19/20th Century.  

 

If you have any ideas along these lines, she would greatly appreciate it!

 

Blessings,

 

Camy

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Is she reading more YA type books or is she still reading middle grades? Some kids that age are on to John Green novels and other modern high school stuff. Others are still reading upper end middle grades books.

 

Since you say she's sensitive, I'll assume mostly middle grades novels?

 

How about...

 

Stargirl

Absolutely Normal Chaos

A Mango Shaped Space

When You Reach Me

Close to Famous

Flipped

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

One Crazy Summer

 

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The Penderwicks are lovely.  Avoid book #4, written much later (quite recently), in order to retain the marvelous feel of the series. 

The Penderwicks;

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street;

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. 

 

I actually love the final book and I know several young fans of it as well. But I agree that it has a very angsty feel so it might not be good for the OP's sensitive young friend. My kids described it as "the book where Batty cries all the time."

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I actually love the final book and I know several young fans of it as well. But I agree that it has a very angsty feel so it might not be good for the OP's sensitive young friend. My kids described it as "the book where Batty cries all the time."

 

oh, so glad you chimed in!  I wanted to be honest in my recommendation, but was a bit worried the Other Side wouldn't be represented and a possibly enjoyable book would be missed ... thank you!

 

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Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

 

Dash and Lily are high school students having adventures in present day NYC.  I don't recall anything too traumatic in them, nor does dd.  At one point they get stuck in a room in a bookstore, but it turns out okay.  Lily has anxiety issues, and Dash's parents are divorced with his father being really distant.  

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Hmmm... for contemporary settings that are not fantasy/sci-fi, and to avoid trauma, usually means going with books written for late elementary/early middle school ages, which may be too young for a 13yo. Or going for teen romance... Good luck! :)

 

The School Story (Clements)

Devlin Quick mystery series (Fairstein) -- gr. 3-6

Gallagher Girls series (Carter)

Willow Falls series: 11 Birthdays; Finally; 13 Gifts; The Last Present (Mass) -- and others by Mass

The Mother Daughter Book Club series (Frederick)

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet (Dionne)

Because of Winn Dixie (DiCamillo)

Saturday (Konigsberg)

The Pushcart War (Merrill)

Wednesday Wars (Schmidt)

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book (Hentoff)

My Side of the Mountain (George)

 

 

Edited by Lori D.
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Isn't there going to be a fifth Penderwick book? Book 4 isn't the end!

 

 

Oh, is there? That's actually lovely news. I don't keep up like I used to! Here's hoping for a Ben based boy Penderwick book.

 

 

Yes, there is going to be a fifth and final book in the series! My kids are quite impatient waiting for its release. FWIW, my two seemed to enjoy the 4th book the most so far. It's a little different, yes, but maybe that's ok since my kids have been reading the books/listening to the audiobooks for several years, so they're older now than when they first started the series and ready for something a little more serious. 

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... I forgot to mention the Sonlight summer reads -- that links the middle grade selection. These books are not (in my experience) religious in tone, but are morally reliable in the sense that they have wholesome underlying morals and themes. 

 

I bought some to gift to a friend whose two mothers are Jewish, for example, and while he won't be reading about a family like his in the books, there won't be anything ugly about them either. 

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