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My dd turning 11 in a week, is a voracious reader. I assign her tons of books (history, science, book club, etc.), which she mostly enjoys, but she of course manages to fit in time to read lots of stuff of her own choosing.

 

She's had a little extra time to do this this month because her sister is out of town and there hasn't been much assigned reading.

 

She's begging for more books, and says she'd like series - so there's more to read. She especially likes mysteries or books with a bit of adventure. She's past things like Boxcar Children. Her favorite series is the Happy Hollisters - shes' read each book at least three times (and there are over 30). She's read through the classic Nancy Drews, Three Investigators, Little House on the Prairie, Narnia, Harry Potter, all 6 Borrower books (who knew there were so many??), and lots more I can't remember. I recently pointed her at Trixie Belden and she's plowing through those.

 

Any good ideas for her? I was pondering Redwall (at least it's lots of pages!), but is that too boy-oriented? Would a girl like it?

 

Any other ideas? I don't need highbrow literature necessarily, but I also don't want absolute Twaddle, if you know what I mean.

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My dd turning 11 in a week, is a voracious reader. I assign her tons of books (history, science, book club, etc.), which she mostly enjoys, but she of course manages to fit in time to read lots of stuff of her own choosing.

 

She's had a little extra time to do this this month because her sister is out of town and there hasn't been much assigned reading.

 

She's begging for more books, and says she'd like series - so there's more to read. She especially likes mysteries or books with a bit of adventure. She's past things like Boxcar Children. Her favorite series is the Happy Hollisters - shes' read each book at least three times (and there are over 30). She's read through the classic Nancy Drews, Three Investigators, Little House on the Prairie, Narnia, Harry Potter, all 6 Borrower books (who knew there were so many??), and lots more I can't remember. I recently pointed her at Trixie Belden and she's plowing through those.

 

Any good ideas for her? I was pondering Redwall (at least it's lots of pages!), but is that too boy-oriented? Would a girl like it?

 

Any other ideas? I don't need highbrow literature necessarily, but I also don't want absolute Twaddle, if you know what I mean.

 

 

A Wrinkle in Time series

Swallows and Amazons

Peter and the Starcatchers

Dark is Rising (Cooper)

Book of Three (Alexander)

Eragon

 

HTH!

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My youngest is a little younger than your dd, but she has recently enjoyed the following series:

 

The Sisters Grimm

FableHaven

Peccy Jackson and The Olympians

Cronus Chronicles

Artemis Fowl

Pipi Longstalking, including the unrelated Ronia, The Robber's Daughter by same author

Dragon Slippers & Dragon Flight

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator

The Young Hereos books by Jane Yolen

Nim's Island & Nim at Sea

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What about the Dimwood Forest series by Avi?

Poppy

Poppy's Return

Poppy and Rye

Ereth's Birthday

Ragweed

... not sure if I listed them in the right order. My daughter liked those. She's only 9, but I think an 11 year-old would like them, too. Or how about the Princess Diaries books by Meg Cabot?

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The series - about mice who form a rescue society for humans - is nothing like the Disney movie. My boys loved it as a read aloud, now older DS is starting it. It's an older series with more challenging language than more recent books. And one of the main characters is a female mouse, Miss Bianca, who is great!

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If she liked The Borrowers, I'd highly recommend the Mennyms series by Sylvia Waugh.

 

Also:

 

The Wolves Chronicles -- Joan Aiken

Percy Jackson series-- Riordan

The Edge Chronicles -- Stewart and Riddell

Fablehaven -- Mull

Mysterious Benedict Society and sequel (at least one more is planned)

The Dark is Rising series -- Susan Cooper

Green Knowe series -- L. Boston

Howl's Moving Castle and sequels -- Wynne Jones

Bagthorpes series -- Helen Cresswell

Bone series (graphic novels) -- Smith

Young Wizards series -- Diane Duane

Sisters Grimm -- Buckley

The Various and sequels -- Augarde

A Wrinkle in Time and sequels -- L'Engle

Hall Family Chronicles -- Jane Langdon

The Great Brain and sequels -- Fitzgerald

Lemony Snicket

The Anybodies and sequels -- N.E. Bode

Wednesday Tales series -- Berkeley

Gregor the Overlander series -- Collins

The Arthur Triology -- Crossley-Holland

Cronus Chronicles series -- Ursu

Garth Nix -- various series

Terry Pratchett -- kids books and Discworld

Sammy Keyes series -- van Draanen

The Roman Mysteries -- Lawrence

Larklight and sequels -- Reeve

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You guys are awesome! Lots of great suggestions!

 

One person mentioned Pippi - we're big Astrid Lindgen fans here! Pippi is one she's read both in English and German. And we even have the Ronia movie - I don't think it ever got to the US, but it's great.

 

Anyway, keep 'em comin'! :001_smile:

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She's the perfect age for all of the L.M. Montgomery books! I love the Annotated Anne also and the L.M. Montgomery companion if she gets into them. I have read several series over and over:

Anne of Green Gables, Emilyof New Moon, Pat of Silver Bush, and Story girl.

Plus many more stand alones novels. I love the quirky characters and scenic descriptions!

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I just wanted to add a little note about the "Princess Diaries" series. If you are basing your choice on the disney movie, be aware that some of the more mature themes were removed to make the movie more friendly to younger viewers. My older dd has read some of them, when she was 12-13, and after the first two books the adult themes made her too uncomfortable.

 

Just my .02

 

Amber in SJ

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The Gammage Cup and The Whisper of Glocken; The Hobbit and LOTR; The Indian in the Cupboard series; Inkheart Trilogy, The Thief Lord, Igraine the Brave, Dragon Rider, all by Cornelia Funke; Carry On Mr. Bowditch; Understood Betsy; A Tree Grows In Brooklyn; Mary Poppins books; The Phantom Tollbooth; The Silver Crown; Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...

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