lexi Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 We usually get our kids some new books as one of their Christmas presents. I need ideas for my dd who is almost 10. She is an avid reader and reads above her grade level but is a pretty sensitive girl. She loves fairy tale type books as well as mysteries as long as they aren't too dark. She recently read the Tuesdays at the Castle series and liked those. She also liked Dealing with Dragons. So she's a princess-loving girl. Any ideas on a series I can get her? Something fun and lighthearted but maybe longer than the Castle series. I want the books to take her more than a day to read! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I'm not familiar with these books, but has she read the Land of Stories series? There are only four books so far in that series, but they are fairly thick. My DD11 gives them a great reviews. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 The Borrowers, by Mary Norton The Rescuers (NOT Disney), by Margery Sharp; rare and OOP, but you can sometimes find them on E-bay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 I'm not familiar with these books, but has she read the Land of Stories series? There are only four books so far in that series, but they are fairly thick. My DD11 gives them a great reviews. Those look like a good option. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Darn, I have to run out the door. I'll post a full list of suggestions later, but for now, how about Princess Academy (ignore the ridiculous title)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 How about the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 ok I haven't read these, but I took notice when BOTH my kids devoured these books. No classic lit mind you, but a series that both wanted to read and discuss and draw about. My dd bought the first 5 books at B&N with her own money to reread. So that is serious like !!!!! I was shocked to find my son was sneaking the books to read as well. He asks daily what # we are at the library for the next one. (he was #98, down to 24!) Again, I haven't read these myself. But my kids have been loving them. And based on the library wait times a lot of kids are enjoying them. Wings of Fire http://wingsoffire.scholastic.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Darn, I have to run out the door. I'll post a full list of suggestions later, but for now, how about Princess Academy (ignore the ridiculous title)? She's read those and she did like them. So more suggestions like it would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 ok I haven't read these, but I took notice when BOTH my kids devoured these books. No classic lit mind you, but a series that both wanted to read and discuss and draw about. My dd bought the first 5 books at B&N with her own money to reread. So that is serious like !!!!! I was shocked to find my son was sneaking the books to read as well. He asks daily what # we are at the library for the next one. (he was #98, down to 24!) Again, I haven't read these myself. But my kids have been loving them. And based on the library wait times a lot of kids are enjoying them. Wings of Fire http://wingsoffire.scholastic.com Her younger brother has these on audio and loves them. She refuses to listen to them though. She's so girly that she is turned off by the covers. I'm still trying to convince her to give it a try but she's a little bit stubborn about what she reads and doesn't like to step out of her comfort zone. We're working on that during our read aloud times as I try to expose her to books that she likely wouldn't have chosen herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Some of Tamora Pierce's series might be good. The Immortals, Protector of the Small, and Circle of Magic are appropriate for her age. Some of the other series are more mature. But you might want to try one and see - the violence and danger could be a bit much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Definitely I would recommend the Prydain Chronicles. They are perfect for this age, and are based on Welsh folk tales. There are 5 books in the series, and the fifth one won a Newbery Award. The first one starts as a bit of a slog, but they get better and better. They kind of lay the groundwork for LOTR as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Sisters Grimm and Penderwicks come to mind if she hasn't read them. Not princesses, but the first is a fun take on fairy tales. These are books my kiddos still pick up over and over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 The Borrowers, by Mary Norton The Rescuers (NOT Disney), by Margery Sharp; rare and OOP, but you can sometimes find them on E-bay. No, it's back!! And agreeing, it's wonderful. The original Bambi is excellent, too. We don't like any other books by the author but Bambi's lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 The Borrowers, by Mary Norton The Rescuers (NOT Disney), by Margery Sharp; rare and OOP, but you can sometimes find them on E-bay. We have these :001_smile: I had to look up the Rescuers but once I saw the cover picture I realized that my mom got these for my daughter a few months ago. We have very full bookshelves....and not that we need more books but I can't help myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Okay! Since your daughter liked Princess Academy, first things first, you could do worse than to look at other Shannon Hale books, including but not limited to The Books of Bayern, Book of a Thousand Days, and Ever After High. The last is a Mattel tie-in, but Hale is constitutionally incapable of writing a bad book, so it's actually still pretty good... at least the first series. The girls refuse to read the second series, which has a different author, so I don't know about those! Other books she may like, most of which are series: Above World So You Want to Be a Wizard (OMG I still love this series with all my heart) Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Starry River of the Sky Zahrah, the Windseeker The Inquisitor's Apprentice The Menagerie Dragon of the Lost Sea The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland The Wildwood Trilogy The Search for WondLa Breadcrumbs (more serious themes) The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (more serious themes, some scary scenes) Hammer of Witches The Sasquatch Escape (actually kinda lightweight) Ambassador, by William Alexander Ella Enchanted The Dalemark Quartet The Chrestomanci books, also by DWJ The Grimm Legacy and companion novel, The Wells Bequest A Wizard of Earthsea The Winding Circle series by Tamora Pierce, which comprises 2 full quartets and some other books. Cat Girl's Day Off Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (VERY short, but so adorable that I feel like pushing it on EVERYONE) Powerless Space Case (does have an off-screen murder driving the plot) The Conch Bearer Face Like Glass The Lost Conspiracy Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a SupervillainM My Zombie Hamster (does start with the premise that life is going on after a zombie apocalypse) Sky Jumpers The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle The Wide-Awake Princess Not fantasy or sci-fi The Year of the Dog The Star of Kazan One Crazy Summer The Misadventures of Family Fletcher The Truth About Twinkie Pie The Penderwicks How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy PICKLE by Kim Baker Millicent Min, Girl Genius (with two companion novels) Gaby, Lost and Found A Spoonful of Jam (and other books in the Hollis Family series by Magorian) Ballet Shoes (and anything else by Streatfeild - yes, that's how the name is spelled) All-of-a-Kind Family All Capone Does My Shirts Strawberry Hill The Mighty Miss Malone Celeste's Harlem Renaissance I've gone ahead and italicized the books which I think are probably a best fit, based on the information given, but as always, my judgment may vary from yours (and hers!), so you should pre-read if you have any concerns. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 DD11 highly recommends the Ella Enchanted box set, which she loved at 9. http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Collection-Box-Set-Princesses/dp/0061431001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446780571&sr=8-1&keywords=Ella+enchanted+box+set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 One of my daughter's favorite books was The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Has your DD read any books by Grace Lin? One we have especially enjoyed is a magically fantastic folk/fairy tale series that starts with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I've not read them, but my daughter loves The Guardian Herd series by Jennifer Lyn Alvarez. She's read them so many times they are falling apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Seconding Some of Tamora Pierce's series might be good. The Immortals, Protector of the Small, and Circle of Magic are appropriate for her age. Definitely I would recommend the Prydain Chronicles. So You Want to Be a Wizard (OMG I still love this series with all my heart)The Chrestomanci books What fun! I hope she enjoys her new books. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krsmom Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 The Warriors Series http://www.warriorcats.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 The Castle in the Attic is the first of a series--about a boy with a toy castle who goes "into" it (and the times). We liked this series a lot. How about a Robin Hood-based girl series? I think they are the Rowan Hood books. Dd liked the first two (she was about 12 or 13 when she read them). ETA: Ah--added link--Robin Hood's daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) On 11/5/2015 at 8:57 AM, kirstenhill said: I'm not familiar with these books, but has she read the Land of Stories series? There are only four books so far in that series, but they are fairly thick. My DD11 gives them a great reviews. Warning! This series is not complete yet, and apparently the latest book ends with a big cliffhanger. My sensitive kid went into an emotional tailspin after finishing the most recent one. If your dd is bothered by such things, you might want to hold off until the series is complete. Edited May 22, 2022 by musicianmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 You've gotten some good recommendations. I'll add ED Baker's Wide-Awake Princess set. I don't know how many there are ... but there always seem to be more when I go looking for them. Unlocking the Spell, The Bravest Princess, Princess in Disguise & next year's "Princess Between Worlds" If she hasn't already read ED Baker's Tales of the Frog Princess, those are stupendous, too. The Frog Princess, Dragon's Breath, Once Upon A Curse , No Place For Magic, The Salamander Spell, The Dragon Princess, Dragon Kiss, A Prince Among Frogs One note on Tamora Pierce's books -- Some of them have mature (or 'more mature than some 10 year olds would want') content. DD#1 likes this author a LOT. Once, when looking into some sequels to the Magic Circle books, I found them in the teen section. I decided to preread & figured out why they were separated. I can't remember if it was "The Circle Opens" sequels or the "Circle Reforged" ones that have the more mature content. They do get more harsh & bloody, too. On a separate but related note on the Wings of Fire series. My kids ALL love them. The girls probably love them the most. Such strong female dragon characters! (You can tell your dd that one of the original dragonets is a princess. It isn't revealed for awhile, though.) However, there are definitely some tough themes in this series. Orphaned dragons. Stolen eggs. A bloody war. Death or disfigurement of dragons which played a big part in raising the orphans. We can't wait for each new book to come out. But I understand having a sensitive kid ... and it would be ok to wait on these. My dd#3 recently enjoyed Angie Sage's Araminta Spookie series. DD#2 loved the Magyk series - and that is what really got her reading. But it is definitely different than the types of books your dd has expressed interest in so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 One note on Tamora Pierce's books -- Some of them have mature (or 'more mature than some 10 year olds would want') content. DD#1 likes this author a LOT. Once, when looking into some sequels to the Magic Circle books, I found them in the teen section. I decided to preread & figured out why they were separated. I can't remember if it was "The Circle Opens" sequels or the "Circle Reforged" ones that have the more mature content. They do get more harsh & bloody, too. Yes, I should have said this. I don't recall mature content in the series I mentioned, but it may not be clear that other series set in the same world (and, in the case of the Circle books, specifically following the same characters) do have more mature content, nor is it necessarily obvious from the book descriptions. And I have run into problems with my oldest wanting to read the other series after reading the tamer ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 DD11 highly recommends the Ella Enchanted box set, which she loved at 9. http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Collection-Box-Set-Princesses/dp/0061431001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446780571&sr=8-1&keywords=Ella+enchanted+box+set I was going to recommend a box of everything by Gail Carson Levine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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