[amphibian]

Hi all, I was asked by my 12 year old cousin for some good books to help fill her summer vacation up. I immediately thought of Matilda, Harry Potter, Diane Wynne Jones and a couple others, but honestly, I was a boy and I really, really want to avoid giving her a bunch of books full of boys doing things and so on.

She's multi-lingual with English, Nepali and some Hindi, but isn't widely read yet (she's 12 and her parents aren't the bookish type). Can anyone here, especially the women, help me out with some good books to get her or to put on a list for her library trips? I'd like to avoid the usual school reading lists - as to keep those fresh for her and partly because some books (To Kill A Mockingbird etc.) are really best done with a guide like a teacher helping the reader connect dots.

So far:

- Matilda
- Harry Potter books
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Esperanza Rising

[Vengeance]

amphibian, on 30 June 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:

Hi all, I was asked by my 12 year old cousin for some good books to help fill her summer vacation up. I immediately thought of Matilda, Harry Potter, Diane Wynne Jones and a couple others, but honestly, I was a boy and I really, really want to avoid giving her a bunch of books full of boys doing things and so on.

She's multi-lingual with English, Nepali and some Hindi, but isn't widely read yet (she's 12 and her parents aren't the bookish type). Can anyone here, especially the women, help me out with some good books to get her or to put on a list for her library trips? I'd like to avoid the usual school reading lists - as to keep those fresh for her and partly because some books (To Kill A Mockingbird etc.) are really best done with a guide like a teacher helping the reader connect dots.

So far:

- Matilda
- Harry Potter books
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Esperanza Rising

My wife loved Steven King when she was about that age. Pet semetary, IT...

[amphibian]

I will ask her what her "scare" quotient is and/or if she has nightmares about stuff.

[worry]

Pet Sematary and IT are definitely on the scary side, but Carrie might be perfect (plus it has a young woman protagonist).

I of course would recommend His Dark Materials.

The Prydain Chronicles have a male protagonist and are generally male-heavy, but still feature very strong female characters with agency (heroes, villains, and those who wouldn't be described as either).

Maybe the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix? I only read the first one several years ago so I'm a little shaky on it, but I remember it being good.

I know you like China Mieville, so maybe Un Lun Dun?

[Mezla PigDog]

Vengeance, on 30 June 2014 - 07:15 PM, said:

My wife loved Steven King when she was about that age. Pet semetary, IT...

I wouldn't have slept for a month if I had read those books when I was 12!!

OK, I'm struggling to remember exactly what I read about that time so I think I was reading this stuff from the ages of 8 - 12ish, she'll have to read the synopsis and decide if it sounds appealing:

Robin Jarvis books - The Deptford Mice series in particular.
Alan Garner books - Weirdstone and Elidor series.
Brian Jacques - Redwood series of books.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and all that lot.
All of the Roald Dahl books.

That list is a bit British-centric and weirdly I seem to have read a lot of books about talking mice when I was a child but I still have fond memories of all of those - I'm even tempted to re-read the Deptford mice trilogy; mice being terrorised by rats who skin them alive and worship an evil god named Jupiter. What's not to love?

[Vengeance]

Mezla PigDog, on 30 June 2014 - 07:41 PM, said:

Vengeance, on 30 June 2014 - 07:15 PM, said:

My wife loved Steven King when she was about that age. Pet semetary, IT...

I wouldn't have slept for a month if I had read those books when I was 12!!

OK, I'm struggling to remember exactly what I read about that time so I think I was reading this stuff from the ages of 8 - 12ish, she'll have to read the synopsis and decide if it sounds appealing:

Robin Jarvis books - The Deptford Mice series in particular.
Alan Garner books - Weirdstone and Elidor series.
Brian Jacques - Redwood series of books.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and all that lot.
All of the Roald Dahl books.

That list is a bit British-centric and weirdly I seem to have read a lot of books about talking mice when I was a child but I still have fond memories of all of those - I'm even tempted to re-read the Deptford mice trilogy; mice being terrorised by rats who skin them alive and worship an evil god named Jupiter. What's not to love?

While all of those are good books. I wasn't reading them when I was twelve. I think that I was still on my James michener kick and starting to branch into James Clavell. Amp you should really ask her what type of things she is into. How mature is she?

I mean there is always Nancy Drew.

This post has been edited by Vengeance: 30 June 2014 - 08:25 PM

[Macros]

The Hobbit

[Messremb]

Mezla PigDog, on 30 June 2014 - 07:41 PM, said:

Brian Jacques - Redwood series of books.

That list is a bit British-centric and weirdly I seem to have read a lot of books about talking mice when I was a child but I still have fond memories of all of those - I'm even tempted to re-read the Deptford mice trilogy; mice being terrorised by rats who skin them alive and worship an evil god named Jupiter. What's not to love?

Deptford sounds tempting to me actually.

Redwall, not Redwood though! There's quite a few so should keep her going some time.

[Vengeance]

If you want her to grow up to be a powerful women.

Then Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton

and

Madam Secretary by Madeleine Albright

[Inane Babble]

any of tamora pierces series would be fantastic

http://en.wikipedia....i/Tamora_Pierce

Simple to read, interesting universes, short books but lots of them, multiple courageous female protagonists throughout the series.

[Macros]

Stovers Acts of Caine books

[Binder of Demons]

Would "The Princess Bride" be easy enough. Haven't read it myself.

I read a bunch of Asimov and Clarke at that age since I was such a science nerd. Totally safe material, though the quality is patchy at times. Rendezvous with Rama was a great read though.

You always have Sherlock Holmes?

Years since I read it, but is Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" suitable, or easy enough for her to read? Probably not, but it does have an approx 12 year old female protagonist.

Anyone here have an opinion on the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer?

[worry]

The Princess Bride is ideal. Might not get all the meta-stuff at age 12, but that's what rereads are for.

[amphibian]

Why would I give a twelve year old girl Sherlock Holmes when the sane dynamic is done in more entertaining for her fashion in Nancy Drew or any of the other newer series?

She is into the books some on her age would pick when in the very beginning of reading on her own, not the higher end of the twelve year old spectrum.

[amphibian]

Again, keep in mind that her parents are nice people, but not readers at all. I mean less than five books in the apt that aren't the kids' or work/religious.

[Binder of Demons]

Well Amphib, it was just a suggestion. But equally Sherlock Holmes is a pretty well known cultural icon with multiple tv and film remakes that she may come across, and so it can be good to have read the originals? And Sherlock Holmes should be readily available in any library or bookstore. Nancy Drew may be as easy to get, but maybe not?

[Mezla PigDog]

Start traditional then - Roald Dahl and CS Lewis style. Matilda and The BFG have good female lead characters. But give her some more gritty options. There is no harm reading a more exciting book slowly and it could be better for her than a book easily in reach but with a slightly too young story.

[Imperial Historian]

At that age my sister was a big fan of harry potter, Dianna Wynne Jones' chrestomancy series, anything by tamora pierce and of course narnia. You can't go wrong with roald Dahl either.

I loved garner, Jarvis and Jacques as well at that age, but my sister didn't get into them. David eddings I thought was brilliant at around that age too.

I remember the deptford mice being terrifying when I was a kid!

[Andorion]

There's this YA fantasy series my brother used to love...Ranger's Apprentice, I read the first two and they seemed pretty fun.
And if you are looking for a female protagonist, Jane Lndskold's Firekeeper Saga was pretty entertaining. Its about a girl who talks to giant wolves.
Then theres that old book. I remember loving it at 11. Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. Its told from the point of view of a horse.

[Andorion]

On a side note, I read Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues under the Sea unabridged when i was 10. Would that work for your cousin?