Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Books for 7yo girl please!

I'm finding it so hard to stay ahead of DD's needs! Help!

I've seen the last few threads of book recommendations, which were great, but we always need MORE!

She reads at about a 10yo level, and likes action / adventure / mystery / magic / science / history / excitement BUT nothing scary. Read Harry Potter and loved it but had a couple of nightmares.

Already read these series: Edward Eager, NIMH, Famous Five, Nick and Tesla, Time Warp Trio, Boxcar Children, Magic Tree House, the Saturdays, Narnia, all the Dahl's, all the Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz/Peter Pan type classics. Way beyond Judy Moody/Geronimo/Beezus and Ramona stuff. Things like Heidi, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables are too slow-moving.

Next I'm going to try The Phantom Tollbooth, Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles and The Girl, the Dragon and the Wild Magic. Considered 39 Clues but too scary, and Swallows and Amazons, but too boaty.

Any other ideas? Long series and/or strong girl protagonists especially welcome

The Warriors books were wildly popular with my daughter at that age.

The Sisters Grimm series
A Wrinkle in Time
The Westing Game
All of a Kind Family series
Percy Jackson series
Caine Chronicles series
The Doll Shop Downstairs series
Little House on the Prairie series

DD8 also loves the Warriors series (cats), as well as the Survivors series (dogs), and there is also a Seeker (bears) series DD hasn't gotten into - um, perhaps not great literature, but LOTS of books
George and the Secret Key to the Universe Series
Wrinkle in Time series
Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper
Nature Girl
Inside Out & Back Again (DD says this is "a little sad")
Basher Science Books
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...DD has read part of it with DH, as they share the same quirky sense of humor...
DD also read the Andrew Lost series and Hank the Cowdog series a couple of years ago, but these might be too young for your DD

I tend to prefer series for her, because she gets through them so quickly.


I'll see if DD can remember more later...we're trying to get through homework

Lemony Snicket

Simple but delightful (even to me as an adult): James Herriott and Paddington

O Henry short stories

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie

The Little Prince

Ah Lemony Snicket! She has read it, but not any sequels. Think HGTTG is a bit adult?!

Am looking up the other suggestions, thanks … is Wrinkle in Time scary?

I always recommend..

The Chrestomaci Series by Dianne Wynne Jones
"The Pinhoe Egg" is the last the author wrote in this world and has a spunky female protagonist.

Dealing with Dragons by Patrica Wrede (3 book series)

I think that is why DH has read HGTTG with DD - from what I understand, it is more "adult" humor, but not in an inappropriate way, if that makes any sense?

DD ABSORBED all of the Wrinkle in Time books...very quickly. She said they were not scary at all, but then again, she didn't find Harry Potter (whole series) too scary either (DH read the later books WITH her the first time - she has read them more than once - because WE were afraid of nightmares. SHE was fine!). HTH!

How about the Mysterious Benedict Society? Or the Magic Thief?

Read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with my son when he was about 9 or 10?? Can't exactly remember. The movie is more inappropriate than the book. When he was younger my son was very sensitive to certain books but I couldn't really find a pattern. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory freaked him out more than anything other book. Just saying it might be hard to identify what really freaks out your daughter.