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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,428
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Joined: Aug 2010
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I hope this is okay to start. My 11yo is outgrowing the children's section, but both of us are finding the YA section somewhat uninspiring (she is not interested in vampires, dystopia, or romance). I am transitioning her to tween-appropriate adult fiction, but this is something that requires some thought. Here is my list so far. If the book contains sexual themes, extreme violence, etc, do note it. Note--I don't intend this to really include books written specifically for the YA market, but of course some of these do land in YA sections today.
--Little Women (and sequels) --Jane Eyre --Wuthering Heights (I hate this book, but teens often like it!) --Pride and Prejudice, etc (subtle--may be better for an older tween) --Dickens --To Kill a Mockingbird (rape themes) --Fahrenheit 451 and other Ray Bradbury --Terry Pratchett --Douglas Adams (occasional sexual jokes)
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 358
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Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Harper Lee's To kill a Mocking bird is on my ds12 7th grade reading list this year. Along with some texts dealing with adversity, Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and Anne Franks The Diary of a Young Girl.
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,390
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Joined: Feb 2012
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--The Martian, by Andy Weir (swearing)
For Terry Pratchett, I do recommend standing with the YA titles (Amazing Maurice and the Tiffany Aching series that starts with Wee Free Men). While kids will probably enjoy his other books, some of the humor is really better appreciated with a little more experience under one's belt.
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 381
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When I was that age I was obsessed with detectives and murder mysteries: Agatha Christie books, Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe come to mind. Of course there's always a murder in the background of these - but minimal violence in the stories themselves. I remember wishing Holmes was a real person because I had a huge crush on him! Yes, I was a quirky kid...
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,856
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I'd absolutely recommend Fahrenheit 451 to a young gifted reader, if for no other reason that because the theme would resonate strongly with them. I can't recall any adult themes offhand. And if she's interested in Bradbury, I could also recommend Heinlein's works, though I haven't read too many of them. Generally speaking, you can't go far wrong on sci-fi for a tween if it was written before the 70s, as the violence and sexuality were a lot more muted back then.
I gave my DD a shot at some Discworld (Pratchett) material when she was 8 and expressing an interest in my bookshelf, but it didn't take, and I expect that has a lot to do with life experience. The things they make fun of are not things children are not participating in... things like government, law enforcement, communications, university staff, etc. I'm not sure I'd recommend them to an 11yo unless they're already interested in social science-y things.
Given that you've put both Pratchett and Adams on the list, I assume satire is an interest, so I'd add two names:
Mark Twain: Not only great satire, but also great use of language. If only we still wrote like this.
Carl Hiassen: Until recently I would absolutely NOT have recommended his works to parents for their younger children, as they are rife with adult themes, but in recent years he has begun writing a separate set of books targeted at the young adult market, with more appropriate themes. I haven't read his young adult stuff personally (though DD has a copy of Hoot by her bed), but I can say that as satire, he's hilarious. From one adult to another, if you like Adams and Pratchett, you should give Hiassen a try.
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Joined: Dec 2010
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A list my family recently put together for this problem: Jade Snow Wong Fifth Chinese Daughter
Anya Seton Katherine (romance, but not the kind you're talking about) others
Mary Renault (historical novels set in ancient Greece) The Last of the Wine The King Must Die The Bull from the Sea others
Mary Stewart's Merlin series: The Crystal Cave The Hollow Hills The Last Enchantment The Wicked Day The Prince and the Pilgrim
Beverly Cleary My Own Two Feet (her autobiography)
Andy Mulligan Trash others
Marcel Pagnol My Father's Glory My Mother's Castle
Margaret Mitchell Gone With the Wind
Jessamyn West The Friendly Persuasion The Massacre at Fall Creek others
Witi Ihimaera The Whale Rider
Michael Morpurgo War Horse Daphne deMaurier Rebecca The Scapegoat The King's General others
Jack Finney Time and Again From Time to Time About Time Invasion of the Body Snatchers others
Alfred Toombs Raising a Riot
Jean Merrill The Pushcart Wars others
Robert Cormier The Chocolate War others
S.E. Hinton The Outsiders
T. H. White The Once and Future King
Richard Peck Paul Zindel
Maxine Hong Kingston The Woman Warrior, Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Ray Bradbury The Illustrated Man Fahrenheit 451 others
Natalie Babbitt Tuck Everlasting others
Rod Serling Stories from the Twilight Zone others also: not a book, The Big Tall Wish: The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas
John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath
Ernest Hemingway lots, but you might be a little young.
Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth World Without End His other books are spy novels and kind of gory.
Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club others
Chaim Potok The Chosen The Promise My Name is Asher Lev
C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (#1 of Chronicles of Narnia series) others
Ursula K. LeGuin anything
Tolkein The Hobbit Lord of the Rings series
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 599
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Everyone took mine!!!! Not fair.
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,489
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NOt sure I have too much to add. Reading level most popular adult fiction is probably well within your daughter reading level. The idea of a "teen" genre is relatively new and mostly is filled as you have found with teen romance and paranormal stuff. The big genre to avoid is adult romance which can be quite explicit. I'd say horror as well but you might have to know your child, I LOVED Alfred Hitchcock short stories as an early teen.
It's already been suggested by mysteries particularly Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes can be good. Books like Jules Vern, 100,000 leagues under the sea, journey to the edge of the earth, etc. can be fun.
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,074 Likes: 6
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Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels (the original Dragonriders, and Harper Hall--can't speak to the later series written with her son)
I read tons of British/Commonwealth drawing room and procedural mysteries at this age, as well, not only Christie, but
Dorothy Sayers Georgette Heyer (known more for her period romances, but also wrote quite a few mysteries) P. D. James Catherine Aird Ngaio Marsh Margery Allingham
also, in other genres
P.G. Wodehouse Patricia Mckillip Arthur C. Clarke Isaac Asimov
offhand.
...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,453
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Agreed on some of the Terry Pratchett comments.
My DD10 loved Maurice and his amazing Rodents at 8 and also some of the Wee Free ones. BTW, his last book just hit the shelves The Shepherd's Crown which features a young with and the little blue men.
She recently tried some others, loved Small Gods which makes me really happy because that is one of my faves too - enjoyed the ones featuring The Watch because she had already read LoTR and Twisted Tales - but was a bit at sea on The Hogfather so YMMV depending on real world experience to date. She does get a lot of the humor which again is very satisfying to observe.
Mark Twain is one of the pithiest writers ever - totally agree with you, Dude.
Idiots Abroad and Roughly It leap to mind immediately both for his engaging style and mercilessly sharp wit. The fact that they are valid from a socio-historical perspective as well doesn't do any harm either.
At that age I really got into reading biographies of famous characters from history too.
Become what you are
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