for my 13 year old daughter. My older boys were so easy to find books for. They read anything...fantasy, historical fiction, modern. But my 13 year old dd is sick and tired of historical fiction. She wants books about girls in modern settings. I want books that are not series. (Nothing wrong with series, and I'm happy to let her read series books on her own, but I think she needs to read some books that are more worthwhile and not so predictable for "English class") She doesn't want books that are old (eg. Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy), she wants something recent. I want something that isn't too heavy (eg. suicide, cutting, drugs). Can anyone recommend a good book that would meet these requirements for a sensitive 13 year old girl? TIA Karen
Has she tried Madeline L'Engle? She was my favorite at that age! If you move beyond the A Wrinkle In Time series there is not as much science fiction stuff in her other books.
I am in the exact same situation. Every week, we check out 10 or12 books for her to try and she can't get into any of them. Then she found a Sharon Creech book called Heart Beat and she has now decided that this is her favorite author. Heart Beat is deep without being dark, and very well written, and a loving family plays a very big part in her story line. So many books written for this age group seem to show nothing but contempt for family. Good luck and if you find anything else for her, please feel free to share!!
Robin McKinley was (and still is) one of my favorite authors. They are fantasy books, though, so depending on how you feel about magic, etc, they may not work. I will caution you that 'Deerskin' is more for adults, but the other ones are terrific for kids. Hero and the Crown and the Blue Sword both feature a girl hero as well. I was just trying to think of some and realized ALL the books I read from that period of my life were fantasy or sci fi LOL! Ah well.
When I was that age, I read tons of Isaac Asimov -- "nuts and bolts" science fiction, without the encumbrance of "romance". He may have been a "romantic guy" to his wife, but certainly not to his readers!
My youngest liked the animal books - the "All Creatures" series was one of her favorites, as well as Black Beauty. For series she loved the "Pony Club" and "Babysitter's Club". I noticed that at my garage sale those books sold out IMMEDIATELY!!! The classics didn't sell at all.
