Recommend a book?

[resonant]

The kidlet is looking for books to buy a friend. What we know about the friend's reading habits: She's turning eleven, and she's all into the Twilight series.

So. Rec us meaty-yet-fifth-grade-appropriate books that are better than Twilight?

Comments

[nny]

Pretty much anything by Diana Wynne Jones and Tamora Pierce. Also The Graveyard Book and Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

[resonant]

The kidlet enthusiastically seconds all of those except for the Neil Gaiman, whom she hasn't read. Probably if I could persuade her the author is Nelly Gaiman, she'd be more interested in the books.

[ladycat]

Rick Riordin's Percy Jackson series. About to come out as a movie (and looks halfway decent) soon. It's about the half-blood children of gods. I adore that series.

I also recommend the Tortall series' by Tamora Pierce. Start with Circle of the Lioness (still to this day one of my favorite series, and I started reading it when I was ten). I recommend vetting them for individual tastes, but if she's reading Twilight (highlighted for emphasis, not respect) there's no concepts in these books she can't handle.

[blushingflower]

I've been reading the Percy Jackson books as well, and I'm really enjoying them. (Of course, I'm 27 and was huge into Greek Mythology when I was about 12, so ymmv).

Also, if she hasn't read them yet, Harry Potter is an obvious one.

And someone else also rec'd Madeline L'Engle, which I also second.

The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis), The Chronicles of Prydian (by Lloyd Alexander)

Some may be below her reading level, but can still be fun and engaging reads.

I'm sure there must be tons of non SF/Fantasy that I read when I was that age, but a) I was an advanced reader and b) I don't remember what I read around that point.

this is a great series

[raveninthewind]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sisters_Grimm_(novel_series)

[nestra]

Diane Duane's Young Wizards series? Narnia? Robin McKinley (er, except not Deerskin or Sunshine)?

[maire]

Not Deerskin I can understand, but why not Sunshine?

[dogeared]

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex—SO AWESOME, and full of aliens and girl power. :D

[dogeared]

And! The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, also wonderful and full of adventure.

[fox]

Hmm. Once upon a time, I'd have said Laura Ingalls Wilder, but that series - while important, don't get me wrong - has got Issues that I don't know if I'd be comfortable foisting on an impressionable kid. (I mean. I was impressionable, but I also had positive role models, you know? Maybe I read that stuff when I was younger than eleven, now that I think about it. Seems when I was eleven-ish I couldn't get enough of Anne of Green Gables. ... Which has different issues. Is there anything out there that's issue-free?)

[octette]

i second the percy jackson series, and want to add the claudia gray series, which starts with evernight. it's an age-appropriate vamp-focused series with an interesting twist, narrated by a teenage girl; my mom has a few copies she lends out to her 6th, 7th, and 8th grade reading students on a regular basis.

[marinarusalka]

I second the rec for the Evernight series. They're well-written, snd should definitely appeal to somebody who liked Twilight.

[sara]

Yep, I was going to say, "Sounds like a job for remedial Tamora Pierce!"

Hmm, good girl-centric YA...maybe Garth Nix's series that starts with Sabriel (some colonialism, yes, and the usual round of "oh look we're all sekritly royalty," but still holding up for me on reread), or...if she likes comics, Runaways is pretty good (stick to the stuff that's not Joss Whedon, and realize that there is a certain amount of lesbianism involved, but as I recall it's off-camera)...oh, a lot of Patricia McKillip should be approachable for someone who can get through Twilight, and none of that has any on-screen screwing.

I don't know; I prune Herself's reading for violence, not sex, which I don't think is the parental norm, and she's still not reading many chapter books, so I feel like my recs are kind of out-of-date. I really should do a long recs post about comics for early grade readers, though, because boy howdy, I have been through most of what's on the market in the last year....

[resonant]

I'm not concerned about sex so much (and actually my impression is that there's very little sex in most of the Twilight books, though lots of sexual tension); it's more the "stalking is romantic!!1!" message. Also maybe it would be nice to have a book that was about something other than (or in addition to) romance.

[laurashapiro]

At that age, I loved books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and E.L. Konigsburg. They feature smart and capable young heroines and are funny and thought-provoking.

[myalexandria]

I absolutely second both. (With the caveat that 'The Egypt Game' scared the hell out of me, although I also loved it.)

Most of my recs for that age are for classic British children's literature, which it sounds like this girl might not be in the mood for (just going on the fact that she's reading twilight and not harry potter--I have reams of stuff to give people who are into harry potter). Snyder and Konigsberg are now historical (eep!) with stuff set in the 70s and maybe early 80s, but they are American and I think would still feel pretty contemporary.

[takemyrevolution]

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde, if she wants more vampires.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman, if she likes creepy books.

The Everworld series (twelve books, I think) by K.A. Applegate if she likes mythology.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and The Neverending Story by Michael Ende if she likes fantasy.

[azurelunatic]

Holly Black is good stuff.

[starwatcher]

.
Can't go wrong with Madeleine L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time".

If she could find a copy (maybe interlibrary loan?) - Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons".
.

[cesperanza]

Evernight

http://www.claudiagray.com/books.htm

by one of us (TM) and consequently much more feminist!

[cathexys]

I seriously rec this book to everyone as the anti-Twilight. The one scene I adore is the fight in town...same scenario as Twilight but our female protagonist views the situation quite differently!

And the Romeo and Juliet discussion in the second book? Loverly!!!!

[ellen_fremedon]

Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik and sequels?

[fox]

Oh, I'll second that. Also, where are we these days on Judy Blume? Some of her stuff is right off the board for this purpose, of course, but I believe when I was eleven I read "Remember Me to Harold [sic] Square" and "This Place Has No Atmosphere" to tatters. [googles] Which, upon a little investigation, both prove to be by Paula Danziger, so never mind the Judy Blume question, I guess. :-)

[cobweb_diamond]

How about Tithe by Holly Black? Or Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, which is brilliant but very short. Or Terry Pratchett?

[rian_aphasia]

I second the Francesca Lia Block rec.

[giglet]

The Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett?

Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith.

Because Tiffany is *awesome*

Also -- this isn't quite what you asked for, but it's a resource:
http://blog.scienceofheroes.com/2008/08/29/good-sf-books-for-girls-under-12/

[sorchasilver]

*seconds the Pratchett*

[allika]

The Secret Garden
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Konigsburg
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Giver
Something by Tamora Pierce (I liked the Song of the Lioness series and Circle of Magic)

[azurelunatic]

If she likes Twilight, then Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. Better writing, fewer skeevy romance issues (though the poor girl does fall for a guy she's convinced is her brother for a while; happily things go more "I'm going to seriously hurt your jackass lying dad" and less Flowers in the Attic). There's a steamy snogging scene, but less rough-sex-with-your-undead-husband, and 100% fewer first-person demon-baby pregnancies. They even have a blurb by Stephenie Meyer, which is largely due to the authors being friends.

The Holly Black books and Cassie's have a very brief point of crossover.

Also Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon, although there's more Boy Adventures and less romance.

Also in that group of authors and writing to that demographic, Maureen Johnson, who has a hilarious and crazy presence on Twitter.


I adore the Young Wizards books as well, but I don't know how well they work with that fan group.

[likeaduck]

Nthing the Tamora Pierce recs, starting with the Song of the Lioness quartet. I devoured those books when I was eleven.

[delphi]

Definitely thirding Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series, and I'd add Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce. I don't think Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause can possibly be more objectionable than Twilight and I loved it at that age.

[rian_aphasia]

I was going to rec Annette Curtis Klause's books as well; I remember loving Blood and Chocolate and The Silver Kiss, and while it's been awhile since I read either I can still say that they're far more appropriate (issues-wise) for a kid her age than Twilight.

[ghoti]

Is 5th grade too early for the Dark is Rising series?

[indywind]

No, MHO Dark is Rising is really tame for issues, the reading level is appropriate... only problem is they're totally inconsistent with their Arthuriana, and the boy is the hero, the sister sort of an add-on.

[maryavatar]

I've got three kids aged between 10 and 15, and by checking out the horribly damaged sections of the bookcases - these are the best authors:

Jacqueline Wilson
Terry Pratchett
Christopher Paolini
Lemony Snicket
Philip Pullman
Eoin Colfer
J.K. Rowling
Louise Rennison
C.S. Lewis
Garth Nix
Roald Dahl
Andre Norton
Anne McCaffrey

I can't rate the newer books, but I grew up on a steady diet of C.S. Lewis and Andre Norton.

[writerlibrarian]

The wonderful, wonderful Abarat by Clive Barker. He wrote this so his daughter could read something he wrote.

http://www.clivebarker.info/youngabarat.html

[lee_rowan]

My baby sister read Lord of the Rings at about that age. Somehow I don't think your kid would have trouble with the unusual words.

[libitina]

I don't know why no one is reccing the Barsoom Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I think I was reading them at that age, and you need something to be horrified about in later years. (yes, tongue firmly in cheek)

[maire]

I was reading them too then. I think I'd be happier recommending the Lensman books by E. E. 'Doc' Smith, though.