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

[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.