I, being a 12 year old girl, highly recomend the Jerry Spinelli books. Loser and Stargirl being very high on my faveroite list. Also check out something as simple as the Harry Potter Series. I recomend the book The Westing Game By: Ellen Raskin as another good read for a 10 year old.

Larklight A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space a fun sci-fi Victorian pirate adventure featuring a brother-sister team. It is the first in a series.

The Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy I loved this sweet story, a bit reminiscent of LITTLE WOMEN in that it's about sisters. The oldest is twelve and has her first crush, so it's not too "kiddie" but is still really innocent and fun. There is also a sequel.

If she likes things that are a bit "old fashioned" but still well-loved consider Noel Streatfeld's books, starting with Ballet Shoes which is a classic

Does she like historical fiction? I remember liking the Ann Rinaldi books when I was in my early teens, and then you can include a bit of history, too! ;-p (I was homeschooled, so I know the benefits of combining subjects, haha!) There is some romance but I remember it being pretty tame. My favorite was Time Enough for Drums They may be a bit old for her yet, though.

Also consider the DEAR AMERICA books by various authors. These are historical fiction, young girls writing "diaries" about their era in history and what goes on in their lives. I think this is the right age group for you!

The Mysterious Benedict Society was fun, a bit of a mystery. There is a sequel but I haven't read it yet.

Of course, I cannot recommend enough the Harry Potter books. Also, anything by Louisa May Alcott or L M Montgomery although I did not get into them myself until I was twelve. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are also fabulous but you've no doubt heard of them already. They are a nice alternative to the more "commercialized" things like American Girl if you are trying to stay away from taht, though I've heard they are also good.

Happy Reading!!! :-)

If she likes Sci Fi series, I recommend The Merchant of Death, which is the beginning of the Pendragon series. My middle school students - both boys and girls - eat these up! The tenth(and I think final) book in the series comes out in May.

Kelly,

Some recommendations for escapist reading.
Lisa Shearin's Magic Lost, Trouble Found and then the sequel Armed and Magical

No sex. Hunky wicked goblins. Witty female (elf) narrator.

Historical, sexy distraction
Distracting the Duchess by Emily Bryan

Short stories on the theme of magic shoes, the pulling on of which changes a heroine's personality.
These Boots Were Made For Stomping and the companion volume These Boots Were Made for Strutting.

Escape to outer space, Linnea Sinclair's Games of Command (or Shades of Dark)

Escape to the wild west with a match-making mule for a narrator


Young adult, dragon shapeshifter: Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Valde

Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry

My 9 year old son and I just read FOUND by Haddox. Its the 1st in a series. The 3 main kids are 2 boys and 1 girl. Very Good.
And I agree with the Maximum Ride series.

Hi everyone, I haven't visited in a while ... I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. We read a lot, so it is always nice to discover something new and fresh. I have taken note of many of your pics (the ones she hasn't read thusfar) and will be including as many as I can in her Xmas stocking.

Thanks again.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTION. IF YOU THINK OF ANYMORE LET ME KNOW. HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY.

Yeah, I was, sorry I forgot to mention the name. If you really want a fast read, you can try something by David Baldacci.

If you were responding to my post Atishay. Thanks

I read the Anne of Green Gables series at 10 and loved it. It's a great series with heart and definitely G compared to Gossip Girl and the like. And the writing is definitely more challenging than AG. Just an idea...

Oh, nevermind, I just read your post again and you said she's over AG! Whoops!

How about the Fablehaven series or the Spiderwick Chronicles?

Lorena, I'd vote for anything by Sharon Creech or Gail Carson Levine.

Also, maybe you don't want to get hooked on American Girl stuff, but the books are fantastic, perfect for a 10 year old, full of history! Plus I'd highly recommend any of the self help AG books, subjects like friends, siblings, her changing body. The AG magazine is incredible too. Can you tell I like American Girl?? I've loved them for my daughter! Check out the AG website.

I'd say Lord of the Rings. Nothing better to stretch your imagination. :)

Hi Everyone,
I am fairly new and dont know if this the proper place to ask for suggestions but here goes. I am really down in the dumps and would love anyone to recommend a book or books that would get my mind off my problems. Im open to suggestions. Thanks Kelly

Oh and Christopher Pike books--I read a lot of his books and was particularly fond of his The Last Vampire series. They're all really short, easy reads.

I loved The Giver too--it's one of the few books that really made an impact on me when I was still very young. And Walk Two Moons although I'd forgotten about it until recently. I don't remember it well, but I recall enjoying it at that age. The same goes with Jacob Have I Loved. I was really into the Redwall series as a child, but the first one wasn't my favorite one. (I read them all out of order.) I read the Shiloh books too, because I was a sucker for animals. If I'd known about it then, I would've read Watership Down, but I didn't read it until I was fifteen or so.

Most 11 year old s like animals has she heard of the Redwall series by Brian Jaques?Redwall Most of the ones I have read are good , but not sure about how old you wouls have to be to read them ?

I love The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. The first one in the series of five books is The Dark Is Rising

The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is intended for middle graders. I got the series on clearance on a recommendation from a friend, but haven't yet had time to read it. The Amulet of Samarkand is the first one.

Has she read Harriet the Spy? I recall loving that one at about that age.

Liz said: These are old, but if she's into horses, Marguerite Henry's books are the best!

Oh, I'd forgotten her name! I loved those books and read each one a million times (was a re-reader from a very early age).

Lorena, that's great! I love her for being like that!!!!! Hope you find her great books.

The ten book series by Robert Jordan, 'Wheel of Time'. I haven't read it but all of them but the reviews are good.

My ten year old granddaughter has enjoyed the Haddix series that begins with Among the Hidden.
This series deals with the futuristic society that forbids any family from having more than two children. HOWEVER, there are forbidden third children who live their lives in secret and fear. There are twists and turns to the plots in each book.

Leppaluoto,

I just looked up The Royal Diaries and they look great! What a fun series! I will have to mention them to my daughter. They have everyone...not to mention the obvious Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette as princesses.

Lorena, I keep thinking of more books for your list. Freak, the Mighty and Max, the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick are excellent. A movie was made of Freak, the Mighty with Sharon Stone - it's really good too.

Also, have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? He's a Spanish writer and he has also written several YA books. Unfortunately for me they have not been translated to English yet. I have one called El Principe De La Niebla that I'm using to learn to read Spanish. I've seen his un-translated books in several bookstores (even in West-By-God-Virginia) and you can find them on Amazon.

Okay, I have about 20 more books, but I'll stop now

Guys this is great, thanks. I wish I had asked this earlier, now her wish-list is almost as long as mine!

This is making me want to go and read some serious YA literature.

Don't forget Madeleine L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time" Series. That got me through my pre-teen years!

ok, i have two boys, so this might not be quite what a ten year old girl should be reading, but I read Pretty Freakin Scary with my 10 year old son, and it was really cute and funny. It takes place in a town where it is illegal to ask any questions. Period. and the main story follows a young boy who is dead in the underworld but manages to get the powers-that-be to reanimate him for a chance at true love. He comes back to life, (accompanied by a shapeshifter, and a little girl monster that is in love with him), goes back home to his parents, and resumes going to school to reignite his lost loves flame.... Its quite funny, and an interesting premise. Imagine if you lived in a society where you cannot ask questions. Everything is just accepted as is. It is part one of a three part series....

I feel weird suggesting it, like i will be judged as a sicko parent, but its really not a nasty story. Its quite comic-book-ish in the way it is written but really entertaining... I would have eaten this up as a young reader had it been available to me at the time :)

These are old, but if she's into horses, Marguerite Henry's books are the best! I also like "Lemony Snicket".

i agree with maximum ride i really dont remember books from my youth but the hatchet sticks out in my mind it was a great book dont remember the author sorry and of course little harry potter!!!lol

Stargirl. Stargirl and Stargirl. That's all I can say. And Stargirl is homeschooled too!

Thank you all, I am planning a trip with her to the used book store on Monday and wanted to have a list of ideas, these all sound great!

Our homeschool program is heavily based on reading, so we read an insane amount of history/geography based books that are award winners, but we take a two week break from school every six weeks (instead of the 2 months summer break that the public system has) and in that week and at night she has leisure reading, and that is where we sometimes run out of ideas, so thanks guys for the suggestions. I will tell you what we were able to find on Monday ... ;o)

Sherry - That sounds great. I will have to check that book out with my fourteen-year-old.

I just talked to my daughter and she would like to add Here Today by Ann M Martin and the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.

Does she appreciate art work?I received the most fabulous book at Christmas called The Arrival.It tells the story of a man who leaves his family and immigrates to a new country where everything is alien and so completely foriegn.Along his travels he meets other immigrants who tell their stories about why they left their countries.
The interesting twist though is that the whole story is told by the most fantastic artwork.
There is no writing whatsoever,yet it enhances the sense of isolation and foreigness that the man experiences.It puts you in his world and allows you to experience it with him.
Much of the artwork is made to look like old snapshots so all of it is in black and white which adds depth to the story being told.
I could sit for hours looking at this gorgeous book and each time I open it I see some new thing I had missed before.

I know this isn't a series or perhaps what you were expecting in the way of a recommendation but it is the kind of book that even adults(maybe especially adults)would enjoy.All my kids (though the youngest is 17)were mesmerized by this book.If your child appreciates art this is a wonderful choice.

Lorena - That is such a great question. Ten is a tough age for young readers. Many of them have hit the point where the children's literature is too juvenile but the young adult section is WAY too dramatic/young adult themed.

If she's a bit of a drama queen, you will see probably see a pull toward the Clique series followed by Gossip Girl at which point you will long for the days when she read Hannah Montana. Mine is fourteen and has moved from Clique to Gossip Girl and I hate it. I just keep telling myself, "at least she is reading". Luckily, her school forces her to read Maus and To Kill a Mockingbird, etc, and she enjoys them.

When my daughter was ten, a few of the books that she enjoyed were:
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Love that Dog by Sharon Creech
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Jerry Spinelli books are great for that age
Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton (only the first was really good)
If she likes fantasy like Inkheart, Ender's Game is a good one, the Golden Compass trilogy, the Narnia books

A good rule of thumb is to look for books that have the Newberry award. They tend to be good books, generate discussion if you read aloud with her, and they are age appropriate.

Good luck!

Lorena, I would suggest the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. My god-son loves this series and begged me to read them when he was ten. I have to admit, I really enjoyed them. The story is about a group of kids who were kidnapped by the "school" that did horrible experiments and turned the kids into half human half bird beings. Sounds far-fetched, I know, but I got hooked. Many of my reluctant readers at school love this series and will fight over them. Sometimes they get overwhelmed by the size of the book, but I point out the 2 page chapters so they give it try. The books also help with vocabulary development as well - always a plus :-)

Hi, I am looking for a good book to give as a present for my 10 year old and don't know what to get her, she likes series but is not into what most of her friends her age are into -she is over the American Girl and Nancy Drew series, and refuses to read anything with Hannah Montana on the cover (thank God), doesn't find them challenging and just gets plain bored.

She's enjoyed the Inkheart series (I know I'm a horrible mother this is meant for teenagers), and would like to get hooked into another series.

Thanks you all!