Books for a 12 year old girly girl?

[GoC]

I want to buy a book for my 12-year old sister. She's a lovely girl but currently isn't much of a thinker or given to imagination, and is a gluttonous consumer of Disney merchandise (Jonas Brothers, Hanna Montana, princesses, ect.)...:smallfrown:
I kind of want her to get into reading to help her round out a bit...

Note: If you don't think I should get a book then feel free to suggest alternatives (though keep it under 30 GBP/50 USD please).

EDIT: A few words to describe her: Energetic, confident, affectionate, brave and adventurous, flighty, not yet really into boys (though I expect that'll change very soon), playful, social.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Princess Bride
The Hobbit
A Brief History of Time

[Lioness]

May seem a little obvious, but Twilight?

Otherwise...Princess Diaries, How to Ditch Your Fairy (and the others in the series), and other teen-type books like that.

[GoC]

Princess Bride
The Hobbit
A Brief History of Time
:smallannoyed:
I doubt she'd read any of those except for The Hobbit.


May seem a little obvious, but Twilight?
My mother said "No.". She hates it more than most of the posters here...


Otherwise...Princess Diaries, How to Ditch Your Fairy (and the others in the series), and other teen-type books like that.
Thanks, I'll look into these.

[Hadessniper]

I've heard really good things about 13 Little Blue Envelopes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Little_Blue_Envelopes) by Maureen Johnson.

[ghost_warlock]

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching trilogy:

The Wee Free Men (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_Free_Men)
A Hat Full of Sky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Hat_Full_of_Sky)
Wintersmith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersmith)

Written for 'young readers' but quite enjoyable for older readers, too.

[snoopy13a]

Make sure to get books that she'd like and not books that you'd like her to like.

[GoC]

snoopy13a: Exactly.


Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching trilogy:

The Wee Free Men (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_Free_Men)
A Hat Full of Sky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Hat_Full_of_Sky)
Wintersmith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersmith)

Written for 'young readers' but quite enjoyable for older readers, too.

My parents are conservative Christians. Books about witches may be ritually burned.

[lostlittlebear]

How about Neil Gaiman's Stardust? Sure there are witches but they are universally bad and get their just desserts.

Or NARNIA - Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe seems perfect :smallbiggrin:

And it's a biblical allegory to boot!

[bluewind95]

I second the Narnia suggestion. Christian allegory or no... those are very beautiful books, and very easy to read.

[Ormagoden]

Third on Narnia, Those books should be included in the development of every child.

Get her away from that Disney drivel and give her something thought provoking.

Also no one mentioned disc world and Terry Pratchett! For SHAME!

[Hadessniper]

I think it's important to remember he said she is a girly girl. I know my girly girl cousin wouldn't have read Pratchett or Narnia if you paid her, not at that age anyway.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

My parents are conservative Christians. Books about witches may be ritually burned.
That's my mom in a nutshell. Even she bought me Narnia at that age, so I say go for it.


What's funny is my Dad is the exact opposite. He's Christian, but he's the D&D in college playing, fantasy reading, lover of all things magical type.

[Hardcore]

The books of Astrid Lindgren perhaps? Pippi Longstockings, Ronia the Robber's Daughter? The Brothers Lionheart? Emil i Lönneberga? I don't know if the English translations have disney like illustrations or the original which are so very good. (I hope for the later as I have seen what Disney did in the animated Pippi Longstockings)

If you want your sister to be anything else than a walking stereotype (a terrible fate really) when older you should help her by showing her stuff that show strong girls, or women, that are not passive objects. Pippi and Ronia for example.
Books about princesses, waiting for the prince, is completely wrong to give her.

[Ponce]

Alice in Wonderland?

[Corlindale]

I assume Harry Potter is a no-go as well, then? :smallsmile:

I second Narnia. I read and enjoyed them for the first time at about that age - incidentally, I was completely oblivious to all of the religious allegories at the time, though perhaps it might be different for people with a very Christian upbringing.

Astrid Lindgren is definately awesome too, I'm not sure how well known she is outside of Scandinavia, but most of her books are fantastic for children.

Neil Gaiman might be good too. Both Coraline and The Graveyard Book are well suitable for children - but once again I'm not sure how the parents will feel about them. The Graveyard Book does feature a witch and quite a few undeads (who are even nice people!), so maybe not...

[Neko Toast]

My parents are conservative Christians. Books about witches may be ritually burned.

Unless the book turns her into a newt, I don't think they have much to worry about.

[bluewind95]

I think it's important to remember he said she is a girly girl. I know my girly girl cousin wouldn't have read Pratchett or Narnia if you paid her, not at that age anyway.

Fortunately, this generation has several quite-successful movies about those books. That might actually change her attitude towards reading them. You know... reading something more trendy than some "obscure" book.

[Don Julio Anejo]

The Redwall series? Don't know how they work with the whole "girly girl" thing though.

[Pocketa]

As a 16-year-old-girly-girl...

My suggestions:

Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series.

It's set in a future cyberprep version of Earth, where at age 16, everyone is turned from an Ugly (somebody who isn't attractive) to a Pretty (somebody that is, according to social norms). However, is that all the operation does? A group of renegades hopes to uncover the truth!

It spans 3 books, they're probably around her reading level. I would just give her one in case she hates it.

If her parents allow her to read it, "The Lovely Bones", but I'm not sure she ought to read it just because it's about someone her age. There are some "rather mature" themes in it.

[FoE]

My parents are conservative Christians. Books about witches may be ritually burned.

Y'know, that sort of information would be helpful a lot sooner.

"Hey guys, suggest something for me to eat for lunch."
"Pizza."
"Hamburgers."
"Fish and chips."
"All those suggestions are great. Except I'm actually an alien in disguise and I vomit up 95 per cent of your Earth food in the form of an acidic sludge. What are your other suggestions?"

I hate to break it to you, GoC, but if your sister ain't much of a reader by 12, she's not going to be. Not unless she decides to pick it up on her own.

[Hazkali]

Hmm, if she isn't a particularly strong reader then Enid Blyton's famous series (Famous Five, Malory Towers, St Clares etc) might be okay. They're fairly safe, black-n-white stories although they're a little dated (and British).

Otherwise I n-th the Redwall books. They've got a good moral centre without being religious in the way that the Chronicles of Narnia are, don't have anything particularly objectionable in them and are quite exciting.

[Pocketa]

My suggestions are pretty conservative.

Also, here's a thought:

Take her to the book store with you.

or.

Get her a craft book. One of those Klutz kits to make friendship bracelets or something. Make sure it matches her age though.

[SMEE]

During my time as a 12 years old, Jurassic Park was a big hit.

You should consider it. The plot is very enjoyable and it has dinosaurs!!!

:smallbiggrin:

[Knaight]

Alan Dean Foster might have some stuff, if she is into animals. Although, to prevent the confusion that arose last time I was advising Alan Dean Foster, despite some title similarities, he is not George R. R. Martin. Do not, for any reason, give her A Song of Ice and Fire. Fevre Dream is pushing it.

[Ormagoden]

I think it's important to remember he said she is a girly girl. I know my girly girl cousin wouldn't have read Pratchett or Narnia if you paid her, not at that age anyway.

Not every girly girl is your cousin

[GoC]

Just so everyone knows: She's already read the entire Narnia series (which also happens to be 70% of the books she's read) and she quite liked them.

Thanks for the suggestions.:smallsmile:

[Innis Cabal]

Again, that'd have been great to know alot sooner then now...

[Dragonrider]

Most of my favorite childhood books include magic - Lloyd Alexander, Diana Wynne Jones, Robin McKinley. But here's some stuff . . . .

When I was about that age and a girly girl, I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series - there are nine books (Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, The First Four Years) (there are also a bunch of made-to-make-money books "about" her mother, grandmother, etc., but they're crappy). The original nine, though, are incredibly well-written and, yeah, old-fashioned, but if she's the kind of girl who likes that (it's hard to know because there's more than one kind of girly girl), that might be good. I got into them when I was about six, so they're not exactly tough reads, but I still sometimes re-read because I like them.

There's also Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which aren't so much about magic as about twisting fairytales - Dealing With Dragons, Searching For Dragons, Calling On Dragons, and Talking to Dragons.

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah is really good young adult fiction about a Muslim girl. Though this one's good, I'd be careful of anything labeled "YA", though, because I know at twelve I was easily capable of reading them but the whole tone of most and the subject matter (sex, alcohol, other dark stuff) was waaaay more than I wanted to deal with.

Anything by Sharon Creech, particularly The Wanderer, Walk Two Moons, and Bloomability are about girls around her age and are really good.

Karen Cushman also writes for that age group. Historical fiction - The Midwife's Apprentice, Catherine Called Birdy

Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running Out of Time is about a girl who escapes from a social experiment that's killing people and tries to find someone to help her.



The last three are probably your best bet.

[Lioness]

Yeah, a lot of these books I wouldn't pick for a girly girl.

Perhaps some Jacqueline Wilson?

Or go to the bookshop, into the YA section, and have a browse around, or perhaps ask the shop attendants.

[Pigkappa]

:smallannoyed:
I doubt she'd read any of those except for The Hobbit.


If she'd read The Hobbit, that would be a good choice IMHO.



My parents are conservative Christians. Books about witches may be ritually burned.

That's even hard to believe in the third millennium @_@.


If she someway knows what D&D is (which would be kinda strange for a 12 years old girl...), she might like Dungeon Crawling Fools.

[Galileo]

Jacqueline Wilson is a brilliant idea. My 13-year old sister's pretty girly, and she loves them. I quite like them myself, she's an excellent writer.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are good if you're after a strong female lead, like Hardcore suggested. Sure, there's a princess who gets captured by a dragon, but she hunts down the dragon then insists on it taking her captive.

[Lioness]

Our English teacher tried to get a class of 14 year old girly girls to read the Hobbit (which may have been my fault...), and none of them would touch it. It was 'too boring', which basically meant that they didn't find it interesting or relevant.

[Firestar27]

I'd recommend anything by Tamora Pierce. Specifically, the Circle of Magic series (starting with Sandry's Book, US title). It has four protagonists, all of them her age, three of them girls, so it might help her relate a bit more. It's very well written, has a nice plot, and it's just a good series overall.
Although the protagonists cast magic spells. That might be a problem from what you said earlier. (But they never call themselves witches, I think, except for one part where Sandry calls herself a "stitch witch", which is just a nickname for someone who uses thread magic ((quite literally, it's just magic that controls threads)), but they aren't actually "witches", per se.)

[THAC0]

I started reading McCaffrey's Harper Trilogy when I was that age.

[Deepblue706]

The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Tales

[blackfox]

If the parents would really flip about any book with anything resembling magic or witches in it, then both the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and Tamora Pierce are bad ideas. Also, for a girly girl, I doubt she'd like the latter series.

[Dracomorph]

Our English teacher tried to get a class of 14 year old girly girls to read the Hobbit (which may have been my fault...), and none of them would touch it. It was 'too boring', which basically meant that they didn't find it interesting or relevant.

That was my experience with The Hobbit as a 15-year-old nerdy boy. I never understood what the fuss was about; Tolkien's writing style just kept throwing me out of the story. I actually enjoyed the Silmarillion more, a few years later, since I understood the whole mythical approach better.

Seconding Anne McCaffrey's Harper trilogy, definitely. The action in those is consistently interesting, and the characters are likable. And you don't have to read a ton of other Pern books to understand what's going on.

[wxdruid]

If she likes cats, give her a few Warriors (http://www.tatteredcover.com/book/9780060525507) books. My daughter is 11 and she really enjoys reading them. I think they were the first 'long' chapter books she read.

[Alarra]

Let's see....when I was a 12 year old, girly girl, i was very big into everything by Lurlene McDaniel, also...the sweet valley twins/high, babysitters club (although those are not books I would buy for someone now) The Lurlene ones yes. Very good, and not about fantasy or witches.

[Froogleyboy]

The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Tales

um . . . plz tell me thats a joke. I mean, I love Cthulu as much as the next guy but . . . for a 12 year old girly girl?

[Dragonrider]

I'd recommend anything by Tamora Pierce. Specifically, the Circle of Magic series (starting with Sandry's Book, US title). It has four protagonists, all of them her age, three of them girls, so it might help her relate a bit more. It's very well written, has a nice plot, and it's just a good series overall.
Although the protagonists cast magic spells. That might be a problem from what you said earlier. (But they never call themselves witches, I think, except for one part where Sandry calls herself a "stitch witch", which is just a nickname for someone who uses thread magic ((quite literally, it's just magic that controls threads)), but they aren't actually "witches", per se.)

Ummm . . . when I was a twelve-year-old girl, I hated Tamora Pierce. Still am not a big fan, but . . . Circle of Magic is okay. But.

There's a sex scene in the second Lioness Rampant book, too. :smalltongue: I remember because my mum and i read it together when I was nine and boy did that spawn some awkward conversations. :smallamused:

[Lioness]

Tamora Pierce is awesome, but she doesn't fit the girly girl crowd. I guess the girly books I'm thinking of are usually based in high schools, and are trashy romances, or deal with teen dramas. They're certainly not good reading, but they interest the less academic girls.

However, if you were going to go for Tamora Pierce, I'd recommend the Protector of the Small series first (First Test, Page, Squire, Lady Knight), then Alanna, then Wildmagic. The Circle of Magic is good, but I don't really see them as a) being as good as the others, and b) as interesting at the beginning. If you're going to get her a book that is perhaps not her usual thing, or even if she's not much of a reader, you want something that will grab her interest.

I don't reckon the sex scene is that much of a big deal...thankfully I didn't have a parent over my shoulder, but I think I was 10? Maybe 9. I just read it, shrugged, and kept going.

[Blas_de_Lezo]

Neverending story. Of course.:smalltongue:

[Lord Loss]

I'm going to second Warriors here. It's about cats and the author is working on the 19th Book as we speak! So she'll have a lot to read if she likes it. The series kind of dies somewhere in the middle of the second series (Books 7-12), but 12 year olds will still love it.

[blackseven]

Clearly, War and Peace and Crime and Punishment.

Seriously, if she's more of the typical girly-girl of my middle school years, I'd have to "recommend" going to the book store and asking what the contemporary equivalents of "Sweet Valley High" and "The Babysitter's Club." I think they tried to reboot Nancy Drew a couple years ago too.

[Dragonrider]

Series like "Warriors", "Lionboy", and "Artemis Fowl" (the last of these three is far and away the best) seem like they're more directed towards boys than girly girls . . . .


When I was twelve I LOVED the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy by Kate Constable, but it's fantasy. So are the Dragon Chronicles by Susan Fletcher, The Goose Girl and its sequels by Shannon Hale . . .

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, though? That might be good.


I have to add that "girly girl" doesn't mean "doesn't like strong female characters". I know I was a girly girl who hated any female character who didn't stand up for herself.



I don't reckon the sex scene is that much of a big deal...thankfully I didn't have a parent over my shoulder, but I think I was 10? Maybe 9. I just read it, shrugged, and kept going.

I don't remember it very well, because I didn't even know what it WAS (YES, I knew what sex was, but I didn't connect that to whatever happened in the book:smalltongue:) till my mum told me. According to her, there was some coercion involved that made it much worse. But I dunno. I just find most of Tamora Pierce's characters a little irritating.

[pendell]

Just so everyone knows: She's already read the entire Narnia series (which also happens to be 70% of the books she's read) and she quite liked them.

Thanks for the suggestions.:smallsmile:

How about A Wrinkle In Time, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and related books? They are also heavily Christian influenced yet also fantastic.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Force]

I second the Warriors/Redwall/Artemis Fowl nominations. As an ex-mod on Warriors Wish-- arguably the largest Warriors forum-- I assure you, the Warriors series has MUCH more appeal to the female demographic then the male :P

[Frozen_Feet]

The last three books might be a bit heavy to read, but I suggest the Earthsea series by Ursula LeQuin. I partially second the Artemis Fowl series, but I agree it really isn't very girly.

[Zeful]

I'd suggest a combination of suggestions. Get her three or four books of the kind blackseven suggested, and then put in a book like the Hobbit, or the first Circle of Magic book and see how she responds.

[Dragonrider]

The last three books might be a bit heavy to read, but I suggest the Earthsea series by Ursula LeQuin. I partially second the Artemis Fowl series, but I agree it really isn't very girly.

Only if she likes high fantasy. I liked Tombs of Atuan, but at twelve (when I read it) Wizard of Earthsea was a BEAR to get through. It felt pretty overwritten at the time (I don't know how I'd feel now since I haven't reread it).

[Telonius]

She liked Narnia, and her parents are conservative Christians ...

Seems like an obvious candidate for "The Screwtape Letters." Possibly "Pilgrim's Regress" as well.

[13_CBS]

She liked Narnia, and her parents are conservative Christians ...

Seems like an obvious candidate for "The Screwtape Letters." Possibly "Pilgrim's Regress" as well.

The Screwtape Letters may be a little dense for her, since it's a tale about CS Lewis' thoughts on Christian theology told through letters by a Devil. There's...a plot, but it's less obvious that narrative novels like the Narnia series, and I think you're really supposed to read it more for the theological matters than anything else. So unless GoC's sister plans on becoming a minister...

[Telonius]

Well, I'm judging by me, as well - I'm the crazy kid who was actually reading that kind of stuff at 12. :smallbiggrin: (Though the fact that I had two priests in the family probably had something to do with that).

[Hadessniper]

If she was a year or two older I would suggest The Hunger Games (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games).

[13_CBS]

Well, I'm judging by me, as well - I'm the crazy kid who was actually reading that kind of stuff at 12. :smallbiggrin: (Though the fact that I had two priests in the family probably had something to do with that).

Perhaps, but unless GoC has given us a mistaken impression of his sister, it's highly unlikely that she'll be interested in profound theological matters. Her parents might like it if they agree with Lewis' ideas on Christian theology and morality, but she herself will probably not enjoy the book very much.

It may be worth a try, though, FOR SCIENCE.

[GoC]

Thanks for the help everyone!
Sadly, I couldn't find many of the recommendations and eventually just got her A Hat Full of Sky and The Luxe (at the recommendation of the bookstore clerk:smallsigh: I'm so weak-willed:smallfrown:).

[reorith]

she'd probably get a kick out of fight club.

[Sky-Moon]

Anne of Green Gables.

I read it long ago when I was 12 (Read: A year ago). And it's the only book I've decided to buy.
And if you're really cheap, you could always download the book for free online :smallsmile:
The fact that I'm a 13 year-old Asian boy is really insubstantial. I hope.

[Serpentine]

Repeating what some above have said, and contrary to what one or two have, I strongly recommend Tamora Pierce's books, especially the Tortall ones. Personally (and I claim DeeRee's already well-readedness as the cause of her being an exception :smalltongue:) I think every teen and preteen girl should read them. They have (all in my opinion):
Strong female characters.
Reasonably realistic characters (including not-strong females).
Fun stories.
Beasts and monsters and fantasy and magic (generally little in the way of "witches", per se).
Romance.
Touches on important issues like sexism and racism. Also (and this could be a mark against it) sex before marriage and contraception, though mostly just in passing (and the "sex scenes" are very mild. "And then sex happened" would be, from my distant memory, about the gist of it).
Um... what else do girly-girls like? Anyway, personally, I think there's a good chance she'd like them (exception notwithstanding :smalltongue:) and I think every girl should read them.
Unless the book turns her into a newt, I don't think they have much to worry about.It's alright, she'll get better.