Good books for bad girls?

December 1, 2007 7:59 AM

Can someone give me a book recommendation for a 12 year old girl?

I know there was a similar question posed here before but the age range was a little younger (9-10 year olds). I'd like to get my 12 year old niece some books this Christmas. She's a reader and is extremely bright. I know she likes the Harry Potter books, she's read them all. But the genre doesn't have to stay in fantasy (unless that's what 12 year old girls like).

Could you folks guide me to something suitable for her? Thank you.

posted by cazoo to sports, hobbies, & recreation (47 comments total)

His Dark Materials Trilogy
posted by BobbyDigital at 8:01 AM on December 1, 2007 [2 favorites]

More recommendations than you could ever want.
posted by frobozz at 8:04 AM on December 1, 2007

Elsewhere
posted by mozhet at 8:10 AM on December 1, 2007

The Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve (aka Hungry City Chronicles in the US) is brilliant. Here's the opening line from the first book:

It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea.

It is fantasy, I suppose, but not in the magic/dragons sense, more in the post-apocalyptic sense. It's certainly in the right age range, it has some great adventures and heroes, and it's won a bevy of awards. I wrote a review of the series a few days ago, in fact.
posted by adrianhon at 8:13 AM on December 1, 2007

At that age, I very much enjoyed The Green Knowe series, the Edward Eager books, the Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander, and of course The Chronicles of Narnia.
posted by ubiquity at 8:25 AM on December 1, 2007

Seconding the "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman.
posted by Camel of Space at 8:28 AM on December 1, 2007

My 12-year-old daughter is reading Nancy Drew and Goosebumps.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:30 AM on December 1, 2007

At that age I was totally into all the Anne of Green Gables books. Somewhat dated but still pretty timeless.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:49 AM on December 1, 2007

For the gazillionth time, I'll reccomend the Anastasia Krupnik books for girls this age. They are not fantasy - story of an adolescent girl being her quirky self.

I heartily third His Dark Materials, because they are WONDERFUL books and have a strong female protagonist. I find them to be a slightly more challenging and subtle story than Potter, and for that reason (though I love Potter) infinitely better.
posted by bunnycup at 8:56 AM on December 1, 2007

If she liked Harry Potter, she would probably also like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. They're clever, fun, and full of all sorts of references to mythology. My cousin, who is the same age as your niece, just finished the first book in the series (The Lightning Thief) and she absolutely loved it.
posted by biscuitsticks at 9:02 AM on December 1, 2007

There are a lot of really great books for young adults out there right now, and there are also quite a few not-so-great books.

• The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is a recommendation I have to second. Indeed, do buy these books for your niece before she sees the movie! The books, in case you can't find a boxed set are in this order: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Their protagonist is a young girl named Lyra, quite intelligent and full of spunk and adventure. The reading level is a bit more difficult than Harry Potter.

• Libba Bray has also written a fun trilogy, not quite as advanced as either Rowling's or Pullman's, but definitely right for a reader around twelve or thirteen years old. The first two books are A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels; the third, The Sweet Far Thing, will be released this month. Early 20th century Britain, a young woman finds she has magical powers while she is at boarding school. There's a bit of romance, a lot of girl bonding, and quite a few worries about family and finances, class differences, etc.

• There is nothing wrong with the classics. Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess and The Secret Garden are technically a bit young for a twelve-year-old, but I love to read them anyway.

• Meg Cabot has, in addition to all her Princess Diaries and other YA books, written three fantastic adult tomes that are most definitely chick lit. They've got Cabot's usual Midwestern restraint when it comes to sex, cursing, etc. and are definitely not too racy for a young woman. The first of these three is The Boy Next Door, followed by Boy Meets Girl and Every Boy's Got One. If you're considering anything at all fluffy, I'd go for these over novels of the Gossip Girl variety any day. Oddly, though they are not YA, they are less racy. And the writing is better.

• Ned Vizzini is a fantastic YA writer; though his protagonists are male, I think his writing would resonate with girls as well as with boys. His first book, Be More Chill, is about an uncool boy who takes a pill that turns him cool. Antics ensue. His second novel, which is better but more serious, is about a boy who suffers from depression and goes into a mental hospital. Vizzini manages to touch all the teen angst nerves while retaining a fantastic sense of humor.

• Ah! Lest I forget, LM Montgomery is perfect for a twelve-year-old reader. Yes, her works are a bit dated, but do this: Start your niece out by buying her the films: Anne of Green Gables, and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel. Do NOT buy The Continuing Story, which is not based on the books. Along with these films, which your niece can watch first, buy the first three books in Montgomery's seris: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island. As a smart young woman, she should be able to handle all three of those wonderful tomes.

• Also a bit dated, but never out of style, is the Tillerman Cycle by Cynthia Voigt. In the first book, Homecoming, Dicey Tillerman walks her younger brothers and sister from Connecticut to Maryland in search of a grandmother. The second novel, Dicey's Song, is an improvement on the first as it shows the foursome settling into their new home and learning to deal with the loss of their mother. I don't think these books are at all too young for a girl your niece's age, nor are they too old. There are seven in all.

Sorry for the super-long comment. I'm a bit of a YA enthusiast and used to review YA books for a living, so this is one of my passions. Good luck!
posted by brina at 9:03 AM on December 1, 2007

Oh, and Meg Cabot's most recent YA book, Jinx, is also fantastic. It's about a girl from Iowa who moves to New York City to live with her aunt and uncle at the end of her sophomore year of high school. People call her Jinx because all sorts of ridiculous things happen when she's around. She thinks she's cursed, but she has in actuality inherited the ability of witchcraft. This isn't so much fantasy as it is straight YA with a fantastic twist. I've read all of Cabot's books, YA and adult, and I have to say this is by far her best YA work yet.
posted by brina at 9:08 AM on December 1, 2007

Hmmm, I'm a fan of Harriet The Spy, as is my daughter (11), but maybe out of date/2 young. She also liked Caroline Lawrence's books set in Ancient Rome.
posted by londongeezer at 9:09 AM on December 1, 2007

My 13 yo daughter has read hundreds of books in her life. His Dark Materials is her unquestioned favourite. There's a reason that this book gets so much mention.
posted by Neiltupper at 9:27 AM on December 1, 2007

These are all pretty great recommendations. I love the Anastasia Krupnik books!

I'd add the Kiki Strike books, which are newer. I read the first one and enjoyed it, and several of my friends who are into YA literature rave about Kiki.

I might have to poke around with my librarian/writer/teacher buddies to get more recs, but in the meantime here's a list of 2007's Best Books for Young Adults nominations. None of which I've read, but it might be a good jumping off point.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:27 AM on December 1, 2007

Nothing wrong with a little Pratchett at this point I think and of course Douglas Adams. I would also have adored His Dark Materials and the Mortal Engines books at that age (as I do now).
I totally loved Rumer Goddens The Peacock Spring around that age, I believe ti was classed as a young adult book then, and was also a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Sophies World could be interesting for her as well, not read it myself, but I know people who did around that age.
posted by Iteki at 9:35 AM on December 1, 2007

There are several books that I read when I was younger that I still love. A few...

Nthing Anne of Green Gables

Wise Child and Juniper by Monica Furlong

Libby on Wednesday and The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Little Women

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce

and of course, anything Madeleine L'Engel
posted by yogurtisgenocide at 9:51 AM on December 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Nthing His Dark Materials. It was mentioned in the other thread, but Garth Nix's Sabriel and the other books in the Abhorsen Trilogy are also quite good.
posted by Nelsormensch at 9:53 AM on December 1, 2007

The Dark is Rising.
posted by tuffbunny at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2007

This springs to mind because I reread it recently, and was instantly transported back to my obsessive love for the book during childhood: Watership Down. I think I got into it a little younger - around 9? - but it would be good for a 12-year-old. (There is some violence and scary bits - rabbits fight hard!)

It's talking bunnies, sure, but it's talking bunnies on an epic adventure.

(Bigwig! Sigh!)
posted by hilatron at 10:01 AM on December 1, 2007

so many great recommendations - you can't go wrong with most of these. I'd like to add The Westing Game (which appears in one of the linked threads, but not here), and Cheaper By The Dozen and Belles On Their Toes (awful Steve Martin movie adaptations not to be even countenanced).

And if her reading level is high enough, 12 is possibly old enough to try some novels that are not traditionally considered to be children's books. it depends on her parents' comfort level.
posted by dropkick queen at 10:15 AM on December 1, 2007

ACK! Seconding dropkick queen re: The Westing Game, that's a fantastic book and I remember loving it at your niece's age. I was just coming in to recommend it myself.
posted by brain cloud at 10:43 AM on December 1, 2007

I'd think that she might be right at the point to start on Scott Westerfeld's 'Uglies/Pretties/Specials' Trilogy (but now there's a fourth, 'Extras', so I guess it's tetraology?). If not, keep them in mind for the next year or two.
posted by pupdog at 10:47 AM on December 1, 2007

my favorite book at aged 12 (and still one of my favorites) was Catherine Called Birdy. Great book for a smart girl.
posted by buka at 10:51 AM on December 1, 2007

i'll second Tamora Pierce. the 13 yr old in my house sounds a lot like yours, and she loves her books.
posted by RedEmma at 11:19 AM on December 1, 2007

I want to emphasize The Dark is Rising and the Abhorsen Trilogy, as mentioned by Nelsormensch and tuffbunny, because they are both good. The first series I read and enjoyed as a 12-year-old girl, the second as a 24-year-old girl.

I love them both.
posted by that girl at 11:24 AM on December 1, 2007

And of course there's The Daring Book For Girls.
posted by tkolar at 11:33 AM on December 1, 2007

People have mentioned Anne of Green Gables books a lot but L.M. Montgomery wrote other books too. The Emily series is my favorite:

Emily of New Moon (1923)
Emily Climbs (1925)
Emily's Quest(1927)

This series is a little darker than the Anne series, and each one has a paranormal incident in it. I found I could relate to her much better than Anne.
posted by Melsky at 11:52 AM on December 1, 2007

Seconding the Abhorsen set, and she might be a bit old, but Roald Dahl is delightfully dark and misanthropic.
posted by daveqat at 12:13 PM on December 1, 2007

I'm seconding the Kiki Strike books and thirding (or whatever) the Westing Game--I just finished the second Kiki Strike book and I would have loved them when I was 12, and the Westing Game is still one of my all-time favorites.
posted by leesh at 12:24 PM on December 1, 2007

Seconding the Daring Book for Girls. My 12yo can't get enough of it.

Also, Christopher Paolini's two books: Eragon and The Eldest. Similar fantasy vein as the H.P., with more dragons!
posted by SuperSquirrel at 1:24 PM on December 1, 2007

Most people seem to be concentrating on fairly current books, so here are some oldies from my own childhood. At that age I loved:

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E L Konigsburg

The Diamond in the Window and its sequel The Swing in the Summerhouse by Jane Langton, although I somehow missed the rest of the series.

The Whirling Shapes by Joan North seems to be a collector's item, based on its price on Amazon, but if you come across a cheap copy, snap it up. It seriously creeped me out (in a deliciously scary way).

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster has clever wordplay galore pitched just about right for readers that age.

Drujienna's Harp by Ellen Kindt McKenzie. When I was 12 I truly believed Drujienna's Harp was better than The Lord of the Rings. I know better now, don't hurt me.
posted by Quietgal at 1:24 PM on December 1, 2007

So many great books here! To add...

For fantasy, I loved Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series at that age.

Paula Danziger's The Cat Ate My Gymsuit was another favourite, and would be great for someone with a burgeoning interest in social justice and activism. Her other books are good too, but may be for someone a little older. I recommend The Pistachio Prescription and Can You Sue Your Parents For Malpractice.
posted by goo at 1:37 PM on December 1, 2007

And some Australian favourites:

Ruth Park's Playing Beatie Bow is a fantastic time-switching story set in the modern day and in colonial Sydney. Wonderful.

Libby Gleeson's Eleanor, Elizabeth is another time switcher, this time because a young girl finds her grandmother's diary. Also excellent.

I also loved John Wyndham's Chocky (English), about a young boy who befriends a far superior alien life form.
posted by goo at 1:46 PM on December 1, 2007

Seconding much of the above: Mixed Up Files, Westing Game, Phantom Tollbooth, Cheaper by the Dozen, Tamora Pierce's Lioness series, Dark is Rising, Madeleine L'Engle, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams for the goofy sense of humor.

A few more in the same vein, a little more science fictionny:
books by H.M. Hoover (a woman author; writes about girl-boy teams having to fight their way out of science fiction situations - just the kind of thing you're looking for, I think. The Delikon, This Time of Darkness, Children of Morrow, and Shepherd Moon are ones I remember liking.)
books by Katharine Patterson (she has a few woman warrior books set in ancient China - Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom, and some contemporary girl-in-school books which might skew just a bit younger)
books by William Sleator (more than half of the questions on here that begin with "help me remember this book I loved when I was 12" are William Sleator books) - Green Futures of Tycho or Into the Dream were ones I loved.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:47 PM on December 1, 2007

The Once and Future King (boy focused) and The Mists of Avalon (girl focused) might be good picks if she's an advanced reader with good attention span and like Arthurian legends.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:49 PM on December 1, 2007

The Wild Magic series by Tamora Pierce. I loved them at that age... and, well, still do.
posted by you're a kitty! at 1:58 PM on December 1, 2007

(Though, there are dirty parts in Mists of Avalon. I remember it being very popular at summer camp partly for that reason. Similarly, Clan of the Cave Bear series books -- recommended in another thread on this topic -- have sex stuff. The first one has a very short rape scene and the subsequent ones have increasingly detailed sex scenes. Just FYI.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:00 PM on December 1, 2007

I'm giving "The Daring Book For Girls" as mentioned in this thread to a nine-year old due in a large part because one of the authors is a MeFi regular. However, I can't bring myself to wrap the thing yet because I keep flipping through it -- it's quite good! There's a huge range of topics and I thoroughly enjoyed the section on women pirates as well as a lot of the other topics. There is, for instance, a section on basic finance including a discussion of compounding interest just after a part about clapping and rhyming games. So, good stuff for kids as well as a pretty nostalgic read for adults. I'm hoping it'll be something that she continues to flip through as she gets older and finds different things to interest her.
posted by amanda at 3:00 PM on December 1, 2007

Another one I just remembered:

Math Doesn't Suck, by Danica McKellar

My daughter loves this book and we bought an extra copy for her math teacher, who loves it too.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 3:50 PM on December 1, 2007

A Girl From Yamhill by Beverly Cleary is very absorbing, and perfect for her age.
posted by gatchaman at 3:58 PM on December 1, 2007

Seconding Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Douglas Adams (I loved loved loved Hitchhikers' at that age), and also adding Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens.
posted by rhinny at 4:19 PM on December 1, 2007

Wow, thanks for all your recommendations. You guys rock!
posted by cazoo at 6:38 PM on December 1, 2007

I loved, loved, loved the "Roswell" and "Everworld" series. It was great because they were short, but I could always go get another one when I wanted to read.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 8:59 PM on December 1, 2007

There are so many wonderful choices, but I just finished Princess Academy by Shannon Hale and can not recommend it highly enough, and Gail Carson Levine's books Ella Enchanted and Fairest are also wonderful. And I'm amazed no one has mentioned Diana Wynne Jones- her books are a must for Harry Potter fans.
posted by smoakes at 1:20 PM on December 2, 2007

I loved Robin McKinley at that age, especially The Blue Sword and The Outlaws of Sherwood.
posted by Violet Hour at 4:01 AM on December 3, 2007

One good way to get recommendations is at a library - my local library has a big list of 'What to read when you finish Harry Potter', and if you google that or similar phrases, you get the online versions from a ton of libraries, and they're usually very well thought out, full of high-quality books.
posted by jacalata at 3:32 AM on December 5, 2007