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Looking for good books for my 13 year old

GA_Beach_Bum

New Member
OK hey y'all. New here, and I need some help.

I have a 13 year old who has finally decided to read as much as I'd like her to. For a long time, I held off on letting her read the Twilight series, because I thought it would be too adult for her, but then I let her read it and she got 75 pages into it and quit. :lol: Got bored with it.

She has fallen in love with the Hollow series by Jessica Verday. She's burned through both books in less than a week, which is a HUGE accomplishment for her. Anyone know of any other books similar to this?

I don't mind so much mild language, because she hears that every day. Very harsh language is a no-no, though, and sex is a definite no-no.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Hmmm, what about the Hunger Games trilogy. No sex or language but it does have violence and some dark themes. The heroine of the story is a teenage girl.

I would MUCH rather my daughter read it than Twilight. :)
 
Thanks, Bob. I actually was googling "YA books" yesterday and came across the Hunger trilogy. I read a bit of it to her and she shook her head. :lol:

She's not a huge fan of sci-fi. Don't know why. Her Dad loves it, and I take it on a case-by-case basis.
 
Late on the draw here but check out Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I'd link you to the amazon description page but I'm not sure it's allowed.

I'm not familiar with the books you mentioned in your request so I'm not sure if it's in any way similar to the books mentioned but it was a good book.
 
I think she would like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It has some fantasy aspects because it deals with Greek gods/goddesses but it has some great characters, well-done but not dumb romance, and it is fast paced. The Harry Potter series also does "young person romance" really well in my opinion, in the last few books.
I hated the Twilight series. A book I read that reminded me a bit of it but wasn't terrible was City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. I read a review of the Hollow series and it too made me think of City of Ashes.
When I was a teenager I LOVED Alice Hoffman. Her books have a bit of magic, romance, realness, and are very well written. Most of the adult ones will probably not be ok for your daughter for a few years but she has some YA books that I haven't read yet.
It is fantasy but she should give the Inkworld series by Cornelia Funke a try. I'm almost 30 and I got wrapped up in the romance parts of it! It also has great action and is very smart.
Markus Zusak is probably too much for her now but in a few years she'll love him.
 
I started reading the Skulduggery Pleasant series when I was 12 (my brother started when he was 10) and funnily enough the heroine was only two days older than myself. So as the books have developed a deeper meaning and grown, so have I.
There is no swearing (unless if you classify bloody as swearing) and sex, but it does have violence and some of the 'monsters' they face are quite scary.
 
Here are a lot of books I think any reader would like. No sex or violent language in these books, I don't think.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Wonderful books, although it degenerates at the end.
Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke. These start out for a younger audience, but grow darker at the last book.
Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. Very good books, give them a try.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. An amazing author and an amazing book.
 
My vote would go for Hunger Games...at least the first book. The second is a repeat of the first in essence and the Third is way different. Third book is okay.
Also, if your daughter likes strange stories or video games have her try Vivian Vande Veld's Heir Apparent. It's about a girl who gets caught up in a video game and needs to beat it to get out. I remember loving that one.

My favorite fantasy is The Cry of the Icemark about a 13 year old princess who needs to make strange alliances to save her tiny kingdom from being sucked into the huge Polypontian Empire. It's a good underdog story.

My own book Ashlynn's Dreams would be appropriate for a 13 year old too. The main character is a 12 year old who gets kidnapped becuase she's genetically altered to shape a person's dream. The kidnappers are really the scientists who designed her gene code. They need to train her in the dream shaping skill so she can help with a task.

I'm old school, I loved the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books as a kid, but I'm not sure how much the older books would appeal to a young audience today just for sheer disconnect fact. No cell phones, no internet, etc in the very early books. Though my favorites were the supermysteries anyway...there they had cell phones...but certainly not iphones. Keep us posted on how your daughter does.
 
I know this thread is old, but in case the OP has subscribed to it and might like more suggestions, here is a link to the best source for good YA literature. YRCA breaks the books down into categories by age so you can find something age appropriate and you can find winners from past years as well as this years current nominees. A great way to find authors your kids will enjoy.
 
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