Book recommendation for 12 year old girl

I think about that age my dad got me The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper, which I loved. I was very into Anne books but I suspect that might have been earlier? Hard to remember back through the mists of time.

I think at that age I was reading Judy Blume's books - I liked Tiger Eyes and Deenie in particular. I also loved Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, but I think I was younger when I first read that, and I was slightly older when I read Forever.

I was also reading The Babysitters Club series and Sweet Valley High because they were popular, I'm sure they're not so cool these days.

What about some of Meg Cabot's young adult books or the Gossip Girl novels?

Edit: Having just looked up a synopsis of the first Gossip Girl novel, it may not be suitable for a 12 year old.

It's hard to remember isn't it?

I think she might think she's a bit too cool for fantasy. Since I met her as a precocious but cute 5 year old, she's turned into a hair tossing glamourpuss with an adoring entourage - frankly I'm a bit threatened by her?

My daughter asked for this box set for her 12th birthday this month

£9.99 at The Book People

We have got this for our daughter

https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_126817_100_500020__category_

She also asked for this set, but I decided to get the other one. I just read about this one and it's being made into a film soon.

Beat me to it

Scary - I am completely terrified of this type of teenager ?

Amazon is utterly rubbish, suggesting that the Secret Seven books are suitable for 12-16 year olds. I think not!

Depends what sort of girl she is, but are there some classics that might work? Little Women? Jeeves and Wooster? A Bronte of some description?

Actually, I think if he wants to be super cool he should get her something to grow into - though obviously not something parents would completely disapprove of like The Pearl ?

Snap! ?

I loved the idea of the Gossip Girl books, but her mum would almost certainly disapprove. Amazon threw up these which look interesting. Ummm.... I think some classics might work, but I think Brontes are a bt much at 12 albeit a bright 12. I read Jane Eyre at 17 and I thought that was about right, mind you I also read A Suitable Boy at 15 (all 1400 pages!), missed the point entirely of To Kill A Mockinbird at 11, and thought Pride and Prejudice was boring at 14 (and I love it now!). I find it so hard to remember.

? everyone - I know she read the Princess Diaries books a couple of years back.

At the moment I'm thinking Sophie's World, and Charlotte Sometimes. Maybe The Chrysalids, too.

Thanks all.

You're right about Brontes of course - I must have been thinking of Jane Eyre as Wuthering Heights and the others are definitely too adult. I was much younger than 17 when I read JE and I definitely enjoyed it, but on a very different level from when I read it as an adult. I didn't get Austen until I was much older.

Mind you, Barnes and Noble is suggesting the Bell Jar ?

What about the 'non-Dark Materials' Philip Pullman novels? I picked up a few at a boot sale recently and they look really good (although obviously I am not 12?) - think I got Tiger in the Well, Ruby in the Smoke, Shadow in the North, and er er something else.

Yes, the Bell Jar. Why didn't I think of that???

The Amazon reviews are cracking me up - so sweet, so earnest. I'm very relieved that the internet wasn't around when I was a teenager - I am squirming at the thought of some of my "erudite" teenage book reviews living on some website for ever and ever....

Weird coincidence -0 I just put Ruby in the Smoke in my Amazon basket. I LOVED that one.

I adored this when i was around that age

i basically read anything i could get my hands on

i remember this being another fav ?

I'd prefer to buy books - I have the time to decide and if I think hard enough I know I'll come up with three that she'll really enjoy.

PMSL at Lace ?

Yeah. Lace, Savages and Sidney Sheldon's If Tomorrow Comes*. That's what I was reading furtively under the covers at twelve.?

*Tracy Whitey is on top of the world. Young, beautiful, intelligent, she is about to marry into wealth and glamour - until, betrayed by her own innocence, she finds herself in prison, framed by a ruthless mafia gang and abandoned by the man she loves. Beaten and broken, but surviving with her dazzling ingenuity, Tracy emerges from her savage ordeal - determined to avenge those who have destroyed her life. Her thirst for revenge takes her from New Orleans to London, from Paris to Madrid and Amsterdam. Tracy is playing for the highest stakes in a deadly game. Only one man can challenge her - he's handsome, persuasive and every bit as daring. Only one man can stop her - an evil genius whose only hope of salvation is in Tracy's destruction!

Actually - forget the books - introduce her to the most sublime lezza crush via the medium of phoebe cates <swoon>

Don't forget 'Flowers in the Attic' ?

My 13 year old has asked for this for christmas - The fisrt book was a film earlier in the year - the full set (8 books) is £8.99 with the book people.

I was obsessed with Judy Blume books at this age. I was far from a hair-tossing whatnot though ?

Ellie is 12 and reads a lot of adult stuff, but they all went to see Angus thongs and perfect snogging and most of them are now reading the book. It seems a cool book for cool 12 year olds?

Ive been thinking about getting these for our daughter too

do you think they would be ok for a 10 yr old or are they a bit too adult

We also got her these which she loved

https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_121333_100_48107__category_

Frizzball-I think Eliie would have like them at 10, they seem pretty easy to read and I think they're more about growing up and being a girl.

Thanks titchbunny

We have got all her christmas books now but will put them on her birthday list

At around that age I think I was reading a lot of American teen fiction, following Judy Blume there was Paula Danziger (The cat ate my gym suit, There's a bat in Bunk five, this place has no atmosphere, can you sue your parents for malpractice, etc) and as series of books about 4 sisters, one of them was called phoebe and one was called cassie - the books were named after the main character in each case. Then there were the point horror books, the first ones were just being published around then. I liked "the lifeguard" quite a lot I think ?. Lois Duncan was another favourite author - stranger with my face, the eyes of Karen connors, don't look behind you.

Have you got time to go to a real bookshop and browse? I'm amazed and heartened by how many fab looking books there are for teenagers now, not just the names that we might immediately think of. I think it's almost a shame to default to the ones which we read and enjoyed - I can't imagine how creaky and old the depictions of teen life in Judy Blume would sound to a cool 12 year old now ?

Or, you could appoint me as your proxy book-searcher, and thus I could justify an afternoon of browsing as it would be Very Important Work.