Anything by Sara Shepard, the Pretty Little Liars series is good but it’s about 16 books long so it might be worth starting them on one of her other series to see if they like her writing 🙂
Ones that have done well in my library: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Lockwood and Company series (if they like scary) The Night Gardener by Auxier York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Thank you so much everyone. I have such a hard time finding something for my 12-year-old daughter who reads at a 10th grade level but really isn’t ready for many of the subject matters dealt with in YA. She is so attracted to stories about relationships between girls but so many of them involve sexual scenarios that Are really beyond what she should be reading right now.
Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider books are popular with children of around that age, my no.2 son liked them when he was 12. If a girl, might enjoy the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter.set in a school for girl spies. Great fun.
My son recommends The Great Brain series and the Encyclopedia Brown series. He read both when he was 12 (now 46 and still remembers them fondly so probably a good bet)
Anything by Sara Shepard, the Pretty Little Liars series is good but it’s about 16 books long so it might be worth starting them on one of her other series to see if they like her writing 🙂
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Good for boy or girl, it won the Newbery Prize. I loved it as an adult.
Isabelle Allende’s YA series is good..
I love her!
The Three Investigators!
Series is called Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators. Older but oh so good!
Loved them as a kid, and they still hold up – oddly, don’t seem to see them in bookshops any more though?
@Steven I’ve found a few in thrift stores. They used to sell for big money on eBay. Haven’t looked lately.
Yeah, I got the first thirty on eBay for an amazing price! I’m sure if they were re-released, kids would still like them.
Half Magic by Edward Eager
Nancy Drew. Classic
Ones that have done well in my library:
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Lockwood and Company series (if they like scary)
The Night Gardener by Auxier
York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby
London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Hardy Boys??
Thank you so much everyone. I have such a hard time finding something for my 12-year-old daughter who reads at a 10th grade level but really isn’t ready for many of the subject matters dealt with in YA. She is so attracted to stories about relationships between girls but so many of them involve sexual scenarios that Are really beyond what she should be reading right now.
I was reading Agatha Christie by the time I was twelve. I love Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Ooh!! I’m totally with you on Agatha Christie. Started reading at 10 or 11, fun and appropriate.
The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Privileges?
These aren’t mysteries, but two I remember reading at her age were “The Pink Dress” and “Trillium Hill”. If still in publication?
The more “recent sweet valley high” books sounds lame but I loved those books as a kid
Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider books are popular with children of around that age, my no.2 son liked them when he was 12. If a girl, might enjoy the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter.set in a school for girl spies. Great fun.
All Sherlock Holmes.
The Westing Game, Nancy Drew, Friday Barnes ?
Yes! To Westing Game.
@Paula my all-time favorite book!
Blue Balliett mysteries — Calder Game, Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3
Masterpiece by Broach
My son recommends The Great Brain series and the Encyclopedia Brown series. He read both when he was 12 (now 46 and still remembers them fondly so probably a good bet)