Book recommendation for 11 year old girl?

I’m Christmas shopping for my niece at the moment, and I’m not inspired by her wish list. Specifically the books, she asked for Junie B Jones and Judy Moody. Looking at the Amazon descriptions, the reading level seems a little low for her age (11), as she’s a pretty smart kid.

Anyone have recommendations for some good books for girls age 11-14? Thanks.

People Might Hear You. Some Judy Blume. Also try Gordon Korman- hilarious.

Based on the books she wants, I’d recommend the <i>Alice</i> series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The first book in the series is <i>The Agony of Alice</i>. While the plot is about the fairly comic adventures of a 6th grader, the writing is quite good.

<i>Love From Your Friend, Hannah</i>, by Mindy Warshaw Skosky, is also pretty good. This one takes place in the 1930s, and is told in the form of letters from Hannah to various people she knows, and in some cases, doesn’t know at all (like President Roosevelt).

Two of my favorites are ‘Holes’ and ‘Ella Enchanted.’

Depends on her reading level, though.

If she hasn’t read the Harry Potter series, these are excellent–but I expect she has.

Silver Wing and Sun Wing are a fun series about some sentient bats.

The Wayside School books (Way side School, Way side School is Falling Down, Way side School gets a little stranger) are very funny stories about a school built vertically instead of horizontally.

If she’s an advanced reader and likes fantasy, Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall series (Dragon Singer, Dragon Song, Dragon Drums) are good for pre-teens. The balance of McCaffrey’s books are definitely early high school.

I’d suggest the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman.

How about where the Red Fern Grows

Great bookt with tons of hidden messeges and even teachings on growing up, coming of age and death. Wonderful book.

Agree with Fewl, His Dark Materials would be a good choice.

Also any book for kids by Dianna Wynn Jones. One of my favorites is Archer’s Goon.

I agree with Hazel, Diana Wynn Jones is excellent.
Also the Hobbit, if she hasn’t read it. LOTR itself if she is an advanced reader. Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy (+one) or CS Lewis’s Narnia books.

Junie B. Jones and Judy Moody are good books, but you’re right, those are quite young for an eleven year old.

I recommend Elizabeth Enright’s Four Story Mistake, and its sequels, which I loved at that age. Also, anything by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, especially The Egypt Game, or Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series. You can get that one in a boxed set, so that might be convenient. It might be a little older (the characters are 14), but I also loved loved loved Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl.

Lloyd Alexander wrote a five book series that I’m not sure is still in print. Disney did a version that combined the first two books. They are (1)The Book of Three, (2)The Black Cauldron, (3)The Castle of Llyr, (4)Taran Wanderer, (5)The High King These are works of heroic fantasy, rooted somewhat in the Celtic traditions. I started reading them at about the age your niece is now. Try them if you can get them.

“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”

I hope you caught the reference.

I’d like to agree with His Dark Materials. Bridge to Terabitia is a good book (warning though: it’s the saddest book in the world) as is Jacob Have I Loved by the same author (Katherine Paterson?). I started reading Anne McCaffrey at her age. The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper is a goo choice as well. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer is a really good book too, and I think it’s at the right reading level.

My 11-year-old loves the Lord of The Rings trilogy, and the Hobbit, et. al. She has read and re-read them numerous times.

If you think that is above her reading level, try the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events and the Edith Nesbit books–Five Children and It, etc.

Another vote for Harry Potter.

Vote number 3 for Harry.

Since I haven’t r…no wait, I have - I reccomend just about any (and all) roald dahl books.

(I was going to say I haven’t read any childrens books other than HP but then I remembered - I used to be a children. I mainly read roald dahl when I was a children)

The Belgariad by David Eddings.

If she’s into that genre.

Tamora Pierce has several excellent series’ out:
*Song of the Lioness Series:
Alanna the first Adventure
In the Hand of the Goddess
The Woman who rides like a Man
Lioness Rampant

The Immortals:
Wild Magic
Wolf Speaker
Emperor Mage
In the Realms of the Gods

Protector of the Small:
First Test
Page
Squire
Lady Knight*

Those three are her Tortallan series - there are two additional series (one is not yet complete)

Circle of Magic
Sandry’s Book
Tris’ Book
Daja’s Book
Briar’s Book
The Circle Opens
(same kids as the first series, a little older)
Magic Steps
Street Mage
Cold Fire
Shatterglass
(not yet published)
All of them are excellent, but if you went with some of the Tortallan books, I might get all of the Immortals books - they’re all available in paperback. The Protector of the Small ones are also excellent, but the last one is only available in hardcover so far.
I also agree with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but I think it might be a little too advanced for her, at least for the next 2-3 years.

You might try “Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh. It’s about a girl who spies on her friends and neighbors and writes her thoughts about them in her notebook. Trouble arises when her friends get ahold of the notebook and find out what she’s been saying behind their backs.

“The Wolves of Willoughby Chase” by Joan Aiken is also pretty good. It involves a couple children in 19th century England whose evil cousin is planning to take over the family estate by murdering their parents and sending them to an orphanage.

Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time series.