My younger daughter (age 12), a self-identified dracophile, agrees with most of the books named and would like to suggest Robert Aspirin’s “Myth” series because of the character of Gleep.
That’s true, but I feel like Rawn’s situations are less appropriate than Rowling’s, having read both. Rowling’s situations of death and torture are painful, but don’t have the edge that Rawn’s does.
Specifically, I’m thinking about when
the male lead is kidnapped and raped by his archenemy’s daughter. He later rapes (sort of) her, and beats the crap out of her while doing so. On top of that, when his wife (the female lead) figures out where he is, she tries to rescue him, and is captured by this woman. Eventually evil daughter turns them loose in the desert to die, they survive, then come back and kidnap her most recent baby (fathered by the male lead) and burn the castle to the ground with her in it.
I just wonder if that’s the sort of thing that’s okay for “younger teen”, generally. I think I read it around 16yo.
Oh, Gleep! I’d forgotten about him. Yes, that’s a good one.
How old is this girl? Barbara Hambly’s Dragonsbane is centered around a woman who is mated (she’s a magician, and magicians are forbidden to marry) to the only man who’s ever killed a dragon in the current era. Another character, also a mage, is the King’s or Emperor’s (can’t remember which) mistress. If Sal’s daughter is mature enough to handle such things, I would recommend this book. The dragon isn’t a good guy here, but neither is he totally the bad guy. He’s a dragon, doing things for his own draconic purposes and reasons.
I do not recommend the later books in this universe to youngsters. They were hard enough for me go get through. Hambly was going through a very rough time when she wrote them.
Tamora Pierce is that much darker than earlier fantasy? In The Neverending Story
Bastian stabs his best friend, Xayide gets trampled to death, and a bunch of other really bad stuff I can’t remember happens. Actually, now that I think about it, what Aerin goes through in The Hero and the Crown is pretty darn intense.
jayjay you LEGEND! I’ve had this book in the back of my mind for about ten years now, and I couldn’t remember enough about it to do a search. AND you’ve provided an amazon link. Bless you.
You know what’s funny about that? For the longest time I had it in the back of my mind and couldn’t remember the details! I read it for the first time when I was in something like 5th grade and didn’t refind it until I’d graduated high school. It seems to be one of those books that sleeps under the surface once you’ve read it…you can’t quite remember the particulars, but the themes and broad outlines never, ever leave you.
Another vote for the Pit Dragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen.
I read those books when I was 12 or 13, though they’re pretty easy reading I found the stories enjoyable.
I also really enjoyed the Dragonlance series already mentioned. Lots of memorable characters and there are a TON of the books to go through. You can find them pretty commonly at used bookstores for cheap.
I actually read King’s “Eyes of the Dragon” when I was in elementary school. I don’t know if it was just my age, but I found it mostly forgettable. None of the characters really made an impression on me, and it was kind of boring.
Seconded, as are a lot on this list.
Gleeeeeeeep! 
He’s not really derivative in a bad way, especially if you like all of those influences. 
Maybe ‘synthetic’ would be a better way to describe his books, as in synthesis of different elements. He’s combining ingredients from all of those in a fresh new way.
(little more description of how he’s borrowing from all of the above, if anyone cares:)
McCaffrey-Pern: A lot of the stuff about dragons’ imprinting at birth with their riders and having a mental link with them for their lifetimes, what it’s like flying on a dragon and having to feed them. Paolini’s dragons don’t go between or anything though.
LeGuin-Earthsea: Most of Paolini’s magic stuff seems to come from here - the need for inner strength, knowing the words of the ‘one true language’ and picking them up one at a time, phrasing them correctly. Most species being unable to lie in the true speech, except for one who are especially comfortable with it and able to twist its truth to deception.
Tolkien-middle earth: The quiet hamlet off on the edge of the world, an ocean of peace where the story begins. An evil emporer-like warlord ruling armies of men and fierce humanoid monsters. Beautiful, tall sylvan elves with pointed ears and rugged hearty stout dwarves.
Lucas-star wars: A lot of the storyline elements… hero growing up with an uncle, knowing very little about his parents, suddenly getting the key to a great adventure dropped into his lap. His adoptive family being killed while he is off on a journey. An order of noble peacekeepers guarding an ancient golden age, slaughtered and ruined by the dark side of their own power, and by treachery from within their own ranks. Possibly some other stuff I’m not thinking of at the moment.
For those who were curious, my daughter is eight. So she’s advanced reading-level wise, but more mature content may not be appropriate. I think Anne McCaffrey may be a good start.
Thanks again to everyone.
Do consider also getting her Dragonology Ernest Drake, Dugald Steer and The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson. Maybe for the Winter Holidays, whichever one(s) you celebrate? They are good “referance” books for a dracophile’s collection, and nice to look over again and again. (The illustrations in Dragonology are excellent.) Also, I’m gonna nudge you again and point you towards the Enchanted Forest chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. Take a look at the book descriptions, they are nice reads for adults but right on her level right now, she can relate to the heroine. I put links to the books in a previous post.
Hmmmm, I think that she’s probably too young for Dragonsbane then. You might want to read it yourself and see how you feel about it. She would probably LOVE the Earthsea books. I first read them when I was about nine or ten, and they’re good enough that I still reread them on occasi
I also recommend just about anything written by Diana Wynne Jones. Offhand, I can’t think of any books that she’s written about dragons, but most of her books are very good for younger readers…and older readers, too. She lives in England, and many of her books are a bit hard to find in the US, but many times libraries will have them. My daughter is dyslexic, and I used to read to her every night. Finally, when she got to be around 13, I told her that she needed to read the rest of a book for herselr. The book was written by Jones, though I don’t remember which one. Lisa hated reading, though she loved stories, and she wanted to find out the rest of the story so badly that she picked up the book and struggled through it. Then she asked for another like it. Now she’s an avid reader, and she managed a used book store for several years. She took that job because of the benefits…that is, she could borrow a book from the store and read it and return it.
I’m glad your daughter loves to read so early, and I’m glad you’re encouraging her.
I’d start with the Harper Hall series, if she’s eight. Dragonflight has some adult content.
Farseer Quintiliagos are evolved dinosaurs, not dragons.
I think a main aspect of the story will be too intense.
The Female Quintiliago lays eight eggs per clutch. This would create a problem with overpopulation unless some kind of control was put into place, so Blood Priests herd them into a corral where he EATS SEVEN OF THEM. The eighth one is the one which has the speed and endurance to survive…thus making the individual and the race stronger. This early childhood trauma causes permanent post traumatic stress disorder and manifests itself as extreme territoriality…get too close and a Quint will go into a mindless killer rage.
Seconding King’s The Eyes of the Dragon. Excellent, excellent book - I love it. Dragons don’t feature much in the story, however - there’s only one, and aside from the title, it’s secondary to the main story. Definitely not a “dragon as hero” type story at all.
The dragon’s hunted and killed, and becomes a trophy. But it is mentioned that the hunter must be an excellent hunter and noble to bring down such a beast.
Although dragons are secondary to the story, did I mention how excellent this book is? It’s an excellent fairy tale that I think would captivate your daughter (captivates me, still). And yeah, it’s Stephen King, but there’s no horror.
I’d put it near the top of the list of the best books he’s written.