That would have been my recommendation as well - it’s a good coming of age story and I don’t remember any particularly skeevy bits.
I think Carrie is the best start- especially for a teenage girl. I was a little older when I got into Stephen King- my first was Misery but *Carrie * is what hooked me.
I would give her “The Mist”.
It can be easily found as a thin, stand alone book.
I really think the premise of the book would be very interesting to a 12 year old of either sex…
Also consider one of King’s book of short stories. “Night Shift” would be a good start.
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The Eyes of the Dragon was the first Stephen King book I read, but I wasn’t as young as 12, just 9 or 10 at the most. By 12 I was enjoying It, having already read Fire Starter and I believe The Shining.
I probably was 14 before I read The Talisman but I think it’s a good contender too because Jack Sawyer is only 12 himself, which should appeal to her.
I think Carrie would be an absolutely horrid place to start, unless she is completely secure about herself, has no angst or personal issues, and never feels unsure socially. Carrie did not make me feel the love as a teen.
Cujo is hard for animal lovers. Depends on her sensitivities.
I would actually vote Shining or The Stand.
Eyes of the Dragon would be good but isn’t horror in case that matters.
I like Different Seasons. It’s 4 novellas, one of which was the basis for the movie “Stand By Me” and another was the basis for “Shawshank Redemption”.
I don’t really like anything he did past It…
But if she’s “vehemently anti-fantasy” I’d skip The Talisman, as the other world has a queen, magic, and basically a medieval fantasy universe.
I’d recommend either Night Shift or Skeleton Crew. Then if she enjoys it, isn’t too freaked out, and is ready to delve into something longer, maybe Salem’s Lot or Pet Semetary.
I dunno–I think it’s a rare teen who fits that tall order. I think part of why Carrie resonated–and continues to resonate–with readers and viewers is that almost everyone, no matter how seemingly confident, can relate.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon would be my first choice; 11/22/63 my second (I don’t remember any adult issues). From a Buick 8 is not that great a book, but wouldn’t be inappropriate.
Emphasis added. Sheriff in the men’s room at the country bar where the protagonist is roped into involuntary servitude and the threats invoking him. Most Stephen King has skeevy bits :D. You gotta step carefully if you want to avoid them all.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is definitely more young reader-friendly and is also reasonably short. There is a little bit involving involuntary excretory issues, but nothing a 12 year old probably hasn’t already experienced and actually pretty realistic in context. I happen to like it, but I know a number of folks who are kinda meh about it.
Skeleton Crew at least has the story The Raft - teen(?) sex transitioning right into some truly serious unpleasantness. Both great collections though with some really disturbing/frightening stories even absent sex scenes. I always found Gramma in particular to be seriously creepy. In a good way.
The Shining also opens a chapter where Wendy and Jack are post coital, Jack asleep, and Wendy enjoying the feel of Jack’s semen running down her legs while she ruminates on her life. OK, then.
OTOH, there are very few King books I would worry about for my 13yo daughter - skeevy bits are a fact of life.
If you want to do classic King, Pet Semetary is where I would start (if she likes horror), Different Seasons for teen angst and characters and more “real world” stories, and The Cell, for what 12yo girl would not be entertained by a story where a cell phone call brings down humanity?
I remember attempting to read Eyes of the Dragon when I was 8 or 9 and learning that King really enjoyed describing the penises of characters. I don’t think I read any of his kiddie sex, small penis monster, or cum in pants chronic masturbator stories until I was 10 or 11, though.
When I was a kid my favorite King books were actually the stories from The Bachman Books, but they might not appeal to a teen girl.
Exactly- even kids that do seem to have had it easy in school probably had a few instances where they had an embarrassing incident or had other kids pick on them. It’s those experiences that make Carrie so real and compelling. And …for a kid like me that was picked on a lot at some points in my life- it gave me a sense that my experience was not unique and that someone had survived the same thing and lived to write about it.
another vote for Night Shift.
I would start with a collection of short stories, Nightmares And Dreamscapes, say. If I had to choose a novel, the aforementioned Firestarter is a great one. Carrie, Christine, or roll the dice with The Gunslinger.
I had forgotten about *Firestarter *- she might like that!
Of course my husband pointed out that her self-described taste in books is “depressing things and epidemics,” so The Stand might be for her. Maybe I’d get it on the Kindle so she doesn’t get freaked out by how long it is.
The Talisman is great, but it’s long, it’s fantasy-ish, and the big thing is I just finished cancer treatment - not sure I want to go for the “mom’s dying of cancer” maguffin right now.
I’m leaning toward getting her a novel as well as Night Shift. That’s got “Jerusalem’s Lot,” “The Boogeyman,” “I am the Doorway,” and “Strawberry Spring.” So much great stuff!
*The Talisman *is one of my favorites, and the one I am starting my daughter on, but I also told her the first twenty pages or so drag.
What about Low Men in Yellow Coats?
My thoughts exactly.