# Book suggestions for teenage girls **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467 "2017-12-14T02:16:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/21 "2017-12-14T20:04:18Z")
I was reading adult literature when I was a teenager, there not being much young adult fiction published in the 1970s. I read a lot of bestsellers (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Love Story, The Thorn Birds) and a lot of junk (Jacqueline Susann, Sidney Sheldon) but I did get my hands on some decent books. I few that I enjoyed were — Roots (the miniseries aired when I was around 13 or 14); Sophie’s Choice The Godfather Ragtime Watership Down The World According to Garp Interview with the Vampire Carrie (and numerous other and subsequent Stephen King) I also read The Exoricist, but certainly YMMV on that one. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/22 "2017-12-14T20:11:13Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Is there a Roy Moore biograpghy? > > :: D&R :: No, this isn’t funny, at all. This is a thread about books for young women/girls and it’s a gross and shitty thing to say. Do you pay attention to the news at all? Don’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/23 "2017-12-14T21:10:03Z")
For the older girl: The Winner’s Trilogy, by Marie Rutkoski, starting with _The Winner’s Curse_. All three books are quite good, with a main character who is actually very smart, if flawed. The first in the Great Library series by Rachel Caine, _Ink and Bone_. I haven’t read further in the series yet, so I can’t say if it will hold up, but I think this has a lot to offer a Harry Potter fan, though it is for an older reader. The Denton Little duology, by Lance Rubin, starting with _Denton Little’s Deathdate_. Very very funny fantasy/sf that is perfect for older teens. And for more traditional fantasy, The Cursed Kingdoms trilogy by Emily Gee, starting with _The Sentinel Mage_. For the younger girl: The Tillerman Cycle, by Cynthia Voigt, starting with _Homecoming_. _I Capture the Castle_, by Dodie Smith. A great classic epistolary novel. And the related The Montmaray Journals, by Michelle Cooper, starting with _A Brief History of Montmaray_. It’s about a fictional kingdom during WWII. Really good, I think, for people who are interested in history. The Ruby Oliver books by E. Lockhart, starting with _The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver_. Just a spectacular series for younger teens that explores dating, friendship, families, and school. Seconding Uprooted and the Lockwood & Company novels, too. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/24 "2017-12-14T22:31:22Z")
Allow me to once again suggest the [**Skulduggery Pleasant**](http://www.amazon.com/Skulduggery-Pleasant-Scepter-Ancients-ebook/dp/B003VIWNSU/) series by Derek Landy. Potter-like, in that they involve a young person learning that there is a hidden world of magic; un-Potter-like, in that the protagonist is a girl, is the companion to a detective who is an animated skeleton, and gets in loads and loads of fights, sometimes losing quite badly. Set in Ireland, loads of humor. I seriously cannot recommend this series highly enough. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/25 "2017-12-14T22:48:02Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Allow me to once again suggest the [**Skulduggery Pleasant**](http://www.amazon.com/Skulduggery-Pleasant-Scepter-Ancients-ebook/dp/B003VIWNSU/) series by Derek Landy. Potter-like, in that they involve a young person learning that there is a hidden world of magic; un-Potter-like, in that the protagonist is a girl, is the companion to a detective who is an animated skeleton, and gets in loads and loads of fights, sometimes losing quite badly. Set in Ireland, loads of humor. I seriously cannot recommend this series highly enough. Very much seconded. I would think the age would suit the younger girl more than the older, though I think they are loads of fun no matter what age. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/26 "2017-12-18T04:02:16Z")
My 13 year old just read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian cover to cover today. 230 pages in the hardback. It’s the first time she has EVER devoured a book. So, I highly recommend it. It is kinda like diary of a wimpy kid grown into young adult fiction. Also semi-autobiographical. I just read a few random pages. It’s golden. I wish I had had it on the plane back from Hong Kong today and I would have read it cover to cover. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/27 "2017-12-18T12:52:37Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Is there a Roy Moore biograpghy? > > :: D&R :: > [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > No, this isn’t funny, at all. This is a thread about books for young women/girls and it’s a gross and shitty thing to say. Do you pay attention to the news at all? Don’t do it again. Well, an “unauthorized” biography might work, as opposed to a hagiography. Especially if the writer is skillful enough to make it serve as a warning to young women as opposed to salacious. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/28 "2017-12-18T13:41:12Z")
If she enjoyed _Hidden Figures_, she’ll also likely appreciate _Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars_, by Nathalia Holt. It’s about women who worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab. One of them was African-American, and her story reminded me of _Hidden Figures_. By the way, this thread has some great suggestions. I’ve just made a note to read a couple of books from it. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/29 "2017-12-18T15:38:30Z")
Anything by Rin Chupeco, Sarah Rees Brennan, and T. Kingfisher. Patricia Wrede is good, and there are few, if any writers out there who are better than Patricia McKillip. **Dendarii Dame** , I’m making notes, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/30 "2017-12-18T19:39:52Z")
For either or both of them: The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli The Art Of War by Sun Tzu The Lucretia Borgia Cookbook. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/31 "2017-12-19T00:26:13Z")
Well, I’ve placed the order a few days ago now, so the suggestions won’t help me much, but feel free to continue. If nothing else, maybe I’ll look back in on this thread this time next year. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/32 "2017-12-19T02:07:30Z")
what did you choose? mc ---
**Author:** ![black\_rainbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d26b3c/32.png) [@black\_rainbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rainbow)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/33 "2017-12-19T17:40:53Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Anything by [Francesca Lia Block](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=656&q=Missing+Angel+Juan&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLUz9U3MLYsqypR4gIxTUqMjXMKtAQcS0sy8otC8p3y87P983IqAfM0yEgrAAAA&npsic=-1152&tbs=kac:1,kac_so:0&ved=0ahUKEwjsw4_N5ojYAhWlRt8KHTU2DPoQ-BYISg), but particularly the Weetzie Bat series (I am fond of _Missing Angel Juan_!) > > mc Good choice! I would recommend the His Dark Materials series. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/34 "2017-12-20T00:40:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s that time of year again, when I give books to my nieces. And it’s also that time of year again, when I have no idea what they’re interested in (I have some specific suggestions for my nephew, at least, never mind that I already had a better idea of what he would want). > > The older of the two is a high school junior. She’s big on fantasy, and is a total Harry Potter nerd (but getting her anything Harry Potter is a bad idea, because she probably already has it). She also likes nonfiction, and I have in the past given her _Failure is Not an Option_ and _Hidden Figures_, both of which she liked. Her other suggestions last year were: > _The Heir_ > _The Crown_ > _Glass Sword_ (by Victoria Aveyard) > _King’s Cage_ (by Victoria Aveyard) > _Cruel Crown_ (by Victoria Aveyard) > Not that I’d be getting her any of these, since she’s probably already gotten them by now, but just to give an idea of what she likes. I thought of this thread when I ran across this site that makes t-shirts with book texts: [Litographs | Victoria Aveyard](https://www.litographs.com/collections/victoria-aveyard) ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/35 "2017-12-21T00:54:31Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > There are no books for just girls or boys! :eek::eek: > > Get used to it!:D:D “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.” ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/36 "2017-12-21T23:32:15Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.” +1 Oh, anything Judy Blume. Those books might be dated now. But I loved them and they were edgy for their time. I did a biography on her in 4th grade and people raised all kinds of hell about the topics she dared to write about. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/37 "2017-12-21T23:48:28Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Oh, anything Judy Blume. Those books might be dated now. But I loved them and they were edgy for their time. I did a biography on her in 4th grade and people raised all kinds of hell about the topics she dared to write about. When I was in primary school there was a bit of a delicate issue of a girl doing an oral book report on _Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret_. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/38 "2017-12-22T00:23:39Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > When I was in primary school there was a bit of a delicate issue of a girl doing an oral book report on _Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret_. One of the most banned writers of her time. Topics included religion, puberty, bullying, being Jewish, disability, sexual abuse and _gasp_ teenage girls choosing to have sex. Really one of my early heroes. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/39 "2017-12-22T00:35:35Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Topics included religion, puberty, bullying, being Jewish, disability, sexual abuse and _gasp_ teenage girls choosing to have sex. And chelophagy. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467/40 "2017-12-22T00:48:45Z")
If she liked _Failure Is Not An Option_ and _Hidden Figures_, she _has_ to read _The Right Stuff._ It’s the definitive book about the beginning of the space program, and Tom Wolfe’s storytelling style is so engaging and entertaining. In addition to describing the people and the technology involved, it also describes all the hype and publicity surrounding it as well, and the political context of it. It is a classic book! The movie is pretty good but doesn’t even begin to approach the level of informational detail or character detail of the book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-teenage-girls/804467.md?page=3)