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27 Books for a 12 Year Old Girl Who Reads Like Crazy


Last Christmas, my good friend Nancy called me up asking for my advice on a book subscription box for her granddaughter. This granddaughter is a precocious reader with an insatiable appetite for books

I told her that I love Bookroo, but their oldest box is targeted to ages 7-10. Nancy said that definitely wouldn't do. Her granddaughter had read and loved the whole Harry Potter series, The Lunar Chronicles, the Septimus Heap Books, I Will Always Write Back, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Making Bombs for Hitler, To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, and more. 

Nancy said she had looked into OwlCrate, but that her granddaughter didn't want any of the "stuff" just the books. Little did we know, Amazon had just launched it's Prime Book Box for Kids, including a 9-12 age bracket. So, after we failed to find anything suitable I said "Hey, how about I send you a big list of books I think she'd like, and you can pick a couple each month and send them to her?" Everyone loved the idea, and Nancy dubbed it "Grandma's Book of the Month Club, curated by Alysa Stewart!"

Anyway, I thought the rest of you might like to peek at the list I put together. 

27 Books for a 12 Year Old Girl reading at a high level

I have put an asterisk (*) next to the ones that I have not personally read, but those are all either award winning and/or well loved by multiple kids/teachers I know. I have put a tilde (~) next to the ones that are the thickest. 


2. ~The Letter for the King (realistic historical fiction)


3. Fake Blood (graphic novel, realistic fiction)

4. Bad Island (graphic novel, realistic fantasy)

5. Saffy's Angel & Indigo's Star (first two in a realistic fiction series)

6. *The Wild Robot (science fiction)

 
7. *The One and Only Ivan (based on a true story)


9. What If? by Randall Monroe (non-fiction...speculative?)

10. Super Science: Matter Matters (a pop-up non-fiction book)


11. If Found...Please Return to Elise Gravel (inspires art making)

12. ~The True Meaning of Smekday (science fiction)

13. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (historical fiction)



14. Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad (Non-fiction. I read the Young readers edition to my kids, so I haven't read the adult version and couldn't say if it has inappropriate content. The YRE was very inspiring)

15. *Under the Egg (mystery, realistic fiction)

16. Fuzzy Mud (realistic science fiction)





18. The View from the Cherry Tree (realistic fiction, mystery)

19. Leviathan (steampunk fantasy)

20. Terrible Typhoid Mary (non-fiction)

21. *Dragonwatch (fantasy)



22. El Deafo (graphic novel memoir)

23. *Story Thieves (fantasy)




24. ~The Secret Keepers (realistic fiction, mystery)

25. Wires & Nerve Vol 1 & Vol 2 (Graphic Novel sequels to the lunar chronicles, science fiction)

26. ~Steelheart (science fiction)


27. Bad Machinery: The Case of the Good Boy (graphic novel, mystery, fantasy)

***

About midway though the year I asked Nancy how it was going. She said "This last week I sent her The Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt. . . I'm using your list and other recommendations. Ensley said it's the best present she's ever had!"

I hope you enjoyed this list. What would you add to it? 

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