YA Fiction Recs
The Holidaze are approaching, and I have young cousins who apparently actually like to read, so I'm told. (I live 1000 miles from them and see them about twice a year. Mostly we play the Wii and they kick my ass at Super Smash Brothers Brawl when we get together, so this reading thing I've only heard about second-hand.) I have almost 20 years on my youngest cousin, and I can't for the life of me remember what I was reading back then, or what's come up in the meantime.

The older is 12 and apparently just finished and enjoyed Twilight. She likes things with fantasy and sci-fi elements. I suspect she's a romantic sort. (She's the reserved, thoughtful one.)

The younger is 10 and likes things that are funny and action-oriented. She just finished (and liked) Carl Hiaasen's YA novels (Hoot, Flush & Scat). (She's the wild child.)

Any recommendations, any recommendations at all? One thing to keep in mind: I can't get them anything with "inappropriate" themes, for which their parents would include anything sexual and anything but the most subtle mention of homosexuality, for instance, or I risk serious Mom and Dad Ire. (Let's not go into how messed up it is that Twilight is okay but a lesbian character in a Mercedes Lackey novel isn't, really, I've already had that argument with the rest of my family.)

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mer1973 2009-12-07 01:02 pm UTC (link)

For the elder, maybe 'The Protector of the Small' quartet by Tamora Pierce. There's a love interest, but for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, the character stays a virgin. Garth Nix's zombie trilogy, not only does it have zombies, it has the Disreputable Dog. Sherwood Smith or Neil Gaiman's YA's would fit the bill too. I'd say any thing by Dianne Wynne Jones or Garth Nix's 'Keys to the Kingdom' for the wild child. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - narcissam, 2009-12-07 03:58 pm UTC

(no subject) - the_mouse, 2009-12-07 08:26 pm UTC

(no subject) - mer1973, 2009-12-08 12:26 am UTC

	bride_of_lister 2009-12-07 01:09 pm UTC (link)
	The Younger might enjoy the Artemis Fowl series. It was the book I read until it fell apart at that age. (I'd recommend the Alex Rider series of novels as well but I _think_ They're for an older audience.) (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - sqbr, 2009-12-07 01:33 pm UTC

(no subject) - breathe, 2009-12-09 07:52 am UTC

serena_took 2009-12-07 01:17 pm UTC (link)

I think either one of them might enjoy the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. They're incredibly fun and enjoyable (hell, I still love to read them at 32!) books about an unconventional princess who leaves home & works for a dragon, cooking, tending the library & treasure, etc. At those ages, I really loved The Castle in the Attic, Behind the Attic Wall & the Indian in the Cupboard series. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - ravenscanary, 2009-12-07 02:12 pm UTC

(no subject) - piasharn, 2009-12-07 05:18 pm UTC

(no subject) - serena_took, 2009-12-08 01:20 pm UTC

	fools_game 2009-12-07 01:50 pm UTC (link)
	Seconding the Garth Nix rec - he also has the Seventh Tower Series, which is aimed at young teens. Also try China Mieville's UnLunDun for awesome action and characters. (Reply to this)

	khym_chanur 2009-12-07 02:17 pm UTC (link)
	There's Diane Duane's Young Wizard series, which is both fantasy and rather sci-fi-ish. Unless their parents would object to wizards getting their powers from God. Also, Terry Pratchett's stand-alone The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents and the Tiffany Aching series. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - narcissam, 2009-12-07 03:55 pm UTC

(no subject) - brennalarose, 2009-12-07 11:10 pm UTC

missdaisy 2009-12-07 03:39 pm UTC (link)

My daughter and some of her friend are really into 39 clues series. She's generally a fantasy fiction reader by preference. Although she's 13 now, she started reading these at 12. She also really like the Warriors series, which is huge. I think she started that at 10 or 11 (and it finally got her reading a lot) but she still reads it. She also likes the Vampire Diaries but I'm not sure about the age-appropriate business since I don't censor books. Another book she loved was Everlost, reading it one day, but it death is a major theme and it's a bit creepy in parts. There's always the classics; The Wrinkle in Time Series and The Chronicles of Prydain. Depending on reading level, these would be fine for the 10 year old or the 12 year old. Anne of Green Gables is pretty dated but funny at times and if not action-oriented, plenty of things happen to Anne. I like books that introduce other time periods & customs for kids myself. My 15 year old says the first couple of books in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants aren't too racy but take that with a grain of salt because she's started reading adult novels when she was 12 or 13. But I could definitely recommend Andrew Clements, particularly Al Capone Does My Shirts and A Series of Unfortunate Events for the 10 year old. I'll ask my 13 year old when she comes home from school; she might have more ideas. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - narcissam, 2009-12-07 03:53 pm UTC

	melannen 2009-12-07 03:44 pm UTC (link)
	Every young person who enjoys Twilight should be given a copy of "The Silver Kiss", by Annette Curtis Klaus, which is Twilight only *not* all wrong and badly written. (Her other books - "Blood and Chocolate" and "Alien Secrets" - are also excellent, but don't have angsty vampires in them. Just angsty werewolves and angsty aliens.) (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - goblin, 2009-12-07 04:56 pm UTC

(no subject) - undomielregina, 2009-12-07 05:11 pm UTC

	dracobolt 2009-12-07 04:28 pm UTC (link)
	For the older, try books by Shannon Hale. For the younger girl, she might like the Kiki Strike books by Kirsten Miller. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - crysiana, 2009-12-07 05:46 pm UTC

	staroverthebay 2009-12-07 04:34 pm UTC (link)
	I recommend Sherwood Smith. Even her regular fantasy novel "Inda" is suitable (I haven't read the sequels yet, but since she's an experienced YA novelist, I imagine they're pretty good and OK by the standards you need too.) Also, anything Terry Pratchett for the younger one. Definitely. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - undomielregina, 2009-12-07 05:17 pm UTC

(no subject) - singe, 2009-12-07 05:38 pm UTC

(no subject) - goblin, 2009-12-07 09:25 pm UTC

whimsy_chan 2009-12-07 05:01 pm UTC (link)

I would suggest Robin McKinley--particularly The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, and maybe Beauty and The Outlaws of Sherwood. I was around 11 when I started reading Robin McKinley, and I loved her heroines--they were pretty much uniformly kick-ass. Robin McKinley has a vampire novel, too, called Sunshine, but most of the plot details escape me at the moment. I'm not sure it'd pass muster with the parents. Deerskin most definitely would not be okay with these parents, either. Robin McKinley's YA books are pretty safe, but she does have some adult novels that you'll want to avoid. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - janegraddell, 2009-12-07 06:37 pm UTC

(no subject) - sarracenia, 2009-12-07 08:21 pm UTC

	splorch 2009-12-07 05:02 pm UTC (link)
	My ten-year-old is insane about The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. There are three books in the series so far; Ive read the first one myself and it's wonderful. Also good: the Percy Jackson novels by Rick Riordan. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - splorch, 2009-12-07 05:03 pm UTC

(no subject) - cairea, 2009-12-07 06:34 pm UTC

	wallflower 2009-12-07 05:09 pm UTC (link)
	If the older one likes Twilight, DO NOT get her the House of Night series (which is also about vampires) -- not just because they would definitely fall under the "inappropriate" banner (sexuality! *and* a gay character!), but because they're fucking terrible books. They make Twilight look halfway decent. And yet I read them all anyway. (Reply to this)

mary_mac 2009-12-07 05:35 pm UTC (link)

Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea up to I think The Furthest Shore would be ok, less certain about the last two, and the Gifts series. Probably would work for both depending what level they're reading at. Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell books for the younger one, and if they're available, Lucy M Boston's Children of Green Knowe books for the older one. Possibly slightly young, but I adored them at that age. Seconding any and all Diana Wynne Jones. (Reply to this)

	sithwitch13 2009-12-07 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	My ten-soon-to-be-eleven year old Little Sister absolutely adores the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. I've never read them but she gushes over them. (Incidentally, thank you for posting this, since it's given me a bunch of ideas on a little extra for her Christmas and birthday presents!) (Reply to this)

	dez_chan 2009-12-07 06:14 pm UTC (link)
	For the younger, try Skullduggery Pleasant. (Reply to this)

annathepiper 2009-12-07 06:34 pm UTC (link)

I don't read YA often, but I very much enjoyed Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It's a zombie novel, but it's unusual in that it's haunting, quite lyrical, and set seven generations after the zombie apocalypse that wiped out civilization; in the story, the "Unconsecrated" fill the Forest of Hands and Teeth, the wilderness around a single isolated village. A young girl named Mary is obsessed with the idea of seeing the world outside her village, and in particular, the ocean; when an outsider shows up, she is forced to choose between what she's been taught about the survival of her people, and pursuing her dream. Highly recommended. The older girl might go for it? (Reply to this)

	narcissam 2009-12-07 06:52 pm UTC (link)
	For the younger kid, how about "Holes" by Louis Sachar? It's a breeze to read, full of adventure, and constantly hilarious. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - youngcurmudgeon, 2009-12-07 07:21 pm UTC

cat_mcdougall 2009-12-07 07:07 pm UTC (link)

My daughter (9) and I are reading the Septimus Heap books by Angie Sage. We're only on the first one, but we're working our way through it. It's light, fluffy YA fantasy, with Wizards, and betrayals, and a lost princess, and is just generally light and fluffy. Maybe the Black STallion books? They aren't really fantasy, or sci-fi, but they're a good read, with no inappropriate themes. Umm. I think that's about all I have for the kids. (Adults, so much easier for me.) (Reply to this)

youngcurmudgeon 2009-12-07 07:18 pm UTC (link)

For the older one: The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper is excellent; I'd also say the Wrinkle in Time series if she hasn't gotten to it yet. (I haven't read many of L'Engle's non-fantasy books, but my best friend in seventh grade loved A Ring of Endless Light.) At that age, I got fairly into Jane Yolen's dragon books -- I can't remember if there's anything objectionable in them, but I don't think there is. I was also into Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books for a while. And I have have have to recommend my all-time favorite -- Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg. For the younger one: Half-Magic by Edward Eager might be a tad young, but it's really fun; it's the first in a series. I'd also say that's the right age for any and all Roald Dahl. I was into Ellen Raskin at that age -- Westing Game is awesome, but I'm reccing The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) -- it's a teeny bit dated, but it's a fantastic story. (Books I can't vouch for: Everyone I know loved Animorphs in fifth grade; there was also a big Bruce Coville contingent.) Either of them might enjoy E.L. Konigsburg -- The View From Saturday is my favorite, but From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a classic for a reason. Do you guys think they're too young for Hitchhiker's? They might not get all the jokes, but they'd probably at least enjoy Marvin. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - goblin, 2009-12-07 09:26 pm UTC

(no subject) - mary_mac, 2009-12-07 09:47 pm UTC

(no subject) - blue_penguin, 2009-12-07 11:22 pm UTC

the_mouse 2009-12-07 08:33 pm UTC (link)

Ella Enchanted! I'm way too old for that book yet I still enjoy it- it's that well-written (plus I was the right age when it came out anyway). I'd also recommend Garth Nix, only not the Old Kingdom Trilogy (the one with zombies). It's good but I doubt it will past the test. However, he has a middle grade series called The Keys to the Kingdom that I actually really like, as it's very inventive. The last book comes out next year so they won't have to wait long. The Graveyard Book might also be an option for whichever child you feel would appreciate it. And I'd think at least The Golden Compass would be appropriate, as I recall very little of anything sexual. However I haven't read it in a while. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - beccastareyes, 2009-12-07 09:03 pm UTC

(no subject) - youngcurmudgeon, 2009-12-07 09:45 pm UTC

alana 2009-12-07 08:44 pm UTC (link)

For the older: The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane: Good modern-setting YA fantasy, very clean, very powers of light vs. powers of decay sort of thing. The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik: Napoleonic war novels, with ~*~dragons~*~. There's implied sex, mostly in the context of breeding dragons or the uptight main character being "aaaaugh scandalous don't talk about sex D: ", but it's generally unobjectionable. The characters are endearing, the dragons are awesome, and Temeraire himself is the most adorable dragon to have ever lived. Animorphs by K. A. Applegate: Out of print, but a fantastic (for the most part, the last ~20 books are mostly ghostwritten and of varying quality) YA SF series. You might be able to find it in second-hand shops, libraries, or in PDF form. Very anti-war, do-what's-right, pro-tolerance books, and generally wonderful. <3 There is one mention in one book of something like "Humanity won't let gay kids into the boy scouts, they're REALLY not going to be all <3 about aliens," but that's about it. Diana Wynne Jones. Pretty much anything she has ever written ever. XD The younger: Seconding Holes, and she might like Roald Dahl? And it's been a while since I read it, but I remember liking the original Mary Poppins at that age, and Pippi Longstocking. She might be at an age to enjoy Alice in Wonderland, too. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - evilsqueakers, 2009-12-07 09:25 pm UTC

(no subject) - somamouse, 2009-12-07 09:34 pm UTC

(no subject) - alana, 2009-12-07 11:01 pm UTC

(no subject) - somamouse, 2009-12-08 12:10 am UTC

(no subject) - bride_of_lister, 2009-12-07 10:49 pm UTC

(no subject) - alana, 2009-12-07 10:58 pm UTC

(no subject) - bride_of_lister, 2009-12-07 11:08 pm UTC

(no subject) - alana, 2009-12-07 11:11 pm UTC

	shark 2009-12-07 09:05 pm UTC (link)
	You can't go wrong with Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones for - well, I think it would appeal to both girls, but for different reasons (and there are two sequels!) (Reply to this)

somamouse 2009-12-07 09:29 pm UTC (link)

Definitely seconding any Tamora Pierce. The 'Song of the Lioness' quartet has always been my favourite (girl pretends to be boy so that she can train as a knight), it has first period stuff (which may be a plus or minus depending on the parents) and the later books have some sex but nothing beyond kissing described on the page (usually characters just shut the bedroom door). Though I like the series if sex is a problem I wouldn't recommend the 'Immortals' quartet because (SPOILER) the main girl ends up with her teacher, only kissing happens in the final book of the quartet (main character is 16ish I think?) but I can imagine it could make a sensitive parent jumpy. As the first commenter says the 'Protector of the Small' quartet sounds pretty perfect for your cousin. It does take place in the same world as the above two series though so might be a bit spoilery if she then wants to go back and read the others. 'Bloodhound' might be a bit hard to read as the style is different with lots of made-up slang words and random punctuation (no sex, just a bit of fancying, but a lot of death) 'Trickster' is about the daughter of the heroine in the 'Song of the Lioness' and isn't my favourite (the heroine is a little too special). Might be a little too reliant on the previous series as well for a new reader. She also has another world/series starting with 'The Circle of Magic' quartet but not only are the first few books too young it also ends up with one of the main characters being a lesbian! Other than Tamora Pierce I'd definitely recommend the Night World series by LJ Smith (same person who wrote Vampire Diaries), especially seeing as she liked Twilight. Each book is about a girl finding her soulmate and being introduced to the dark 'night world' of Vampires, Witches, Shapeshifters etc. Each book focuses on a different girl but there are some crossover characters and a bigger picture (apparently, the last book is out next year). Many of the books have a murder mystery element and someone scheming evilly so there are deaths and the heroine is often is peril but nothing too scary (haven't read Twilight so can't compare). Some samples of the storylines: - Amateur detective girl tries to prove neighbours killed old woman, not knowing they're vampires. - Witch girl with evil sister tries to fit in at a normal school. - Vampire slayer falls for vampire (!) - Werewolf girl finds out she's half-human and her friends are now her enemies - Girl goes to ye olde castle in search of her kidnapped older brother. - Jaded shapeshifter bodyguard girl falls for shapeshifter prince - their love is so forbidden! Every book is very much about romance but there isn't anything but kissing in them and the girls are by-and-large strong and likeable. *the soulmate thing sounds a bit hokey, and often times it is, but it's all in good fun. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - blue_penguin, 2009-12-07 11:33 pm UTC

(no subject) - somamouse, 2009-12-07 11:58 pm UTC

(no subject) - disdainful_soul, 2009-12-08 04:34 am UTC

redtienightly 2009-12-07 10:03 pm UTC (link)

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit may be good for the older one. It's about a girl in Victorian times who gets lost in the woods and is rescued by an immortal family. She falls in love with one of the sons, but they can't do anything because she is so young and he is 20 in appearance but actually 100+. There's discussion about making her immortal when she is older, but the family is quite against it because of their experiences while living so long. To me, it will always be Twilight done right. I also loved the Oz books by L. Frank Baum at that age, but they may be too young for her. In the last few years, the first 8 books were re-released with gorgeous art nouveau illustrations. Each of the books is about a different character - Dorothy, Ozma, Tik Tok, the Rose Princess etc - and their travels around Oz, the surrounding lands and the underground realms of the vegetable people and the Nome King. (Reply to this)

	qem_chibati 2009-12-07 10:16 pm UTC (link)
	The younger might like the Bartimaeus Trilogy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartimaeus_Trilogy (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - narcissam, 2009-12-08 06:35 am UTC

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