Recommended Books for 13 Year Old Girl

As other people have said the Stephanie Meyers Twilight series is awesome. My daughter and I both loved them and can't wait for the movie to come out in December. Every teen and mom I know has read them though, so you might want to ask her mom if she already has them.

Look at the Dear America series of books. They're (fictional) diaries written by teenaged girls from different eras of history (slavery, the Revolution, colonial period, Titanic, etc) and while they're reading they learn a little about history. they're a great series, and there are a ton to choose from!

Hi M.,

The American Library Association has a website that has Teens' Top Ten lists for years 2003-2007. The web address is http://www.ala.org/teenstopten/

On the lists I've found many books that my 13 year old daughter has enjoyed.

Good luck!

A series of Unfortunate Events.

I love those books their AWESOME!!!!!

:)

Every 12-15 year old girl I'm working with is reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. (and every 30-40 year old woman, for that matter. Maybe you could both read it and then see the movie together as part of the present.)

Hi M., here's a list of books my daughter read, hope this helps. J. L.
1. The case of the Ballet Bandit, by Mary-Kate and Ashely
2. Goosebumps, The Ghost next Door by R. L. Stine
3. Worth the wait by: Kathrine D. Jones
4. The Little Sparrows By: Al & Joanne Lacy ( this was her favorit author when she was younger)
5. Haunted Halloween Party By: Susan Saunders
6. The Secret Garden by:Frances Hodgson Burnett
7. Pine Hallow By:Ronnie Bryant
8. The Ghost that came Alive by: R. L. Stine
9. The Trouble with Valentines By: Elaine Moore
10. Off The Banks Of Plumb Creek by: Laura Ingalis Wilder
11. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry By: Mildred D. Taylor

The Little House on the Prarie series is always great fun. What a great gift idea!!

Some that I like for young adults are the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman (some of the paperbacks, like this one, are buy 3 get one free at amazon.com right now http://www.amazon.com/Stravaganza-City-Masks-Mary-Hoffman... A lot of my freshman in high school are reading the Twighlight series by Stephenie Meyer. Oh, and A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray (also known as the Gemma Doyle series).
The Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras - By Scott Westerfeld
Stravaganza (3 book series) - By Mary Hoffman (they're releasing a fourth this year too!)
The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger - By Lois Lowry
Harry Potter (of course-not from this year, but Thad's reading them!) - By J.K. Rowling
Last year I also read all of the The Chronicles of Narnia
I'm trying to think of any more that I just love...but that should keep you busy for hours!
I just thought of one more series that I read, The Midnighters also by Scott Westerfeld.

I hope that these help! :) Check out borders.com/amazon.com for free shipping over $25. Borders.com will deliver free to their own stores for any size order (and often have cheaper prices online than in the store) or half.com sometimes has new books for cheap! :) Good luck!

My 13 year old is a voracious reader, so I can tell you what's popular among the kids we know.
1. The "Twilight" series
2. Christopher Paolini's trilogy - "Eragon," "Eldest," and "Brisingr."
3. The "Warriors" series - stories told from the point of view of cats
4. The Artemis Fowl series by Ioan Colfer
5. The Pendragon series
6. the Leven Thumps series
7. the Fablehaven series
Happy shopping! :)

My kids enjoyed "A Series of Unfortunate Events", but that may be a bit young for her depending upon her reading level. My daughter especially liked the Christian science fiction series "Left Behind: The Kids " if you're not opposed to a Christian book and any Chicken Soup book. In California, kids are required to read certain books and then take tests on them and they must earn a certain number of points each semester. So you might consider getting books that she can test on as well. Lists can be found here: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/readinglist.asp

My almost 13 year old is addicted to the Inkheart/Inkspell books Corneila Funke.

My 13 year old likes the clique series. I'd get a gift certificate then she can choose what she likes.

The Eclipse series by Stephanie Meyers is THE series that all 12-13 year old girls are reading right now. It is a series of 4 books and my 12 year old cant get enough of them'

My 15 year old daughter likes "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series by Ann Brashares. She started reading them when she was about 13. She just started reading the series by Lauren Myracle ("ttyl", "l8r, g8r", "ttfn"). They are written in instant message/texting format. I think the characters are in high school, so the stories deal with situations that age would encounter.

My 13 years old daughter loves the Twilight Series books.

I highly recommend "A Crooked Kind of Perfect" by Linda Urban. Below is the synopsis from Amazon.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4–6—An impressive and poignant debut novel. Eleven-year-old Zoe dreams of giving piano recitals at Carnegie Hall. When her father purchases a Perfectone D-60, though, she must settle for the sounds of the organ rather than the distinguished sounds of a baby grand. Her organ teacher, Mabelline Person, notices the child's small talent for music and recommends her for the "Perfectone Perform-O-Rama"; she will play Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans." Accepting this new twist to her ambitions, Zoe must depend on a quirky support system: her father, who gets anxious when he leaves the house and who earns diplomas from Living Room University; her workaholic mother; and her classmate Wheeler, who follows Zoe home from school daily to spend time with her father, baking. Playing television theme songs from the '60s and '70s rather than Bach doesn't get Zoe down. Instead, aware of the stark difference between her dream and her reality, she forges ahead and, as an underdog, faces the uncertainty of entering the competition. In the end, resilient and resourceful Zoe finds perfection in the most imperfect and unique situations, and she shines. The refreshing writing is full of pearls of wisdom, and readers will relate to this fully developed character. The sensitive story is filled with hope and humor. It has a feel-good quality and a subtle message about how doing one's best and believing in oneself are what really matter.—Jennifer Cogan, Bucks County Free Library, Doylestown, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

My daughter really liked the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

I don't know the name of the books but I found them in the young adult section at WalMart. So far there are 3 in the series and they were written by James Patterson. they are some sort of science fiction. I got them for a friends daughter on the 8th of this month and she has already read all 3. I love James Patterson books, but normally they are adult in theme so I was excited to see some more directed at youth. I'm sorry I don't have the names, but the picture on the cover of one has a girl with angel wings.

Twilight series... but not the fourth book... there is too much adult content in it (not for a young teen)!

I work in the library at my son's school and the kids love the "Nightmare Academy" books.
#1 is Monster Hunters and #2 is Monster Madness. Both can be found on Amazon.com.
The series Follows Charlie and his friends, Theo and Violet as they battle Monsters from the nether. It is packed with action and has very active and smart female characters. Also the series Ella enchanted is popular with the girls, but I haven't read it yet.

Anne of Green Gables series - my favorite was Anne of Avonlea but I think you need to start at the beginning to get the whole "scope of Anne's imagination..." :-)

Have you checked out Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Super cute!

I used to love the sister hood of the traveling pants and chicken soup for the teenage soul.
Happy book hunting.

Judy Blume books are great. A favorite of mine was "Are You There God Its Me Margaret". Also, Stephanie Meyers books are great for teens and adults (I'm reading it now).
"Twilight" is the begining of a series. Great book! My 13 year old son and 16 year old niece love it too.

American Girl is way too young for a 13 year old. The newest fave among the kids is the Twilight (New Moon, etc) series...about vampires...the movie is coming out soon. You can find them at Target and everywhere.

The "American Girl" series are great! It encompasses all stages and "phases" of young girls, in a fun and appealing & educational way.

Girls this age love this series. And, if read and discussed with Mom, it can also be a great bonding thing and encourage communication and talking about "feelings" in a positive, non-judgmental way.

I really recommend it. Perfect for this age.

You can find it on Amazon.com or any bookstore.

Good luck!
Susan

The Anne of Green Gables series or the Emily of New Moon series, both from L.M. Montgomery, are really good for introspective girls. I also think Cheaper by the Dozen by the Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Gilbreth Jr is good and funny--much better than the movie, as is its sequel, Belles on Their Toes.

Is 13 too young for Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? I don't think so--at our local high school, they teach it to freshmen.

Cynthia Voigt is one of my favorite teen authors: Homecoming, Dicey's Song (a Newbery Award winner) and a Solitary Blue are fantastic books, and they feel contemporary even though they were written around 20 years ago. Great writing that respects kids and their feelings.

Barnes & Noble gift certifate works every time, my daughter demands one for xmas & her birthday, she would rather have that then anything else. Kids love to shop and pick out there own gift. And its reading.. plus its a huge book store, given her a chance to really look what other types of books out there is.

Happy Birthday

A series of oldies, but goodies are all Louisa May Alcott's books.
Little Women
Little Men
Under the Lilacs
Mark Twain's
Huckleberry Finn
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Maybe you can check out at your regular bookstore:

Great Books for Girls: More Than 600 Books to Inspire Today's Girls and Tomorrow's Women
by Kathleen Odean

Hi M.,

What thoughtful sister-in-law you are !

Just had to take the opportunity and tell you about a book my mom wrote - it's called Krissi Swan Cover-Up Girl - my mom (K.S. Zitkus) became increasingly more alarmed at the revealing fashion trends adopted by young girls in today's society, as well as the sliding moral values, and so she decided to write a book for teen and tween girls about modesty and embracing who you are as opposed to going along with the crowd.

This is my mom's first attempt at writing a book - it also has an interesting story and chronicles the life of "Krissi Swan" and her friends. Just a heads-up - this book, along with it's emphasis on bringing back modesty and morality, also has some light Christian themes - Krissi occasionally prays for a friend of hers who is going through a difficult time.

Just wanted to make sure you knew in advance in case that's not your kind of thing ! The book is available on Amazon, and I believe on IUniverse. There's also a link to hear a song that I wrote to accompany the book.

Hope her birthday is great!

All the best,
K.

My Daughter loves the Clique books.

HI M.,
Suggesting books can be a bit challenging, especially if you are unaware of her reading abilities. When I was 13 I loved the Anne of Green Gables series, but book likes and dislikes vary with each individual. Maybe a gift card to Barnes and Noble would be a good alternative. Just my thoughts though... :)

I discover Jane Austin's books in 8th grade and read every one of them that year. I still love her witty observations of manners and people. If she hasn't seen the movie or better yet the PBS 6 hour series of "Pride and Prejudice" get her one of those and the book.

You should totally get her the Lord of the Rings books! I'm 13 and I think they're are AWESOME!!!!!!!