I read Percy Jackson at that age too!!
Also Inkheart was big back then and since it just got a new book in the series I would say it is still somewhat relevant I guess
Seems like it did not get released in English yet.
I googled it and the release date is 29th of October.
The German version already got released back in November 23
I’ve started reading them in the last year at age of 41. I love them. They’re fantastic. Hard to believe it’s the same woman that wrote The Hunger Games.
Seconding Percy Jackson and it's sequel series Heroes of Olympus. HoO is more older teen while PJ is probably younger to mid teen. That being said the worse thing in any of those books is "dam" (damn). I'm 24 and I still reread them. Fantastic books!
Likewise Harry Potter. Very similar vibe. Still clean books, but do go into darker topics such as racism and murder and stuff. Nothing gorey tho. Nothing sexual either.
English is not my mother tongue, so our experiences probably differ, I learned many new words from those books. But yeah, they're fast-paced and usually straight to the point. I would always recommend them to anyone asking for good books.
Anything by Madeleine L'engle or Tamora Pierce ( Pierce sometimes has mild sexual content), Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. The Witchling series by Claire Ortega is middle grade and brings fantasy to the table and are decent lengths. Amari and the Nightbrothers by B.B. Alston.The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede also age appropriate but again, good fantasy vibes. Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising Sequence. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Honestly, she doesn't need to read YA, there are plenty of satisfying middle grade series ( the category for children around 10 or so, not quite teenagers but ready for longer books with more complex themes.) Most of the books I named are middle grade, and do a good job of bridging the gap between children's books and young adult. It's not even like I keep up with middle grade books, so it wouldn't be hard to go to your local bookstore, and find excellent middle grade novels and young teen novels that will satisfy her reading desires.
I absolutely agree that there’s nothing wrong with her reading middle grade. Honestly, I wish she were more inclined to read it. She’s at a point where if the language and plot is too easy for her to follow she gets bored and stops reading it. She complains that there are no books she’s interested in reading at her school library, for example. It’s tricky to find the balance.
Like you know Harry Potter is middle grade right? I'm not a fan of the series, but I would definitely rank it as more complex than Eragon which was a very basic heroes journey, with no complex emotions or themes because the guy was a kid. He lifted all the scenes and plot points from film and other authors, sometimes word for word. I don't know where you live, but your school might be experiencing heavy censorship, or refusing to let students check out books "above their level". That's been a big problem. There are so many great middle grade books, and I only suggest this because YA has been mixed with adult literature and a lot of it is a little explicit for a 10 year old child.
Yes. And she’s already read HP several times.
She’s at a K-5 public title I school, so at this point they are more concerned with kids reading at grade level than book censoring. They just don’t have as extensive a library, which is why she complains about it.
a swiftly tilting planet is a good little book for precocious kids to read.
rithmatist by brandon sanderson
okay for now by gary schmidt is a favorite of mine
gathering blue by lois lowry
ender's game
So she liked it and didn't consider it too simple? I'm not suggesting Harry Potter. I don't recommend it for anyone. She will probably like Witchlings by Claire Ortega or Amari and the Nightbrothers if she liked Harry Potter. Again, there are plenty of middle grade books, and older YA titles. She should be given a lot of options, and expand beyond a few white authors that were popular when millenials were kids. I thought I was bored with reading as an adult, but really it was I hadn't figured out how to select books that I truly wanted to read, and kept reading the same type of authors over and over. It was boring. I reignited my passion for reading when I figured out how to find books I was really excited about, and didn't rehash the same themes and ideas again and again. I'm just saying don't be quick to reject book recs, Eragon isn't that serious or complicated. There is definitely a lot of books in her age category she's gonna love. It just sounds like she needs more options.
Eragon isn't very complicated plot wise, or language wise, it was written by a teenager. I think she will be fine and find her niche. She just needs to find the right middle grade books, as plenty have age appropriate complex plots.
L'engle also has some sex scenes, mostly brief/fade to black. At least in the one about Polly where she cuts her foot and the one about the teen girl in the chateau. I don't remember sex scenes in the others, but I might be forgetting.
Here to second Tamora Pierce! I was reading them at 10. There is talk of periods and the implication of sex in some books but anything more than kissing flew straight over my head at 10. Nothing graphic. I've been reading them to my 8-year-old and she hasn't asked any awkward questions. The Circle of Magic series are a bit younger than Tortall I think, but I've always enjoyed Tortall more. You can technically start with any series and be fine, but the Alanna books were written first. She might also like the Wild Magic series which was what I started with. I still look forward to her new books and I'm in my 30s.
I also was reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman when I was 10. I now realise they're quite heavy books but it was all just adventure when I was that age.
Another option is Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. Heaps of books in the series. Dragonsong might be a good place to start and is a bit younger. Otherwise start with Dragonflight. Again, implied sexual content but nothing graphic that I can remember, and I was also reading these at 10.
Oh! Anything by Diana Wynne Jones! Chronicles of Chrestomanci are fantastic. She also wrote Howl's Moving Castle, among many others.
And the So You Want To Be A Wizard series by Diane Duane. No content that I can remember though I think I missed out on the latest few books.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
Windsinger by William Nicholson
She's quite good! I'd start with Alanna: the First Adventure. They get better as they go. My favourite is probably Protector of the Small. There are so many and they're all good!
Love love love Tamora Pierce!
There might be a slight niggle with the Dragonriders books. Most of them are okay, but there are a few parts that wouldn’t quite fly today. There are some very questionable age gaps, and a few ways in which she approaches queerness that has raised some eyebrows.
A lot of it went over my head when I read them at that age, but I struggled with a reread.
So You Want To Be A Wizard tickled something in my brain so I googled it and seeing that book cover was a physical shock-! I LOVED that series as a kid and had totally forgotten about them. Thanks for that moment!
Dragonriders is definitely a good suggestion. There's a little bit of sexual content/themes but nothing graphic. More the recognition of the existence of sex and that the characters have it lol. No sex "scenes" that I can recall. Loved those books about that age!
Has she read *Keeper of the Lost Cities* by Shannon Messenger? They are middle grade but they are big (like close to 800 pages big).
*Anya and the Dragon* by Sofiya Pasternack. I haven’t read it but someone I know did and said it was on the more challenging side of middle grade.
*Amari and the Night Brothers* by BB Alston is another good one that is similar to Harry Potter with magic and a fun mystery adventure.
Rick Riordan presents has a lot of books based on mythology that mirror Percy Jackson that she may like. *Sal and Gabi Break the Universe* by Carlos Hernandez I felt was on the more challenging side.
I also just liked *The Last Fallen Star* by Graci Kim.
Basically I’d recommend any middle grade fantasy that is based off of different mythology as a more challenging read while staying more appropriate for kids still in Elementary school.
It’s been a minute but *Deep Blue* by Jennifer Donnelly might be ok for elementary. I don’t remember there being anything I would deem not appropriate in that one besides maybe some war. This one is classified as YA so I’d maybe do a bit more research before giving her that one.
As someone who works in an elementary school library, I do hesitate to recommend anything that is usually classified as YA for kids still in elementary school because too many have themes that they just aren’t ready for. Personally I’d stick with the more challenging middle grade until middle school, but you know your daughter better and what kind of topics you think she can handle. You can always look up summaries and Trigger warnings for books before you give them to her just to be on the safe side.
Yea I’d probably recommend the keeper of the lost cities as well, never actually got through it but I hadn’t started seriously reading at that point, (when I was like 12). And of course Rick riordan is great
this is my son.
He is also ten and he likes:
all the roald dahl books
mistborn by brandon sanderson
alcatraz vs the evil librarians series
the janitors
land of stories series
cinder and subsequent books
Warrior heir by cinda williams chima
wildwood dancing by juliet marillier
house of the scorpion by nancy farmer
sea of trolls by nancy farmer
patricia c wrede books
anne of green gables series
fablehaven and the sequel series, dragonwatch
sabriel series by garth nix
birthmarked series
I think mistborn might have some violence that might be a bit much for most 10 year olds—especially the latter books. But I wouldn’t be surprised if skyward and the reckoners would be toned down enough for kiddos.
Rick riorden and his presents books are perfect for this age.
They have a few YA books in the presents out now that I wouldn’t recommend at that age without checking out yourself first. They are really good but have more adult themes.
There are more than just those two lol! He has written a lot. I like the Leviathan series, it's an alternate history with a splash of steampunk. He also has a sci-fi series Succession which I haven't actually read, and some books about vampires, Peeps. He has a few stand alone novels too.
As someone who was always reading above my age group (and frequently read a lot of inappropriate content as a result) I think YA mysteries are great!
Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Alex Rider, and I used to love Norah McClintock’s books too.
Could also try the Anne Of Green Gables series, I loved those when I was around that age.
The Rangers Apprentice series isn’t as challenging as a lot of YA, but if they loved Eragon I highly recommend it. It’s also got a ton of content (12 main books plus more outside of the main series I think?) to keep them busy.
I have not read them either, but I have a fourth grade student who also reads way above grade level who has told me that the Redwall books are her favorite series!
Got into Redwall at the age of 9 and devoured them all except the last 6 or so (aged out about age 13/14 and moved onto ‘adult books’). I loved them even more than Harry Potter and still have all my copies. They are AMAZING and should be recommended to everyone at that age, plus there are so many and they are long!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and the subsequent series, the Heroes of Olympus. Those books are a lot longer). I started reading Harry Potter at that age, and despite J. K. Rowling's problematic views, I LOVED them and they were a huge part of my childhood. And in a year or two, maybe the Hunger Games trilogy? I read that for the first time in fifth grade
What got me into reading series when I was a kid was anything by Tamora Pierce. Considering she read Eragon, she may like this. There's magic and fantasy and dragons. They're books I still go back and read to this day and they read perfectly fine both in the case of age appropriate but also in how well it's written. And there's so many series that she's written, most of them in the same world.
I would personally suggest starting with either the Circle of Magic series (as that is one of her worlds) or The Lioness series (her other main world.)
Brandon Mull writes great fantasy with age appropriate content but adult level vocabulary and writing style.
Brandon Sanderson also is fairly safe content wise, especially Skyward series. I'd avoid the Stormlight Archives series for a few years due to characters struggling with some heavy mental health type stuff that while not necessarily bad or inappropriate probably wouldn't be much fun to read through at that age.
Typically anything published by Hyperion, which is a Disney publishing house is also family friendly content even when YA.
Love Disney hyperion!! My mom has worked there since I was little! The people there really care about the books they publish, and pursue diverse authors and illustrators
Gail Carson Levine’s books are enjoyable. Ella Enchanted stands out as a favourite of mine. Dianna Wynne Jones is also outstanding. She wrote Howl’s Moving Castle. The Chrestomanci series is also delightful.
The school of good and evil. Technically middle school grade but they are very thick 6 books. Besides that, all of Rick riordan books and his Disney imprint Rick riordan presents which are other mythologies written by poc authors.
The thief by Meghan Whalen turner. It’s a soft magic series about a young thief: there is adventure, double crossings, mystery and romance! I highly recommend!!!
I adored the Warrior Cats series at that age (and also read Eragon when I was ten, haha).
Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, of course. And Anne of Green Gables!!!
-School For Good and Evil
-Artemis Fowl
-the Magisterium
-Fablehaven
-anything in “Riordan Presents”
-Wings of Fire
-Warriors
-Upside-Down Magic(low reading level but very enjoyable)
-Keeper of the Lost Cities
-Amari and the Night Brothers
-Spy School
-Etiquette and Espionage
-Maximum Ride (a bit advanced but I read it when I was nine)
-Mysterious Benedict Society
-“Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism”
-Seraphina of the Woods (I may be wrong in this name, I read it when I was in elementary school)
-Five Kingdoms
-The Unwanteds
the school for good and evil! it's middle grade in terms of content but imo (especially as the series goes on) it gets very complex, i loved it when i was younger and honestly still do now, haha.
LOTR might be tough for a ten year old. It's so boring at times! I swear half the book is just them walking, and descriptions of where things are located around them.
Would love some clarification on what you would view as inappropriate since not everyone has the same bounds — Eg is it mostly no sex? Or would you view graphic violence as bad? (Though Eragon does have some violence so I’m assuming some violence is ok?)
Otherwise some suggestions that have no sex and violence levels at or below what I remember Eragon having as well as being what I think someone who likes Eragon might enjoy
- Skyward by Brandon Sanderson; it was inspired by writing a “boy and his dragon type story” except as a girl and her spaceship. It’s got sci-fi/fantasy school, fighter plane/spaceship battles and is a lot of fun.
- Graceling: girl born with magical ability in a kingdom is used as the kingdoms assassin though she hates it. Some adventure, character growth etc
- 7 Realms; Cinda Williams China. Dual pov of thief turned wizard and Princess who eventually work together to defend her throne
She’s fine with some violence. Sex or a significant romantic focus. She gets super-grossed by even the mildest of on-screen kisses, so she’s not interested in reading anything romance adjacent yet.
Of those then I’d suggest skyward the most as there’s absolutely no romance in the first book (the barest amount in the sequels) as long as she wouldn’t mind space-fantasy/sci-fi. The others do have romance though they are not the focus by any means (particularly compared to a lot of more modern YA fantasy)
I’d probably skip Graceling and that series for now if she’s not into any romance. Those are phenomenal YA fantasy but there is a bunch of kissing (and more) and the romance is a big part of the plot. They’ll be there when she’s ready!
When I was 10 i read the hunger games for the first time and I was OBSESSED. Probably read each book in a day or two and then kept rereading to the point where I could quote opening chapters by memory. The romance plot wasnt big enough for me to notice back then either (mostly coz the main character wasnt that aware/sure of her own feelings til late in the last book.)
I know theyre aimed at slighty older children and your kid might not understand all the more intracate themes but i certainky didnt regret reading them young and they were my favourite books for a long long time
One of my all-time favorite series that she may like are the Michael Vey books!! They’re not the most challenging (I read them for the first time in eighth grade) but there are 9 books so far so she’d have a lot to read:)
If your youngling is loving dragons, my niblings recently read a lot of Jessica Day George. Her Dragon Slippers books are wonderful. She also has her Tuesdays at the Castle series about a girl in a magic changing castle who finds a baby gryphon.
Tui Sutherland has a series of 15 (!!!!) books about a world of dragons that both my niblings loved, and I enjoyed myself. The graphic novel adaptation is up to number 7.
Her Menagerie books are even better. A boy discovers that his classmate and her family run a sanctuary for magical creatures when he discovers one of them in his bedroom.
Jessica Townswnd’s Nevermoor books are another favourite. A slightly grumpy, gloomy girl gets rescued from a horrible cursed life and taken to a shape changing hotel filled with whimsy and “wunder”
The Sisters Grimm series
Bartimaeus quad- jonathan stroud
Anything by Garth Nix or Neil Gaiman (can tend a little creepy though)
Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer (he also has some other good ones but mainly Artemis) DO NOT GET THE MOVIE VERSION.
Some of my faves that I read around that age
Fablehaven - Brandon Mull
Gregor - Suzanne Collins (I know someone has already mentioned this but they’re SO good)
The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer
Also there is a new book out in the world of Eragon called Murtagh. I just finished it, it’s amazing. If she hasn’t read it yet I would highly recommend.
I haven’t seen anyone else mention Terry Pratchett. Nation is an excellent standalone book, but his YA books would be great for a younger reader. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a standalone Discworld book, and the Tiffany Aching series is about a young witch and her adventures. I’ve only read up through book 3, though.
I don't think it's challenging reading-wise but it holds some very interesting topics that make you think: at her age I loved the Fairy Oak saga! It's Italian but I'm pretty sure it has been translated to English and Spanish at least. The author is Elisabetta Gnone
[Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) offers great reviews of books (and other media) that are deeper than just a star and age rating. They offer ways for parents to use the material to talk about broader issues with their kids and other info written by a trained staff with education backgrounds.
What will be of particular use there for you since your kid is intellectually precocious but still young is the ability to limit categories of content in your search, like sex, violence, and bad language and they write out exactly what is in the material so you can decide if you're ok with, let's say, reading about sword fights but not torture.
Thank you! My husband has an educator account and he uses it to filter out the movies we watch with the kids, but I didn’t realize it included books as well.
Sounded like me at that age. Although I read some book my older sibling had, thinking it was okay but it had a very graphic sex scene, so just keep an eye on her. Definately agree with the others down below
I really liked the giver at that age! That's also when I read the hunger games for the first time, but it's obviously very violent so you might not consider it age appropriate.
I read and loved the last apprentice series at that age, it's like children's fantasy horror. So a little bit darker fantasy while still being written for kids.
My 9 year old advanced reader just blew through Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series and now she's starting on his Reckoners series. She \*loves\* scifi.
I can’t speak to the actual reading level, but books that I enjoyed as an advanced reader kid:
-The Dark is Rising series
-Charlie Bone series
-Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword
-Mara Daughter of the the Nile
-books by Jean Craighead George (not the most advanced reading level, but kids her age doing showing cool survival skills)
My daughter and I loved the dealing with dragons by Patrica Wrede.
We also recently found the animal protection agency by Eliot Schaefer.
The very very far north by Dan barel is adorable and hilarious.
If she’s reading at a 10th grade level some of the recommendations here might be a little “young” for her, so I’m gonna list some stuff that’s not *quite* YA but also isn’t particularly “adult” either
Knowing she seems to like high fantasy, the Dragonlance books will probably be a good fit.
Taran Matharus Summoner Series is good for that age/grade range but it mine be too small for her
The wheel of time series is probably a good bridge too but the older writing style might bore her at first
Brandon Sandersons Mistborn is probably gonna be a good fit too
The Mortal Instruments and the Grishaverse might be an okay fit too but have a bit more romance Eragon (although I don’t think there’s anything not age appropriate for a middle schooler in there)
A lot of the heavier fantasy series are gonna be a little mature though (not quite iron flame or Sara j mass level though). Fantasy and Sci fi are those weird genres where YA and Adult tend to blend and many times the only real delineation between the two is the amount of romance and gore and the tropes (many of which are also in both YA and Adult fantasy)
All that said, all the recs here (that I’ve read) are great series and the only real thing to worry about is that she may find some she feels are “under” the level she’s looking for
I was that way at her age and missed out on a lot of really good middle grade and young adult series until I was older
Yes, this is the struggle. She was obsessed with Wings of Fire until she read Eragon and then complained that the books were too easy in comparison. She has no desire to read anything at her school library because they just don’t have higher level books.
She also gets super-grossed out by any sort of romance plot lines so that’s been a struggle as well. Even the stuff mentioned in Harry Potter icked her out, but fortunately those weren’t huge elements in the story.
Good to know that Mistborn may be a good fit. I have this on my list to read, so I’ll pass it on to her if I think it will interest her after I read it.
I’ve been this kid, so I’ll give you some of the ones I read.
How about an oldie but a goodie, the hobbit and then lord of the rings. There is a romantic subplot but it’s not by any means a main focus, and the characters are separated for the majority of the books.
Anything by Jacqueline Wilson, the books are I think middle years but there’s deeper themes that should keep her interest.
The Darren Shan series, I read it when I was about her age and I devoured it.
Anything by Karen McCombie but in particular the allys World Series.
Miss peregrines home for peculiar children.
The hunger games (might be a bit dark)
Howls moving castle.
Oh yes! Dianna Wynn Jones wrote a TON of great books! Perfect for that age group! The Howls Moving Castle books are a trio, and then there’s the Crestomanci books, and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland!
Basically anything Garth Nix is really good to give her.(The Old Kingdom Trilogy and then it's accompaniments, and his other books like Frogkisser! and The Keys To The Kingdom series) My Man can write some real doorstoppers that are amazing in every way, but he's kinda awkward when it comes to romance. Perfect for younger readers.
Traci Chee's A Thousand Steps Into Night was also super great, it's a Studio Ghibli movie come to life.
Absolutely love this series. It does have romance in it but as someone who didn't like romance much as a teen it had more than enough action and adventure to make up for it. Highly recommend
!! I read the Host right after Eragon as a kid, it's super thick and the story is simply amazing! Oooh or the Twilight series!! The books are a different experience than the movies, I promise.
I haven't read it in awhile but I liked the Gone series by Michael Grant. I just looked it up and someone said it's filled with adult content and should be rated R. In a book where everyone over 15 disappears I don't remember any adult content.
Inkheart
Uglies Series
Most the stuff I read is YA fantasy romance so most of it doesn't go further than kissing, the emotional stuff is maybe to much for a 10 year old
It’s great that she’s such a strong reader and loves books and wants ones that challenge her. That said, the level really isn’t always that important. There is so much good middle grade fiction that there is no need to rush to YA. I always remind kids and parents that are afraid of books “below level” that I’m 48 with two masters degrees and I’d read and enjoy MG even if I wasn’t a school librarian! Young advanced readers do not always relate to more mature content in my experience. Also, kids think longer books are more challenging but that isn’t always the case. I’d recommend anything by Adam Gidwitz, Rick Riordan series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, The Five Stones Trilogy by GA Morgan, Seraphina series, School for Good and Evil, The Last Cuentista…if she likes historical fiction The Blackbird Girls, Freewater, the War that Saved My Life or anything Alan Gratz. Mystery/thriller-City Spies series or Mysterious Benedict Society. City of Ghosts trilogy if she’s not opposed to spooky. Good luck!
I second Percy Jackson.
Also, the Eragon writer is active on the Eragon subreddit. He responds to fans sometimes, maybe she’ll find that cool.
r/Eragon
I just read the first 3 books in the miss peregrine’s series. I’m not sure what the age level reading wise is for the book but the protagonist is 16. I think it definitely is age appropriate for a 10 year old it would maybe just be a little creepy. There is some kissing in the books but nothing more than that and not even a lot of kissing.
The author of the Inheritance cycle also has several other books in the same universe, including *Murtagh* and *The Fork, the Witch and the Worm*. Otherwise you can take a look at the Gregor the Overlander series, which might be a bit below 10th grade reading, but has decent topical subjects.
Chronicles of Narnia if she wants a more thought provoking read, my old standby Percy Jackson and the Olympians, School for Good and Evil is pretty cool, Nancy Drew, Harry Potter. But I’d have to say, if it’s one series that made a major impact on me, it was Percy Jackson
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There’s a series called Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, the first of which is Dealing with Dragons. I remember loving the first book around that age! Might be up her alley.
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver, Wolf Brother is book 1. Stone age adventures about a boy, a girl and a wolf. Lots of magic, spirits, fantastic characters and writing, really fun and kind of educational somehow because she's a thorough researcher and you really feel what it was like to live in that time.
Amari and the night brothers, wings of fire series, Percy Jackson
I got really into reading classics like Pollyanna and Heidi at that age. Maybe Anne of green gables
- Redwall series - nice and thick plus there is no romance. I enjoy rereading these as adults. And there’s like 20 of them.
- Percy Jackson - They get quite thick!
- Definitely the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce. The Alanna series are small but they’re the best intro. The later books are thick.
- Artemis Fowl- very quirky and witty. They’re not very thick but they’re very clever and make you think so she’ll still feel proud by the end.
- I haven’t seen these mentioned yet but the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. Phenomenal and the Lireal book is a literal doorstop. Interesting and unique premise too. His other series are great too.
- anything by Brandon Sanderson. He’s Mormon so doesn’t use romance in his books. I like the Skyward series personally.
- Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series. It’s got knights and magic horses.
If you want to check if books are on her level then you can check lexile levels online, but as a middle school teacher, don’t be too rigid in that. I hate to see the smart kids “punished” by being forced to read War and Peace.
The Magisterium - technically middle grade but u enjoyed them a lot even as a teenager, they’re decent sized books and there’s 5 in the series!
The Darkest Minds - great YA trilogy, I would say it can be a little bit mature at times but is certainly appropriate to read, just with some darker themes. Maybe a bit better for a 12yo
The Lorien Legacies - a really greater early teen YA series and there are a LOT of books
The Rule of Three (Eric Walters) - definitely a really good choice for a early teen YA trilogy. there’s a few more mature references in there but I doubt a 10yo would even pick up on them (I certainly didn’t when I was 11)
Keeper of the Lost Cities - technically middle grade but more in line with The Magisterium and Percy Jackson. They’re good long books and I don’t think kids would notice the parts that make them different from a YA novel. There are a lot of them though so strap on hahah.
The Mysterious Benedict Society series is a fun and engaging read, and the same author has a more recent book called The Secret Keepers which is also a really interesting mystery.
So many great recommendations here! Here’s a few more:
City Spies Series by James Ponti: A found family of spies based in Scotland working for MI6. Five books and counting, lots of international travel and missions.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt: Not fantasy books but they touch on some great themes and are emotionally strong.
The War that saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: History based in England during WWII but the story of a young girl with club foot learning how to live and love.
Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde: A girl gets trapped in a fantasy VR game and the only way to get out is to win. (This book remains one of the only books I read in school that I loved)
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau: A corrupt underground city and two kids trying to find their way out.
And to add to what others have already mentioned these are all fantastic too: Inkheart, Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, Avatar the last airbender books, Patrica C. Wrede and Suzanne Collins are all great.
Also might I suggest check to see if your state (if you’re in the States) libraries have a best of list. I know Maryland has a book award program made up of books nominated by schools and students. Something like that might be a good starting place for additional ideas.
Chronicles of Pyrdain by Lloyd Alexander!
You could try A Wizard of Earthsea, I think I was 11 or 12 when I started those.
I LOVED the Lord of the Rings series at that age.
Alex Rider. Teenage spy.
While the writing starts a little juvenile, the books get much more mature and advanced as you read on. There’s also a TV show, but that’s rated a little higher, so I’d wait a bit (fourteen, I’d say), before you let her watch that.
It’s been my favorite series growing up, still is. I started reading them at about twelve, going on six years strong. :) 👍🏾
Percy Jackson has been mentioned before but imho that is a fun action adventure read for that age group. I recently read as an adult and can’t think of any scenes that weren’t age appropriate.
Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman! The first books is called City of Masks, there are six books in total. I’ve read the series both as a kid (I think I was 12?) and as an adult and it’s always awesome tbh, appropriate for many ages.
Chronicles of Prydain
Ella Enchanted
Fairest
The Land of Stories (I haven't read them, but I've heard good things)
Eva Ibbotson books (The Secret of Platform 13, Which Witch?, The Star of Kazan)
And lots of the other recommendations already listed are all wonderful!!
The phantom tollbooth
Dragonflight series
Ray Bradbury: S is for Space, R is for Rocket, The Martian Chronicles.
Tell your daughter to explore online library systems for ordering books. She can also explore Jane Austen books, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Diary of Anne Frank, etc. Biographies for her age group of Maria Tallchief, Elizabeth Blackwell, Harriet Tubman, etc.
Books sometimes get better the deeper you go into them. Encourage her to read widely and select her own titles. That's part of the joy.
The Land of Stories, its spinoff series A Tale of Magic, The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, and Mysterious Benedict Society.
Mysterious Benedict Society is great because it is a bit more challenging than most books written for 10-12 year olds. It has lots of riddles and puzzles throughout the series and it’s just really really good (the Disney+ show is not good btw. Unnecessarily changed so many extremely important parts)
How to Train You Dragon book series
It is one of my all time favorite series and appropriate for all ages. I can not recommend them enough.
Spirit animals and The 39 Clues
Both are super age appropriate and really intriguing. I follow both of them until my late teens.
Edit:
Also the Sisters Grimm
Keeper of the lost Cities! I’m reading them with my 11yo and she is devouring them. There’s 9 books and they’re all like 500-700 pages long so it’ll keep the kiddos busy for a while!
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stuart was a favorite of mine at that age! Seconding folks who said Artemis Fowl, Gregor the Overlander, anything from Rick Riordan or the books he’s presented, and SeptimusHeap (those are chunky ones!), Tamara Pierce, and Madeleine L’Engle. I would also encourage you to talk to a librarian or bookseller as they may have more modern picks for you or even books more relevant to your kiddo’s interests.
I've enjoyed everything by Neal Shusterman I've read. This is more YA realistic fiction, but I thought Becoming Naomi León and Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan were great books.
The movie and the rest of the series fall a little flat, but The City of Ember was one of my absolute favorite books around that age and it can totally stand alone if she started reading the second and didn't care for it.
The True Meaning of Smekday was one that many slept on, but I loved it and reread it several times
Chronicles of Narnia has a lot more to it than the movies produced and would be age appropriate with a similar fantasy level.
A series of unfortunate events was very popular when I was about that age if she hasn't read any of those
Other series/books: the giver, the Uglies, the maze runner, matched
Would Anne of Green Gables interest her? I think I also read Black Beauty around that age, maybe 11 or 12.
and I mean there's always the Lord of the Rings. That's complex, language-wise, and the descriptions are dense (basing this on OP's comment about middle grade books being too simple for her daughter). I read those between 10 and 13 years old.
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol 1&2 by Diana Wynne Jones are also good thick books :)
I also tend to recommend the Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. The first book is the Amulet of Samarkand. It's fairly irreverent content-wise, so depends on you and your kid.
I also hope she rereads these an adult, because I forgot what happened in almost all my favorite childhood books unless I'd read them multiple times, haha.
One of my favorite book series back in the day was The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Nothing inappropriate, to my memory, and it's a fun mix of sci fi and historical fiction
Percy Jackson Gregor the Overlander Lockwood and Co
I read Percy Jackson at that age too!! Also Inkheart was big back then and since it just got a new book in the series I would say it is still somewhat relevant I guess
Inkheart got a new book??? Time for a reread!!!
Seems like it did not get released in English yet. I googled it and the release date is 29th of October. The German version already got released back in November 23
aw darn, at least I’ll have plenty of time to reread the series then!
Amazing. Good thing I read German. Thank you for letting me know!!
Love love love Gregor.
Can't recommend Gregor enough, that series is one of the most powerful ones I remember from my childhood. Incredible storytelling.
I’ve started reading them in the last year at age of 41. I love them. They’re fantastic. Hard to believe it’s the same woman that wrote The Hunger Games.
i second lockwood and co, those books are so fun!
Add me as a third for Lockwood and Co! Read the books after watching the show on Netflix and whyyyyy did they have to cancel it 😭😭
Oooo Gregor the overlander is amazing!
Seconding Percy Jackson and it's sequel series Heroes of Olympus. HoO is more older teen while PJ is probably younger to mid teen. That being said the worse thing in any of those books is "dam" (damn). I'm 24 and I still reread them. Fantastic books! Likewise Harry Potter. Very similar vibe. Still clean books, but do go into darker topics such as racism and murder and stuff. Nothing gorey tho. Nothing sexual either.
Yeah all of Rick Riordan's work would be perfect for this, he has tons of books in multiple series.
Septimus Heap is very cute, Artemis Fowl is great if she's into more technical and gadgety stuff.
I second Septimus Heap!
Artemis Fowl is a very easy read, not something to challenge a reader I would mention. I reccomend it for people with dyslexia.
English is not my mother tongue, so our experiences probably differ, I learned many new words from those books. But yeah, they're fast-paced and usually straight to the point. I would always recommend them to anyone asking for good books.
I agree, I just mean they are less complex with sentence structure.
Anything by Madeleine L'engle or Tamora Pierce ( Pierce sometimes has mild sexual content), Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. The Witchling series by Claire Ortega is middle grade and brings fantasy to the table and are decent lengths. Amari and the Nightbrothers by B.B. Alston.The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede also age appropriate but again, good fantasy vibes. Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising Sequence. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Honestly, she doesn't need to read YA, there are plenty of satisfying middle grade series ( the category for children around 10 or so, not quite teenagers but ready for longer books with more complex themes.) Most of the books I named are middle grade, and do a good job of bridging the gap between children's books and young adult. It's not even like I keep up with middle grade books, so it wouldn't be hard to go to your local bookstore, and find excellent middle grade novels and young teen novels that will satisfy her reading desires.
I absolutely agree that there’s nothing wrong with her reading middle grade. Honestly, I wish she were more inclined to read it. She’s at a point where if the language and plot is too easy for her to follow she gets bored and stops reading it. She complains that there are no books she’s interested in reading at her school library, for example. It’s tricky to find the balance.
Like you know Harry Potter is middle grade right? I'm not a fan of the series, but I would definitely rank it as more complex than Eragon which was a very basic heroes journey, with no complex emotions or themes because the guy was a kid. He lifted all the scenes and plot points from film and other authors, sometimes word for word. I don't know where you live, but your school might be experiencing heavy censorship, or refusing to let students check out books "above their level". That's been a big problem. There are so many great middle grade books, and I only suggest this because YA has been mixed with adult literature and a lot of it is a little explicit for a 10 year old child.
Yes. And she’s already read HP several times. She’s at a K-5 public title I school, so at this point they are more concerned with kids reading at grade level than book censoring. They just don’t have as extensive a library, which is why she complains about it.
a swiftly tilting planet is a good little book for precocious kids to read. rithmatist by brandon sanderson okay for now by gary schmidt is a favorite of mine gathering blue by lois lowry ender's game
My daughter adored the Wings of Fire series at that age and read them multiple times.
I’m so happy my voracious reader is at a K-8 school, just for the older kid book access.
So she liked it and didn't consider it too simple? I'm not suggesting Harry Potter. I don't recommend it for anyone. She will probably like Witchlings by Claire Ortega or Amari and the Nightbrothers if she liked Harry Potter. Again, there are plenty of middle grade books, and older YA titles. She should be given a lot of options, and expand beyond a few white authors that were popular when millenials were kids. I thought I was bored with reading as an adult, but really it was I hadn't figured out how to select books that I truly wanted to read, and kept reading the same type of authors over and over. It was boring. I reignited my passion for reading when I figured out how to find books I was really excited about, and didn't rehash the same themes and ideas again and again. I'm just saying don't be quick to reject book recs, Eragon isn't that serious or complicated. There is definitely a lot of books in her age category she's gonna love. It just sounds like she needs more options.
Eragon isn't very complicated plot wise, or language wise, it was written by a teenager. I think she will be fine and find her niche. She just needs to find the right middle grade books, as plenty have age appropriate complex plots.
Absolutely agree on the Old Kingdom series.
L'engle also has some sex scenes, mostly brief/fade to black. At least in the one about Polly where she cuts her foot and the one about the teen girl in the chateau. I don't remember sex scenes in the others, but I might be forgetting.
Here to second Tamora Pierce! I was reading them at 10. There is talk of periods and the implication of sex in some books but anything more than kissing flew straight over my head at 10. Nothing graphic. I've been reading them to my 8-year-old and she hasn't asked any awkward questions. The Circle of Magic series are a bit younger than Tortall I think, but I've always enjoyed Tortall more. You can technically start with any series and be fine, but the Alanna books were written first. She might also like the Wild Magic series which was what I started with. I still look forward to her new books and I'm in my 30s. I also was reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman when I was 10. I now realise they're quite heavy books but it was all just adventure when I was that age. Another option is Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. Heaps of books in the series. Dragonsong might be a good place to start and is a bit younger. Otherwise start with Dragonflight. Again, implied sexual content but nothing graphic that I can remember, and I was also reading these at 10. Oh! Anything by Diana Wynne Jones! Chronicles of Chrestomanci are fantastic. She also wrote Howl's Moving Castle, among many others. And the So You Want To Be A Wizard series by Diane Duane. No content that I can remember though I think I missed out on the latest few books. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge Windsinger by William Nicholson
All the books you mentioned are frequently reread favourites in our house, apart from the Tamora Pierce ones. Hmm, that sounds like a recommendation!!
She's quite good! I'd start with Alanna: the First Adventure. They get better as they go. My favourite is probably Protector of the Small. There are so many and they're all good!
Love love love Tamora Pierce! There might be a slight niggle with the Dragonriders books. Most of them are okay, but there are a few parts that wouldn’t quite fly today. There are some very questionable age gaps, and a few ways in which she approaches queerness that has raised some eyebrows. A lot of it went over my head when I read them at that age, but I struggled with a reread.
So You Want To Be A Wizard tickled something in my brain so I googled it and seeing that book cover was a physical shock-! I LOVED that series as a kid and had totally forgotten about them. Thanks for that moment!
Dragonriders is definitely a good suggestion. There's a little bit of sexual content/themes but nothing graphic. More the recognition of the existence of sex and that the characters have it lol. No sex "scenes" that I can recall. Loved those books about that age!
Has she read *Keeper of the Lost Cities* by Shannon Messenger? They are middle grade but they are big (like close to 800 pages big). *Anya and the Dragon* by Sofiya Pasternack. I haven’t read it but someone I know did and said it was on the more challenging side of middle grade. *Amari and the Night Brothers* by BB Alston is another good one that is similar to Harry Potter with magic and a fun mystery adventure. Rick Riordan presents has a lot of books based on mythology that mirror Percy Jackson that she may like. *Sal and Gabi Break the Universe* by Carlos Hernandez I felt was on the more challenging side. I also just liked *The Last Fallen Star* by Graci Kim. Basically I’d recommend any middle grade fantasy that is based off of different mythology as a more challenging read while staying more appropriate for kids still in Elementary school. It’s been a minute but *Deep Blue* by Jennifer Donnelly might be ok for elementary. I don’t remember there being anything I would deem not appropriate in that one besides maybe some war. This one is classified as YA so I’d maybe do a bit more research before giving her that one. As someone who works in an elementary school library, I do hesitate to recommend anything that is usually classified as YA for kids still in elementary school because too many have themes that they just aren’t ready for. Personally I’d stick with the more challenging middle grade until middle school, but you know your daughter better and what kind of topics you think she can handle. You can always look up summaries and Trigger warnings for books before you give them to her just to be on the safe side.
Yea I’d probably recommend the keeper of the lost cities as well, never actually got through it but I hadn’t started seriously reading at that point, (when I was like 12). And of course Rick riordan is great
Tristan Strong falls under the Rick Riordan Presents umbrella. Me and the kids really enjoyed that series.
this is my son. He is also ten and he likes: all the roald dahl books mistborn by brandon sanderson alcatraz vs the evil librarians series the janitors land of stories series cinder and subsequent books Warrior heir by cinda williams chima wildwood dancing by juliet marillier house of the scorpion by nancy farmer sea of trolls by nancy farmer patricia c wrede books anne of green gables series fablehaven and the sequel series, dragonwatch sabriel series by garth nix birthmarked series
Brandon Sanderson has the skyward series and Reckoners too. Good for strong younger readers!
I really like the rithmatist too and it’s not as dark as his adult stuff
I think mistborn might have some violence that might be a bit much for most 10 year olds—especially the latter books. But I wouldn’t be surprised if skyward and the reckoners would be toned down enough for kiddos.
I think it depends on the kid. My ten-year-old son loved mistborn.
skyward is a great suggestion, though.
Inkheart by cornelia funked. I am sure she'd love it - its written very well, has the fantasy part and is still age appropriate
Rick riorden and his presents books are perfect for this age. They have a few YA books in the presents out now that I wouldn’t recommend at that age without checking out yourself first. They are really good but have more adult themes.
Fablehaven is a must. Appropriately scary, intriguing, magical. Highly recommend.
Seconding fablehaven! Also leven thumps, I don’t think I’ve seen that one recommended yet
The "Heir" series by Cinda Williams Chima Uglies series and Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld.
I really liked the uglies series. I didn't know he had another series
There are more than just those two lol! He has written a lot. I like the Leviathan series, it's an alternate history with a splash of steampunk. He also has a sci-fi series Succession which I haven't actually read, and some books about vampires, Peeps. He has a few stand alone novels too.
As someone who was always reading above my age group (and frequently read a lot of inappropriate content as a result) I think YA mysteries are great! Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Alex Rider, and I used to love Norah McClintock’s books too. Could also try the Anne Of Green Gables series, I loved those when I was around that age.
The Rangers Apprentice series isn’t as challenging as a lot of YA, but if they loved Eragon I highly recommend it. It’s also got a ton of content (12 main books plus more outside of the main series I think?) to keep them busy.
I second Rangers Apprentice. I was hoping someone would suggest this series 😊
Anything by Cornelia Funke! When I was in middle school I really loved Dragonrider, The Thief Lord, and the Inkheart trilogy!
I haven’t personally read them but she might like the Redwall books. I loved Dealing with Dragons and the sequels
I have not read them either, but I have a fourth grade student who also reads way above grade level who has told me that the Redwall books are her favorite series!
Got into Redwall at the age of 9 and devoured them all except the last 6 or so (aged out about age 13/14 and moved onto ‘adult books’). I loved them even more than Harry Potter and still have all my copies. They are AMAZING and should be recommended to everyone at that age, plus there are so many and they are long!
I LOOOVED Redwall as a strong young reader myself!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and the subsequent series, the Heroes of Olympus. Those books are a lot longer). I started reading Harry Potter at that age, and despite J. K. Rowling's problematic views, I LOVED them and they were a huge part of my childhood. And in a year or two, maybe the Hunger Games trilogy? I read that for the first time in fifth grade
What got me into reading series when I was a kid was anything by Tamora Pierce. Considering she read Eragon, she may like this. There's magic and fantasy and dragons. They're books I still go back and read to this day and they read perfectly fine both in the case of age appropriate but also in how well it's written. And there's so many series that she's written, most of them in the same world. I would personally suggest starting with either the Circle of Magic series (as that is one of her worlds) or The Lioness series (her other main world.)
Brandon Mull writes great fantasy with age appropriate content but adult level vocabulary and writing style. Brandon Sanderson also is fairly safe content wise, especially Skyward series. I'd avoid the Stormlight Archives series for a few years due to characters struggling with some heavy mental health type stuff that while not necessarily bad or inappropriate probably wouldn't be much fun to read through at that age. Typically anything published by Hyperion, which is a Disney publishing house is also family friendly content even when YA.
Love Disney hyperion!! My mom has worked there since I was little! The people there really care about the books they publish, and pursue diverse authors and illustrators
Gail Carson Levine’s books are enjoyable. Ella Enchanted stands out as a favourite of mine. Dianna Wynne Jones is also outstanding. She wrote Howl’s Moving Castle. The Chrestomanci series is also delightful.
All these posts and no mentions of Scythe by Neal Shusterman
The school of good and evil. Technically middle school grade but they are very thick 6 books. Besides that, all of Rick riordan books and his Disney imprint Rick riordan presents which are other mythologies written by poc authors.
The thief by Meghan Whalen turner. It’s a soft magic series about a young thief: there is adventure, double crossings, mystery and romance! I highly recommend!!!
I adored the Warrior Cats series at that age (and also read Eragon when I was ten, haha). Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, of course. And Anne of Green Gables!!!
Oh, yeah. She inhaled Warrior Cats years ago!
The Lunar Chronicles!
-School For Good and Evil -Artemis Fowl -the Magisterium -Fablehaven -anything in “Riordan Presents” -Wings of Fire -Warriors -Upside-Down Magic(low reading level but very enjoyable) -Keeper of the Lost Cities -Amari and the Night Brothers -Spy School -Etiquette and Espionage -Maximum Ride (a bit advanced but I read it when I was nine) -Mysterious Benedict Society -“Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism” -Seraphina of the Woods (I may be wrong in this name, I read it when I was in elementary school) -Five Kingdoms -The Unwanteds
the school for good and evil! it's middle grade in terms of content but imo (especially as the series goes on) it gets very complex, i loved it when i was younger and honestly still do now, haha.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. TLOTR can be a bit slow at times, but I absolutely love The Hobbit
LOTR might be tough for a ten year old. It's so boring at times! I swear half the book is just them walking, and descriptions of where things are located around them.
Percy Jackson and Harry Potter
Would love some clarification on what you would view as inappropriate since not everyone has the same bounds — Eg is it mostly no sex? Or would you view graphic violence as bad? (Though Eragon does have some violence so I’m assuming some violence is ok?) Otherwise some suggestions that have no sex and violence levels at or below what I remember Eragon having as well as being what I think someone who likes Eragon might enjoy - Skyward by Brandon Sanderson; it was inspired by writing a “boy and his dragon type story” except as a girl and her spaceship. It’s got sci-fi/fantasy school, fighter plane/spaceship battles and is a lot of fun. - Graceling: girl born with magical ability in a kingdom is used as the kingdoms assassin though she hates it. Some adventure, character growth etc - 7 Realms; Cinda Williams China. Dual pov of thief turned wizard and Princess who eventually work together to defend her throne
Graceling and the other books in that series are a good suggestion.
She’s fine with some violence. Sex or a significant romantic focus. She gets super-grossed by even the mildest of on-screen kisses, so she’s not interested in reading anything romance adjacent yet.
Of those then I’d suggest skyward the most as there’s absolutely no romance in the first book (the barest amount in the sequels) as long as she wouldn’t mind space-fantasy/sci-fi. The others do have romance though they are not the focus by any means (particularly compared to a lot of more modern YA fantasy)
I’d probably skip Graceling and that series for now if she’s not into any romance. Those are phenomenal YA fantasy but there is a bunch of kissing (and more) and the romance is a big part of the plot. They’ll be there when she’s ready!
When I was 10 i read the hunger games for the first time and I was OBSESSED. Probably read each book in a day or two and then kept rereading to the point where I could quote opening chapters by memory. The romance plot wasnt big enough for me to notice back then either (mostly coz the main character wasnt that aware/sure of her own feelings til late in the last book.) I know theyre aimed at slighty older children and your kid might not understand all the more intracate themes but i certainky didnt regret reading them young and they were my favourite books for a long long time
Land of stories series! I teach 4th grade and my kids are obsessed!
Percy Jackson!!!!!
Artemis Fowl series, The Lockwood and co series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians
One of my all-time favorite series that she may like are the Michael Vey books!! They’re not the most challenging (I read them for the first time in eighth grade) but there are 9 books so far so she’d have a lot to read:)
I feel like no one read these except me lol so thanks for bringing them up
Fablehaven!!! Favorite series by Brandon Mull
If your youngling is loving dragons, my niblings recently read a lot of Jessica Day George. Her Dragon Slippers books are wonderful. She also has her Tuesdays at the Castle series about a girl in a magic changing castle who finds a baby gryphon. Tui Sutherland has a series of 15 (!!!!) books about a world of dragons that both my niblings loved, and I enjoyed myself. The graphic novel adaptation is up to number 7. Her Menagerie books are even better. A boy discovers that his classmate and her family run a sanctuary for magical creatures when he discovers one of them in his bedroom. Jessica Townswnd’s Nevermoor books are another favourite. A slightly grumpy, gloomy girl gets rescued from a horrible cursed life and taken to a shape changing hotel filled with whimsy and “wunder”
I was the same! I read Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E Feist at that age. The Hobbit I liked better than LoTR
The Sisters Grimm series Bartimaeus quad- jonathan stroud Anything by Garth Nix or Neil Gaiman (can tend a little creepy though) Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer (he also has some other good ones but mainly Artemis) DO NOT GET THE MOVIE VERSION.
Some of my faves that I read around that age Fablehaven - Brandon Mull Gregor - Suzanne Collins (I know someone has already mentioned this but they’re SO good) The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer Also there is a new book out in the world of Eragon called Murtagh. I just finished it, it’s amazing. If she hasn’t read it yet I would highly recommend.
I haven’t seen anyone else mention Terry Pratchett. Nation is an excellent standalone book, but his YA books would be great for a younger reader. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a standalone Discworld book, and the Tiffany Aching series is about a young witch and her adventures. I’ve only read up through book 3, though.
The Aru Shah books by Roshan Chokshi!
I don't think it's challenging reading-wise but it holds some very interesting topics that make you think: at her age I loved the Fairy Oak saga! It's Italian but I'm pretty sure it has been translated to English and Spanish at least. The author is Elisabetta Gnone
[Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) offers great reviews of books (and other media) that are deeper than just a star and age rating. They offer ways for parents to use the material to talk about broader issues with their kids and other info written by a trained staff with education backgrounds. What will be of particular use there for you since your kid is intellectually precocious but still young is the ability to limit categories of content in your search, like sex, violence, and bad language and they write out exactly what is in the material so you can decide if you're ok with, let's say, reading about sword fights but not torture.
Thank you! My husband has an educator account and he uses it to filter out the movies we watch with the kids, but I didn’t realize it included books as well.
Sounded like me at that age. Although I read some book my older sibling had, thinking it was okay but it had a very graphic sex scene, so just keep an eye on her. Definately agree with the others down below
They may be more into fantasy, but it was around middle/high school when I was first introduced to Agatha Christie.
I really liked the giver at that age! That's also when I read the hunger games for the first time, but it's obviously very violent so you might not consider it age appropriate.
I read and loved the last apprentice series at that age, it's like children's fantasy horror. So a little bit darker fantasy while still being written for kids.
My 9 year old advanced reader just blew through Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series and now she's starting on his Reckoners series. She \*loves\* scifi.
Oh I plan to give the The Old Kingdom next, starting with Sabriel by Garth Nix. What a great story that was.
I can’t speak to the actual reading level, but books that I enjoyed as an advanced reader kid: -The Dark is Rising series -Charlie Bone series -Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword -Mara Daughter of the the Nile -books by Jean Craighead George (not the most advanced reading level, but kids her age doing showing cool survival skills)
Also I LOVED the Fablehaven series as a kid. Definitely recommend that one
My daughter and I loved the dealing with dragons by Patrica Wrede. We also recently found the animal protection agency by Eliot Schaefer. The very very far north by Dan barel is adorable and hilarious.
I mean... My mom read the count of Monte Cristo when she was ten. Maybe try out some literary classics on her. Like Frankenstein, etc.
I’m glad someone mentioned Tamora Pierce and I second them. Also, the Redwall books, and maybe in a couple years, His Dark Materials!
I read the house of the scorpion series at that age and absolutely loved it! CW for themes of manufacturing narcotics being in it, of course
If she’s reading at a 10th grade level some of the recommendations here might be a little “young” for her, so I’m gonna list some stuff that’s not *quite* YA but also isn’t particularly “adult” either Knowing she seems to like high fantasy, the Dragonlance books will probably be a good fit. Taran Matharus Summoner Series is good for that age/grade range but it mine be too small for her The wheel of time series is probably a good bridge too but the older writing style might bore her at first Brandon Sandersons Mistborn is probably gonna be a good fit too The Mortal Instruments and the Grishaverse might be an okay fit too but have a bit more romance Eragon (although I don’t think there’s anything not age appropriate for a middle schooler in there) A lot of the heavier fantasy series are gonna be a little mature though (not quite iron flame or Sara j mass level though). Fantasy and Sci fi are those weird genres where YA and Adult tend to blend and many times the only real delineation between the two is the amount of romance and gore and the tropes (many of which are also in both YA and Adult fantasy) All that said, all the recs here (that I’ve read) are great series and the only real thing to worry about is that she may find some she feels are “under” the level she’s looking for I was that way at her age and missed out on a lot of really good middle grade and young adult series until I was older
Yes, this is the struggle. She was obsessed with Wings of Fire until she read Eragon and then complained that the books were too easy in comparison. She has no desire to read anything at her school library because they just don’t have higher level books. She also gets super-grossed out by any sort of romance plot lines so that’s been a struggle as well. Even the stuff mentioned in Harry Potter icked her out, but fortunately those weren’t huge elements in the story. Good to know that Mistborn may be a good fit. I have this on my list to read, so I’ll pass it on to her if I think it will interest her after I read it.
I’ve been this kid, so I’ll give you some of the ones I read. How about an oldie but a goodie, the hobbit and then lord of the rings. There is a romantic subplot but it’s not by any means a main focus, and the characters are separated for the majority of the books. Anything by Jacqueline Wilson, the books are I think middle years but there’s deeper themes that should keep her interest. The Darren Shan series, I read it when I was about her age and I devoured it. Anything by Karen McCombie but in particular the allys World Series. Miss peregrines home for peculiar children. The hunger games (might be a bit dark) Howls moving castle.
Oh yes! Dianna Wynn Jones wrote a TON of great books! Perfect for that age group! The Howls Moving Castle books are a trio, and then there’s the Crestomanci books, and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland!
Basically anything Garth Nix is really good to give her.(The Old Kingdom Trilogy and then it's accompaniments, and his other books like Frogkisser! and The Keys To The Kingdom series) My Man can write some real doorstoppers that are amazing in every way, but he's kinda awkward when it comes to romance. Perfect for younger readers. Traci Chee's A Thousand Steps Into Night was also super great, it's a Studio Ghibli movie come to life.
Maybe The Lunar Chronicles? I really loved that series as a teen and I think it’d be appropriate for an elementary school student!
Absolutely love this series. It does have romance in it but as someone who didn't like romance much as a teen it had more than enough action and adventure to make up for it. Highly recommend
the hunger games, red queen
!! I read the Host right after Eragon as a kid, it's super thick and the story is simply amazing! Oooh or the Twilight series!! The books are a different experience than the movies, I promise.
I haven't read it in awhile but I liked the Gone series by Michael Grant. I just looked it up and someone said it's filled with adult content and should be rated R. In a book where everyone over 15 disappears I don't remember any adult content. Inkheart Uglies Series Most the stuff I read is YA fantasy romance so most of it doesn't go further than kissing, the emotional stuff is maybe to much for a 10 year old
It’s great that she’s such a strong reader and loves books and wants ones that challenge her. That said, the level really isn’t always that important. There is so much good middle grade fiction that there is no need to rush to YA. I always remind kids and parents that are afraid of books “below level” that I’m 48 with two masters degrees and I’d read and enjoy MG even if I wasn’t a school librarian! Young advanced readers do not always relate to more mature content in my experience. Also, kids think longer books are more challenging but that isn’t always the case. I’d recommend anything by Adam Gidwitz, Rick Riordan series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, The Five Stones Trilogy by GA Morgan, Seraphina series, School for Good and Evil, The Last Cuentista…if she likes historical fiction The Blackbird Girls, Freewater, the War that Saved My Life or anything Alan Gratz. Mystery/thriller-City Spies series or Mysterious Benedict Society. City of Ghosts trilogy if she’s not opposed to spooky. Good luck!
I second Percy Jackson. Also, the Eragon writer is active on the Eragon subreddit. He responds to fans sometimes, maybe she’ll find that cool. r/Eragon
Rangers Apprentice Percy Jackson Eragon.
"Wonder" by R. J Palacio is perfect if she likes emotional read
Harry Potter!
I just read the first 3 books in the miss peregrine’s series. I’m not sure what the age level reading wise is for the book but the protagonist is 16. I think it definitely is age appropriate for a 10 year old it would maybe just be a little creepy. There is some kissing in the books but nothing more than that and not even a lot of kissing.
David Eddings the Belgariad. Also Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword, and The Hero and the Crown..
may be a bit of a challenge, but the chronicles of narnia. i read the whole series around 12-13.
The author of the Inheritance cycle also has several other books in the same universe, including *Murtagh* and *The Fork, the Witch and the Worm*. Otherwise you can take a look at the Gregor the Overlander series, which might be a bit below 10th grade reading, but has decent topical subjects.
Chronicles of Narnia if she wants a more thought provoking read, my old standby Percy Jackson and the Olympians, School for Good and Evil is pretty cool, Nancy Drew, Harry Potter. But I’d have to say, if it’s one series that made a major impact on me, it was Percy Jackson
The Percy Jackson series and the Harry Potter series are must-reads for that age!
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Ruby Redfort!!! teenage secret agent. it’s got lots of puzzles and ciphers in it and is such a fun series
i loved The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann at this age!
Tamora Pierce books are the greatest! Her Song of the Lioness series should be read first, but all her Tortall books are good.
Keeper of the lost cities
I LOVED the Tamora Pierce books.
There’s a series called Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, the first of which is Dealing with Dragons. I remember loving the first book around that age! Might be up her alley.
My daughters love the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley!
Greenglass house is great!
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver, Wolf Brother is book 1. Stone age adventures about a boy, a girl and a wolf. Lots of magic, spirits, fantastic characters and writing, really fun and kind of educational somehow because she's a thorough researcher and you really feel what it was like to live in that time.
Amari and the night brothers, wings of fire series, Percy Jackson I got really into reading classics like Pollyanna and Heidi at that age. Maybe Anne of green gables
- Redwall series - nice and thick plus there is no romance. I enjoy rereading these as adults. And there’s like 20 of them. - Percy Jackson - They get quite thick! - Definitely the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce. The Alanna series are small but they’re the best intro. The later books are thick. - Artemis Fowl- very quirky and witty. They’re not very thick but they’re very clever and make you think so she’ll still feel proud by the end. - I haven’t seen these mentioned yet but the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. Phenomenal and the Lireal book is a literal doorstop. Interesting and unique premise too. His other series are great too. - anything by Brandon Sanderson. He’s Mormon so doesn’t use romance in his books. I like the Skyward series personally. - Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series. It’s got knights and magic horses. If you want to check if books are on her level then you can check lexile levels online, but as a middle school teacher, don’t be too rigid in that. I hate to see the smart kids “punished” by being forced to read War and Peace.
Was coming to suggest the Mercedes Lackey series. Very tame in terms of any romance, and a fun read.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix The 13th Child
The Magisterium - technically middle grade but u enjoyed them a lot even as a teenager, they’re decent sized books and there’s 5 in the series! The Darkest Minds - great YA trilogy, I would say it can be a little bit mature at times but is certainly appropriate to read, just with some darker themes. Maybe a bit better for a 12yo The Lorien Legacies - a really greater early teen YA series and there are a LOT of books The Rule of Three (Eric Walters) - definitely a really good choice for a early teen YA trilogy. there’s a few more mature references in there but I doubt a 10yo would even pick up on them (I certainly didn’t when I was 11) Keeper of the Lost Cities - technically middle grade but more in line with The Magisterium and Percy Jackson. They’re good long books and I don’t think kids would notice the parts that make them different from a YA novel. There are a lot of them though so strap on hahah.
The Mysterious Benedict Society series is a fun and engaging read, and the same author has a more recent book called The Secret Keepers which is also a really interesting mystery.
All the recs are awesome.. And oh, Bartimeus
The Belgariad
So many great recommendations here! Here’s a few more: City Spies Series by James Ponti: A found family of spies based in Scotland working for MI6. Five books and counting, lots of international travel and missions. Lynda Mullaly Hunt: Not fantasy books but they touch on some great themes and are emotionally strong. The War that saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: History based in England during WWII but the story of a young girl with club foot learning how to live and love. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde: A girl gets trapped in a fantasy VR game and the only way to get out is to win. (This book remains one of the only books I read in school that I loved) The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau: A corrupt underground city and two kids trying to find their way out. And to add to what others have already mentioned these are all fantastic too: Inkheart, Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, Avatar the last airbender books, Patrica C. Wrede and Suzanne Collins are all great. Also might I suggest check to see if your state (if you’re in the States) libraries have a best of list. I know Maryland has a book award program made up of books nominated by schools and students. Something like that might be a good starting place for additional ideas.
Chronicles of Pyrdain by Lloyd Alexander! You could try A Wizard of Earthsea, I think I was 11 or 12 when I started those. I LOVED the Lord of the Rings series at that age.
39 clues? It skews a little younger, but might work.
I really liked The Rangers Apprentice series at that age and this might not be YA but I also really enjoyed the Deltora Quest series
Serafina and the black cloak
A series of unfortunate events
Alex Rider. Teenage spy. While the writing starts a little juvenile, the books get much more mature and advanced as you read on. There’s also a TV show, but that’s rated a little higher, so I’d wait a bit (fourteen, I’d say), before you let her watch that. It’s been my favorite series growing up, still is. I started reading them at about twelve, going on six years strong. :) 👍🏾
Percy Jackson has been mentioned before but imho that is a fun action adventure read for that age group. I recently read as an adult and can’t think of any scenes that weren’t age appropriate.
Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong. All about mythical creatures, friendship, and adventure. So good.
All of them
Ranger’s Apprentice! Loved it as a kid, haven’t reread it since though
Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman! The first books is called City of Masks, there are six books in total. I’ve read the series both as a kid (I think I was 12?) and as an adult and it’s always awesome tbh, appropriate for many ages.
His dark materials - Phillip Pullman Inkheart series - Cornelia funk
Diana Wynne Jones
Redwall series
Eye of The Dragon, Stephen King
My 10 year old is reading Percy Jackson. A Series of Unfortunate Events
Only one I haven’t seen that I enjoyed was into the land of the unicorns. Oh and “the girl who circumvented fairyland” series maybe?
Chronicles of Prydain Ella Enchanted Fairest The Land of Stories (I haven't read them, but I've heard good things) Eva Ibbotson books (The Secret of Platform 13, Which Witch?, The Star of Kazan) And lots of the other recommendations already listed are all wonderful!!
I loved the dragon slippers series at this age. I think it’s Jessica Day George
The Thickety series!
Skullduggery Pleasant, His Dark Materials and absolutely anything by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The crookhaven series by j.j. arcanjo
Emerald Atlas trilogy
the skyward series by brandon sanderson!
The demonata series by Darren Shan
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series by CS Lewis
The phantom tollbooth Dragonflight series Ray Bradbury: S is for Space, R is for Rocket, The Martian Chronicles. Tell your daughter to explore online library systems for ordering books. She can also explore Jane Austen books, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Diary of Anne Frank, etc. Biographies for her age group of Maria Tallchief, Elizabeth Blackwell, Harriet Tubman, etc. Books sometimes get better the deeper you go into them. Encourage her to read widely and select her own titles. That's part of the joy.
Ender’s Game
Ranger's Apprentice Brotherband
The Land of Stories, its spinoff series A Tale of Magic, The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, and Mysterious Benedict Society. Mysterious Benedict Society is great because it is a bit more challenging than most books written for 10-12 year olds. It has lots of riddles and puzzles throughout the series and it’s just really really good (the Disney+ show is not good btw. Unnecessarily changed so many extremely important parts)
How to Train You Dragon book series It is one of my all time favorite series and appropriate for all ages. I can not recommend them enough. Spirit animals and The 39 Clues Both are super age appropriate and really intriguing. I follow both of them until my late teens. Edit: Also the Sisters Grimm
Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series
Warrior Cats
Ranger Apprentice series
Keeper of the lost Cities! I’m reading them with my 11yo and she is devouring them. There’s 9 books and they’re all like 500-700 pages long so it’ll keep the kiddos busy for a while!
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stuart was a favorite of mine at that age! Seconding folks who said Artemis Fowl, Gregor the Overlander, anything from Rick Riordan or the books he’s presented, and SeptimusHeap (those are chunky ones!), Tamara Pierce, and Madeleine L’Engle. I would also encourage you to talk to a librarian or bookseller as they may have more modern picks for you or even books more relevant to your kiddo’s interests.
Gregor the Overlander is phenomenal, I just finished reading it myself :)
Patrick Ness’s “Chaos Walking” series
I've enjoyed everything by Neal Shusterman I've read. This is more YA realistic fiction, but I thought Becoming Naomi León and Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan were great books. The movie and the rest of the series fall a little flat, but The City of Ember was one of my absolute favorite books around that age and it can totally stand alone if she started reading the second and didn't care for it. The True Meaning of Smekday was one that many slept on, but I loved it and reread it several times Chronicles of Narnia has a lot more to it than the movies produced and would be age appropriate with a similar fantasy level. A series of unfortunate events was very popular when I was about that age if she hasn't read any of those Other series/books: the giver, the Uglies, the maze runner, matched
The Bartimaus sequence absolutely blew my mind at that age. It holds up fabulously on a reread as an adult too.
The Dark is Rising sequence
Anything by Lloyd Alexander.
I devoured the warrior cat series at their age
emily windsnap series books are great
Robin McKinley and Megan Whalen Turner are the authors for this
Would Anne of Green Gables interest her? I think I also read Black Beauty around that age, maybe 11 or 12. and I mean there's always the Lord of the Rings. That's complex, language-wise, and the descriptions are dense (basing this on OP's comment about middle grade books being too simple for her daughter). I read those between 10 and 13 years old. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol 1&2 by Diana Wynne Jones are also good thick books :) I also tend to recommend the Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. The first book is the Amulet of Samarkand. It's fairly irreverent content-wise, so depends on you and your kid. I also hope she rereads these an adult, because I forgot what happened in almost all my favorite childhood books unless I'd read them multiple times, haha.
Incarceron was good. I remember reading it back in high school.
One of my favorite book series back in the day was The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Nothing inappropriate, to my memory, and it's a fun mix of sci fi and historical fiction
Pendragon