Recommendations for an 11-year-old girl?

Had my wife not passed away recently, I wouldn't be writing this. She was a great elementary school librarian, who always kept up on the YA genre.

This is for her granddaughter, whose parents have come to realize that after nearly a decade of reading only bible stories, their daughter has stopped reading altogether. They want her to begin reading mainstream literature for young teens, books that might keep her interest, and without any emphasis on religion at all.

Currently, the granddaughter is all into jewelry and makeup; does well in school when motivated; talked about wanting to be a veterinarian when we saw her around this time last year. It's a good six-hour drive to their place, so we didn't see them that often, and it's possible that unless I make the drive to west Texas, I won't be seeing them at all. (I'll be selling the current house and moving into a much smaller one within a year, I hope.) They'll be here this weekend for the memorial event for my wife. I'd like to send her back home with a bunch of new books for her to read.

So, which books/series would you recommend, and why?

Do you have a good bookstore nearby? I would suggest going there and having a good look around. Since they are coming so far, I would hope that they will stay long enough for you to take her to choose her own books.

Also be sure to give her one or two books that belonged to her grandmother and that her grandmother loved.

>1 WholeHouseLibrary:

First things first: I am so sorry to hear about your wife.

Have you thought about consulting with a colleague of hers? Or the children's librarian at your local library?

I wonder if she'd like Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series: http://www.librarything.com/series/The+Sally+Lockhart+Quartet They're set in Victorian London, and, like many of Pullman's books, the protagonist is a feisty young girl.

If you won't be seeing them much in the future, but still want to be giving her books, you might look into the Stuart Brent Children's Book Club: https://bookclub.stuartbrent.com/

Oh, and I absolutely second >2 MarthaJeanne:'s recommendation of giving her some of her grandmother's books.

Animal stories for 11-year-olds (since she mentioned being a vet); I might suggest looking into Misty of Chincoteague or more hesitantly Watership Down.

Perhaps the Redwall series by Brian Jacques--not "girly" per se but with the animal connection, and much fun. Also (maybe) Bloody Jack, about an 18th century girl who poses as a boy and joins the navy.

I'm sorry for your loss, WHL.

For that age, there's a cute series called the Wish Novels (e.g. Cake Pop Crush, Sit, Stay, Love). They're lighthearted, innocent books, with just a touch of romance, but nothing a pre-teen reader can't handle. If she's reluctant to read more serious stuff, this might just do the trick. The From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess series might also be a fun option. (They're a spinoff of The Princess Diaries, but skew slightly younger, and in my opinion they stand alone well enough that new readers can start there.)

The Chronicles of the Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede, starting with Dealing With Dragons is good fun. The girl main character is competent and good at saving herself. There are about 5 books in the series, and any decent bookstore (or Amazon) should be able to supply them.

>7 tardis: Ooh, good suggestion! Dealing with Dragons is terrific for that age. If she has any interest in fantasy, she might also like books by Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, Two Princesses of Bamarre), Shannon Hale (Princess Academy, The Goose Girl), and Jessica Day George (Dragon Slippers, Tuesdays at the Castle).

I also know a lot of kids who are obsessed with the Warriors series by Erin Hunter (books about anthropomorphic feral cats -- Into the Wild is the first book). Another popular series (this one about dragons) is Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland -- The Dragonet Prophecy is the first book in that series.

For a popular non-fantasy series, there's the Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell.

Also, graphic novels are super popular for that age group. Smile and Sisters by Raina Telgemeier started the trend, but some other good ones include:
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
All's Faire in Middle School and Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm

Another graphic novel series I really enjoy is Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson

I'm not sure if this series is readily available in the US but I loved the Friday Barnes books by R A Spratt even though I am a fair bit older than 11. The tagline that initially piqued my interest was "Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an 11 year old girl!".

Sorry for your loss.

The Spirit Animals series (starts with Wild Born by Brandon Mull) - each volume is written by a different teen author/s but the story builds from its introduction through.

Some authors worth looking at to see if they have something recent out that might appeal - Garth Nix, Maggie Stiefvater, John Flanagan, Michelle Paver, Chris Colfer, Eoin Colfer, Michael Morpurgo, Celia Rees

A couple that I don't know personally but which sounded interesting on a look on amazon

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven by Bella Forrest

How about the The 13-story treehouse books? Most kids love them!

When it comes to books about animals (and vets), don't feel limited to things marketed for children. Even children younger than this can really enjoy general animal books. A book put out in German by the Vienna zoo showing animals and their keepers was a big hit with 8 and 9 year olds.

In general, for kids with specific interests, zoo and museum gift shops are great places to look for books.

Thanks very much. In the end, we compromised on the first three books of one of Warrior series, a 3-book set of the Babysitter's Club, and Wonder.

First, please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your wife. It will be an adjustment, but you will get through it.

As for an 11-year-old who loves animals ... Seems that you made some great choices of reading material to send her home with.

But Christmas is coming, so more opportunity to give her books. How about the books by James Herriot - start with All Creatures Great and Small I don't think they're particularly difficult for a middle-school student, nor is there inappropriate language / content.

Old but fascinating to me when I was that age ... the Dr Dolittle books by Hugh Lofting.