Recommend Best Reading Books For A Ten-Year-Old Girl

[Oiverbotel]

My sister says her ten year old daughter is utterly bored at the prospect of reading. Sis is getting so upset about this that she's asked me - an awkward child whose first reading material was the Economist and Private Eye. (yes, I was a nerdy kid!).

Could anyone suggest some favourite books of 10-11 year old girls which might help inspire my niece into finding interest in reading, please? She's a good kid and she's quite intelligent. But for some sad reason, she'd rather plop herself in front of a telly than getting lost in a book.

And...my thought is that it's far better to get her a real book, rather than a Kindle edition. Is that correct thinking on my part, or should I give way to feeding her starving Kindle?

Many thanks!
Ollie

[sherrardk]

Must agree with B00, none of my kids (apart from girl 1) are big readers - the boys would far prefer to surf the net or play Xbox. Thing 1 (6 years old) is really struggling with reading and is having 'extra help' and whilst she plays ball at school she will not take it seriously when I try to read with her at home. When my kids are home their time is their own, they work hard at school so they can do as they wish at home.

[B00]

Sad isn't it?

It was instilled in me from a very young age. I remember as young as five that one of my Saturday treats was going to the library with my mum and picking books for the week. Try as I might I haven't been able to do the same with my own child :-(

[sherrardk]

I don't think it's sad really, my kids are far more savvy in other areas - they might take up reading when they are older for their own pleasure. (Although thing 1's reading skills are tragic :( )

[Ellipsis]

I read to my kids when they were young. At least 20 minutes per night, up to about an hour (one reason The Hobbit is so good is that all the chapters take about 20 minutes to read and each is a self contained story). This meant they got some "Dad time" and also got to appreciate books without having to put much effort in. It's like lots of things with kids. If you hand it off to them and expect them to do it on their own, it is likely to fail. But if you do it with them, it's a completely different proposition ...

[Cloverjo]

Try Peter Pan or the Alice books.

[horseshoes]

Wind in the Willows.

[horseshoes]

Me too Boo.

[pastafreak]

I agree with B00 and sherrardk...lil pasta always had masses of books and always saw me reading...but she had little interest in reading by the time she was ten or so. She also had mild dyslexia...it took several years to establish this,and may have contributed to her lack of interest. I myself struggled to learn how to read(maybe due to a squint),but when I did,I couldn't stop.
Lil pasta reads plenty now...all science texts...still no fiction. :-( Her dad is/was the same...read only one novel in the time I knew him,and did not read much as a child.
Not every child loves reading...and it may be better not to force it.

[campbellking]

101 Dalmatians is a beautiful book, as is the follow-up, the Twilight Barking. Also adored all the Narnia books.

[Cloverjo]

The Railway Children.