spending all our money on brand new novels

[faeriemaiden]

I really love my job.

Now, not every day is the giddy glory that the eight hours last Saturday were, but going to work and doing my work continuously makes me happy. Borders may not get a ringing endorsement from me as companies go, and certainly I have to wade through a lot of bureaucratic nonsense, and sell a lot of rubbish books (and even

Comments

[aohdwyn]

For tween-age girls? Tamora Pierce, all the way. Great heroines, nothing explicitly sexual (some stuff that shocked me, when I was a prudish ten years old, but looking back is very tame, and nothing a teen girl can't handle) and very fast reading. No vampires, unfortunately, but I've never been a big reader of vampire fiction, and what vampire fiction I'm A) reading now or B) have heard of, is all very much adult, explicit stuff. Charlaine Harris, for instance, is wonderful, but not in the least YA. TBH, I think that's why Twilight is so popular -- it fills an as-yet unfilled niche, being sexy vampire fiction without the sex. Of course, like I said, not that knowledgeable about vamp-fic.
Lessee ... I don't know if Borders would have it, or even if it's still in print (with the popularity of YA vamp novels, hopefully they're reprinting it, and you could suggest that they stock it?) but Vivian Vande Velde's (oof, is that a mouthful) YA vampire novel Companions of the Night would be a great post-Twilight book. No sequels, unfortunately

[bornofstars]

Seconding Tamora Pierce! Her Circle of Magic series was my first introduction to Fantasy Other Than Harry Potter, and while they're not high literature, the characters and plots are pretty fantastic. Her Immortals quartet (beginning with Wild Magic) was also a favourite of mine, and her Alanna books are good as well. Really, you can't go wrong with Tamora Pierce if you're looking for quality YA fantasy.

As for reluctant readers, perhaps try Lois Lowry's The Giver or A Wrinkle in Time; they're both science fiction, but subtle enough that I don't think it would alienate readers, and they're full of ideas, and beautiful writing. The Sight is a fantasy about wolves that I absolutely adored as a pre-teen - the writing is quite good, and the story is enormously compelling and original. My friend Megan's sister loved it, and she isn't a reader at all. And what about E.L. Konigsburg? Her books are always wonderful.

I'm trying to remember other books I loved when I was younger...hm. Perhaps I'll return with more titles...

[aohdwyn]

The Immortals Quartet was my favorite as well. =) It was much easier for me to connect with the uncertain, emotionally damaged Daine than with brave, tomboyish Alanna.

Oooh, I LOVED From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg! I spent my childhood being dragged from one museum to the next, and it was always fun to imagine being able to spend the night in one. I would love to spend the night at the Art Institute, although I'm pretty sure the Hall full of Armor would be inordinately terrifying at night.

[bornofstars]

Oh, definitely - I enjoyed the Alanna books, but never truly connected emotionally with them. Daine and Numair I loved.

The View from Saturday is my favourite E.L. Konigsburg. A gentle sense of humour and a bunch of intelligent, misfit children coming together? So lovely.

[bornofstars]

Also! I covet your job so much. I would have loved to have talked with the dignified older woman.

[faeriemaiden]

I think she's one of my favourite customers I've ever had. She was just so... elegant, and fascinating. Perhaps she reminded me a little of Madeleine L'Engle, in retrospect, though we only spoke for a few minutes.

[wanderlight]

and I think I will have to put her in a story someday
Essentially: you = ♥. :)

[suangelita]

Bridge to Terabithia is good. A fantasy-esque book for girls would be "The Perilous Gard." Also, Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" though it might be too "kiddie."

See, the thing is, there's either kiddie lit, or more adult lit. Youth Lit just sucks. ;)

Oh! Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" sequence. And Lloyd Alexander's "The Chronicles of Prydain."

For those who are a little older, Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" rocks. Taliesin, Merlin, and Arthur in particular.

Of course, Howard Pyle. Men of Iron, Adventures of Robin Hood, Story of the Champions of the Round Table.

And George MacDonald. The Lost Princess, The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie (sequel to Goblin), Sir Gibbie.

Victoria loves Anne McAffrey, but I'm not sure what level that's on. Gotta actually read it. ;)

[barefoottomboy]

Nth-ing the Tamora Pierce, especially the Circle of Magic quartets for younger (i.e. more ten than fourteen) readers.

Sunshine is definitely for the older teen and above, but how about Beauty or Spindle's End? Ella Enchanted too for the younger girl reader. (But Levine's follow-up effort is sadly very poor.)

Yes! to Diana Wynne Jones as well, especially the Christopher Chant books for younger readers, of both sexes.

As for reluctant readers (and I find these tend to be boys more than girls), my younger brother was one until he discovered the Horrible Histories, though I don't know if they made it to the US.
Otherwise you probably want something adventurous or exciting to reel them in. S.E. Hinton is usually short but excellent for a t(w)een boy market, who might also go for Ender's Game. L'Engle is definitely worth a try, I'd say: our teacher read us A Wrinkle In Time when I was in primary school, aged about nine or ten.
Ooh, how about Artemis Fowl? I haven't read any of the Alex Rider books (beginning with Stormbreaker?), but

[faeriemaiden]

How reluctant-reader friendly do you find Ender's Game? It's so layered with heavy subjects and philosophy and things. I read it first at sixteen and didn't really like it. (Then I re-read it two years later and fell dizzyingly in love with it, and Speaker for the Dead probably changed my life.) But I've heard a lot of people talk about how much they loved it as much younger children, and I wonder what drew them to it. Of course, I was sort of timid as a younger reader (and I'm still a timid reader in some ways, because books and I get so intimately involved, and so sometimes the wrong book can really hurt me), so that may have had something to do with it?

I've recommended Artemis Fowl to several... well, parents, really, because usually they haven't had their children with them. It hasn't taken thus far, but I hold out hope. (A little boy bought one of the books on his own, too, so yay.)

I read A Wrinkle in Time when I was nine, too, but my reading experience and maturity level was so very different that I don't know what it

[barefoottomboy]

Hmmm. It's actually quite difficult for me to judge reluctant-reader compatibility, as I could at no point in my life have been described as a reluctant reader. ;-)

Having said that, I think that the thing with a lot of layered books is that you don't necessarily have to engage with all the layers. Ender's Game works as a plain exciting action/adventure story, which is I think where it attracts younger/reluctant readers, especially as Ender is young throughout the whole book. There are of course a lot of dark elements which not all children will enjoy/cope with: Amazon lists it as having a reading age of 9-12, but it probably depends a lot on what kind of nine- or twelve-year-old.

I didn't really pay attention to age categories for books until quite recently. I don't think I was properly aware of the children's/YA/adult's split for a long time: I just read books. Though I did read more 'boy' books than 'girl' books, so I'm also at a slight loss as to where to steer the post-Twilight teen girl. It looks like you're getting a bunch of