Ramona Quimby
The Doll People
Hilo
The Wild Robot
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Wonderstruck
Ella Enchanted
Upside Down Magic

Some of those you might want to wait on ayear or two. My kids are 11 and 14 now and I don't remember when exactly we read certain books and series.

The Doll People (series)

DD5 and DS6 loved the Heartwood Hotel books by Kallie George. Also Kate DiCamillo books, Where the mountain meets the moon, and Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (though this one was sad at moments and dealt with some harder themes - it’s very beautiful and ultimately uplifting and my kids did love it).

Never girls! So cute and a lovely series to dive into... plus has some really great vocabulary words hidden in there.

All of a kind family
The twenty one balloons
Maybe some stuff by EL Konigsberg? Or the fudge/Sheila the great books by Judy blume.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all - I'm taking notes. We just finished "Fortunately, the Milk" for the second time in a month. She loved Gaiman's writing style more than any other author, or maybe she just liked the illustrations, but I think Gaiman's other books, like Coraline, are too dark for her.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett might be worth a look in this case. The worst witch series, come to think of it, might be worth a look too.

Howl’s Moving Castle

My DD enjoyed Fairy Realm series (author Emily Rodda)
They are very well written.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all - I'm taking notes. We just finished "Fortunately, the Milk" for the second time in a month. She loved Gaiman's writing style more than any other author, or maybe she just liked the illustrations, but I think Gaiman's other books, like Coraline, are too dark for her.

If she likes funny books, try rolling straight into Frindle.

Thanks all - I'm taking notes. We just finished "Fortunately, the Milk" for the second time in a month. She loved Gaiman's writing style more than any other author, or maybe she just liked the illustrations, but I think Gaiman's other books, like Coraline, are too dark for her.

I think Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede might be right up your alley. Very amusing subversion of the princess dynamic without it being a moralistic gimmick.

Strawberry Girl is a fun one. My DS7 loved it as a read-aloud.