I'd like to get a book for my little sister. She's 9 and has already red classics as Heidi...

If they're reading YA right now, I'd probably first ease them into some YA worth a read (it's very rare of course, outside of the His Dark Materials trilogy and Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane [I know, kneel gayman, but it's a genuinely enjoyable quick read], I can't think of much).

Alice in Wonderland seems to appeal to girls and women of all ages so that's always a fair bet.

I guess ask what kind of things she enjoys while reading too: romances? adventures? Spectacle? Character development? We give people shit on Veeky Forums for being plebs but at 16 she'll have some idea of what keeps her reading. She can find all that kind of stuff outside of YA and in the classics.

I remember when I was 16 and I was fixated on books that scared or disturbed me, I was reading non-stop shock value schlock and HP Lovecraft thinking that was the epitome of the best literature. It's ignorant but at 16 there's usually a few things that teenagers want specifically out of reading, even if that means restricting their horizons for reading. Find out what it is that she digs in those YA novels because we know that there'll be a classic novel that does it much better.

If you wanted a quick brain-storm of potential accessible classics for a teenager/young adult, here's a few suggestions:

- Mishima's The Sound of Waves (albeit minimal and casual in its pacing, it's accessible and maturely focuses on a young romance that must overcome the disdain of people in the small island village it is set in)
- 1984 (teenagers sometimes want a way to vent some political frustration and 1984 is an accessible beginner's understanding to political injustice - at the very least it'll make them appreciate the country they were born in and express empathy for those under dictatorships)
- Of Mice & Men (probably read it in school but everyone seems to love reading this one in school - short, sweet and heartbreaking end - it will make her appreciate character development even if she doesn't realise it)

Sorry this post took so long to write, but these are the kind of things I would consider if I had a daughter/sister. If she enjoyed any of the three books above, she's probably going to be a lot more open to other writers and she might find it difficult to return to YA fiction.

It might be a book that hits on some dark and bitter notes, but I think it's worth it. Children can actually handle a lot of darkness in the stories they're told and they're captivated by it. A book like Curious Incident would probably help them empathise with that one awkward child in school or make them understand a little more as to why one child might be more difficult than another. I would read it to my own children and I would explain to them some of the more difficult things the story covers.

Thank you user!

Throw in the 48 laws of power and the art of war too for a tactician in the making.

Beloved; The color purple; Kindred; I know why the caged bird sings

Ender's game; Dune; The Foundation; Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys

The three muskateers; The cask of amomtiado; Death of a salesman

A good next step would be Lord of the flies and huckle bery fin.

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but I really recommend The Chronicles of Narnia. Along with The Hobbit, the Narnia books were some of my favorite as a child

When I was 8 I read the Silmarillion. I'm not kidding, it kind of fucked me up.

it's time, OP.

What's "YA"?

Chronicles of Narnia are good books for children

>the last unicorn
>redwall
>matilda

at 9 she's old enough for plato, ger her the republic and the laws

roald dahl books

Story of the eye

Alice in Wonderland

Lolita

Young Adult. It's fiction designed for age 10-18, roughly. Usually relationship drama or fantasy, like the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Fault on our star, etc

Sophie's World

...