Is there any guide to which high-quality contemporary books are suitable for specific age groups?

ToneControl

My 13 year old has started asking for books to read

I buy the Mann booker shortlist every year, and she'd picked up a thinner one of these, but frankly, most would be quite adult and sometimes disturbing themes I think.

Is there any guide to which high-quality contemporary books are suitable for specific age groups?

CHRISB50

Why not take her to a bookshop, and just let her pick some that she's interested in?

quarky

Or the library and ask? Otherwise, goodreads.com isn't a bad site. It has a lot of categories, but you need to do the searching yourself really.

AlexC

Many contemporary Young Adult novels are extremely well written and genuinely intelligent. It was a genre that didn't exist when I was your daughter's age, so I did tend to go for adult books - many of which I just didn't understand TBH. Any decent bookshop - including online - will have a YA section so maybe have a look through that with her.

Flink_Poyd

Depends what shes into, could start here
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/46948.Best_Books_For_12_13_Year_Old_Girls

ToneControl

I had a look on Amazon and wondered if the YA books would be naff and put here off, when there are so many top-notch adult books. Surely some of the best adult ones are suitable? It seems patronising to have what sounds like a dumbed down genre. I can see there will be some story lines that are good for 14-17 year olds, but surely some adult ones are also suitable.

The school already provides the YA by the way, I'm wondering about ones that I might have already that are suitable, or things we can buy and keep and enjoy long-term

ToneControl

CHRISB50 said:

Why not take her to a bookshop, and just let her pick some that she's interested in?

A bit hit and miss from my experience, same as going to Blockbuster was for films

Veganic

Depends what you think is suitable.

Our teen read loads of those "young adult" ones...all about teenage pregnancy, drugs and running away.  
She also really like Enid Blyton which was more worrying.

Get her a book token and drop her at the bookshop (or library if that is still a thing.) 

Edit: looks like the thread has moved on while I typed.

ArchtopDave

Has she read all the Harry Potter Books?

CHRISB50

ToneControl said:

CHRISB50 said:

Why not take her to a bookshop, and just let her pick some that she's interested in?

A bit hit and miss from my experience, same as going to Blockbuster was for films

But isn't that part of the process of finding out what you like, if you have no experience? Read some books. Form an opinion, then use it. 

Sassafras

The Bible?
That's full of nice, gentle stories.
I was forced to read it when I was a kid in a Catholic household and then again at school.
Quite strange when you think about it.
Good to know kids are still reading instead of being glued to a smart phone or games console.

jonnyburgo

A good one to read is "more than this" by Patrick Ness kind of a coming of age with elements of sci fi.  Good page turner. 

fob

I'm a bit wary of 'age-specific' books - obviously you don't want trashy sex/violence for a 13 year old but that needn't exclude (or include for that matter) sex and violence. I would say 13 is old enough to be pushing your boundaries. Why not look to the classics? I hate the '84 books you must read before you die' lists that fill column inches every so often but you could scan through a few and see if anything takes her fancy. Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, Diary of Anne Frank etc. are the mainstays but you could include books like Life of Pi, Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime and other more modern books. I also think that the old-school detective novels tend to be popular with younger readers. Agatha Christie books seem to have a little gravitas behind them but, in reality, are fairly simple and enjoyable romps. Same for Sherlock Holmes.

If it has to be Young Adult, I've read the Hunger Games trilogy (as an old adult) and thought they were great. I get the impression that the YA market is essentially a huge 'let's copy that'.

Grunfeld

ToneControl said:

I had a look on Amazon and wondered if the YA books would be naff and put her off...  It seems patronising to have what sounds like a dumbed down genre.

YA is right up there as one of my favourite fiction genres -- the best of it isn't dumbed down in any way. 
I originally got into it because I had a friend who writes YA so I wanted to know what was out there, but I've stayed with it.  Basically it can be very similar to adult fiction but without the waffly bollocks pretentiousness. 
If you google "best YA 2016" etc. you'll see lots of good books.
One that I wouldn't have read without recommendation first was Nicola Yoon's "Everything Everything" which I think is now a film.  The book has stayed with me, I liked it a lot despite it being the last thing I'd have chosen. 
Just remembered The Hunger Games books, they were good fun.  (There's a ton of dystopian YA books out there.)  Patrick Ness's, "The Knife of Never Letting Go" was another good one.
Definitely not a dumbed down genre.

Teyeplayer

The Carnegie shortlist is the one you want -it's presided over by librarians and is specifically aimed at young teens. They often hold events in schools shadowing the awards and will have a website with interviews with authors and interactive bits (usually). 
There will be the odd book that's subject matter might be a bit more adult but these are squarely aimed at your daughters age group.

edit:
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/

ToneControl

Grunfeld said:

ToneControl said:

I had a look on Amazon and wondered if the YA books would be naff and put her off...  It seems patronising to have what sounds like a dumbed down genre.

YA is right up there as one of my favourite fiction genres -- the best of it isn't dumbed down in any way. 
I originally got into it because I had a friend who writes YA so I wanted to know what was out there, but I've stayed with it.  Basically it can be very similar to adult fiction but without the waffly bollocks pretentiousness. 
If you google "best YA 2016" etc. you'll see lots of good books.
One that I wouldn't have read without recommendation first was Nicola Yoon's "Everything Everything" which I think is now a film.  The book has stayed with me, I liked it a lot despite it being the last thing I'd have chosen. 
Just remembered The Hunger Games books, they were good fun.  (There's a ton of dystopian YA books out there.)
Definitely not a dumbed down genre.

thanks for the insight
both the girls like hunger games

at school they have some system that suggests books based on their age and reading age, and what they have read already

I think my youngest wanted to read something independent of that, and she's noticed the dozens of books I have
Before I wrote the OP, I gave her "Hitch-hiker's guide" and "Colour of magic", knowing that they are very engaging and something different, and not very long which was her other criteria, so Lord of the rings is out for now.

ToneControl

fob said:

I'm a bit wary of 'age-specific' books - obviously you don't want trashy sex/violence for a 13 year old but that needn't exclude (or include for that matter) sex and violence. I would say 13 is old enough to be pushing your boundaries. Why not look to the classics? I hate the '84 books you must read before you die' lists that fill column inches every so often but you could scan through a few and see if anything takes her fancy. Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, Diary of Anne Frank etc. are the mainstays but you could include books like Life of Pi, Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime and other more modern books. I also think that the old-school detective novels tend to be popular with younger readers. Agatha Christie books seem to have a little gravitas behind them but, in reality, are fairly simple and enjoyable romps. Same for Sherlock Holmes.

If it has to be Young Adult, I've read the Hunger Games trilogy (as an old adult) and thought they were great. I get the impression that the YA market is essentially a huge 'let's copy that'.

thanks, yes I don't want to exclude sex and violence, just eliminate disturbing stuff
yesterday I explained without naming it that I'd read a book that was filled with it, and was a hard read too (A brief history of seven killings)
Also I wonder if my Murakami books would be too weird. Both kids love Korean and Japanese media, but it just seems a bit "in at the deep end", I'm thinking 15 or 16 for those books?

About half the Mann booker shortlist books I've read have been weird or I think would be hard work for many, e.g. SAtin Island, Testament of Mary, Narcopolis (also too much sex and violence), Swimming home

I wonder if this one would be good: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,

or Pigeon English

ToneControl

As well as random picks based on what I hear about, I have for a few years taken advantage of an amazing offer, which I wonder if you all have heard of?

Just after the Mann booker shortlist is announce, "bookpeople", you know - those guys who have lunchtime sales in the canteen of many companies once a month - do a special offer.
we used to buy kid's books from them, they are also very good for quite a few things, much cheaper than Amazon sometimes

But: the offer I mentioned is:
the whole shortlist of 6, for about £28 to £30

usually, there are offers and discounts so that it comes to about £27, and if you find another book or 2, it's free postage.
If you order early, all or most of the books come in hardback, I have had 5 or 6 in hardback some years for less than £30 total

Teyeplayer

ToneControl said:

Also I wonder if my Murakami books would be too weird. Both kids love Korean and Japanese media, but it just seems a bit "in at the deep end", I'm thinking 15 or 16 for those books?

About half the Mann booker shortlist books I've read have been weird or I think would be hard work for many, e.g. SAtin Island, Testament of Mary, Narcopolis (also too much sex and violence), Swimming home

Japanese lit is generally very weird (I love it) but I wouldn't give it to a student (just as I would give them Milan Kundera) unless they were doing a-level lit as they are texts grounded in philosophy and life experience -most teens just aren't ready for these yet, try it when they've had their heartbroken a few times and have become jaded.

You said your daughter was 13 so try these:
Wonder by R.J Palacio
Salt to the sea by Ruta Sepetys
Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
These have proven very popular with my students and I've used them for schemes of work as they have instigated such a positive reaction.
As with novels such as 'The curious incident' these are YA novels that are equally pleasurable for us adults.

As an aside to you @ToneControl ;as you like Murakami, if you haven't already read these, I'd highly recommend you try:
Soul Mountain by Gao Xinjian
and for light reading:
The penguin diaries by Andrey Kurkov 

ToneControl

Teyeplayer said:

ToneControl said:

Also I wonder if my Murakami books would be too weird. Both kids love Korean and Japanese media, but it just seems a bit "in at the deep end", I'm thinking 15 or 16 for those books?

About half the Mann booker shortlist books I've read have been weird or I think would be hard work for many, e.g. SAtin Island, Testament of Mary, Narcopolis (also too much sex and violence), Swimming home

Japanese lit is generally very weird (I love it) but I wouldn't give it to a student (just as I would give them Milan Kundera) unless they were doing a-level lit as they are texts grounded in philosophy and life experience -most teens just aren't ready for these yet, try it when they've had their heartbroken a few times and have become jaded.

You said your daughter was 13 so try these:
Wonder by R.J Palacio
Salt to the sea by Ruta Sepetys
Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
These have proven very popular with my students and I've used them for schemes of work as they have instigated such a positive reaction.
As with novels such as 'The curious incident' these are YA novels that are equally pleasurable for us adults.

As an aside to you @ToneControl ;as you like Murakami, if you haven't already read these, I'd highly recommend you try:
Soul Mountain by Gao Xinjian
and for light reading:
The penguin diaries by Andrey Kurkov 

thanks, I thought it best to reach out and ask for those with experience

Flink_Poyd

You could have a look through Neil Gaimans back catalogue.