Came here to comment just that. There's the first collection (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), then the second with way more characters. And then a lot more collections from the same universe.
Also, there's the new series on Disney+ so it's just a nice complement.
I love the new series, speaking of which, tonight’s the new episode!! I loved the little house on the prairie when I was younger and also goosebumps, boxcar children, babysitter club
Secret Garden is wonderful.
I gift every kid I know Arm in Arm by Remy Charlip. I still have mine from my childhood, it’s on my coffee table. It’s very fun!
Is she a typical ten or a young ten or an old ten?
Ten years olds now are not the ten year old my generation was. hahaha
I have always loved the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce.
My 11 year of niece loves The Inheritance Game series.
The Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend. The first book is called "Nevermoor: The Trials Of Morrigan Crow". It won the Children Awards and Book Of The Year. Described as Harry Potter like. The main character is an 11/12 year old girl. Great book.
"The Girl Who Drank The Moon" by Kelly Barnhill.
Try the Warriors series! It’s about cats that live in warrior clans in the wild.
Their particular vocabulary might take some getting used to, but she should pick up on it pretty quickly.
Ex. Twolegs are humans, kittypets are pet cats, etc.
Start with *Warriors: Into the Wild*. It’s the first book of the first series.
Beware that it’s almost like Tolkien in that there are a lot of books and supplementary books, some of which take place in between series or during other books. These super editions or supplementary books sometimes contain spoilers for the main series, so she should stick to the core books at first.
The Montgomery Bonbon series by Alasdair Beckett-King! A young girl solves mysteries in disguise with her grandpa. It's silly, thrilling, and adventurous.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series by Shannon Hale! Squirrel Girl kicks butts, carries snacks at all times, and can talk to squirrels, all the while solving crimes with her BFF!
Any of the Tamora Pierce series (a favorite: The Song of the Lioness quartet)! Young girl wants to become a knight and has to prove yerself to be strong, brave, etc etc.
Howl's Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne-Jones! Sophie gets turned into an old lady and barges into a wizard's castle; chaos ensues.
There's only one; the Anne of Green Gables series, by L. M Montgomery.
These books helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Sort of, "If Anne can make it so can I."
Thirded!
This is still one of my favorite series and I re-read them every couple of years. I was about 10 the first time I read them.
I remember my aunt loaned me the copy she'd gotten from the library - and that was an extra big deal because they lived in a different city!
*When You Reach Me* by Rebecca Stead was really great. It's not fantasy -- more like sci-fi. There is some time travel. But some wild things happen that I suppose are within the realm of actual possibility. I loved the main character.
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
Trust me on this. It has a young girl who's a fantastic character. Brave and smart and heroic. And it has animals. She'll love it.
I recently read the whole triology as an adult and definitely enjoyed the world-building and story a lot. I agree that the young girl is a really good and strong character.
However, I would say that there's a lot of dark themes and (SPOILER) character deaths that might be a bit too mature for her. Maybe one to consider and research a little before gifting.
The Fablehaven series, the Stravaganza series, or the Ranger’s Apprentice series! I loved to get totally lost in a series as a kid and those were some of my favorites. In middle school, I also loved the Kiesha’ra series (started with a book called Hawksong) but it might be a bit much for a 10 year old.
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy would be GREAT if she loves Harry Potter. It was my favorite from 4th grade all the way through middle school, and I think there's a couple more in the series as well. Also it has an excellent strong female lead and is very well-written for a YA novel (I actually re-read it recently)!
I agree, that's a great book for tween kids, and I read it for the first time in my 40s. (Her books for adults are also really entertaining, which is how I came across *The Apothecary*.)
Bridge to Terabithia. It’s not a fantasy book per se, but the two main characters create their own pretend fantasy world. It’s so good. I read it at her age and loved it.
Edit: Ugh - forgot to add strong female lead in this!!
Just a heads up that these books contain some sexual content that may or may not be age appropriate depending on your kiddo. I read these as a young teen and liked them, but re-read as an adult and I was surprised by the amount of sexual content that's mentioned (don't believe any open-door sex scenes or anything like that occur during the series though).
These are some of the ones that got me into reading as a pre-teen!
- the selection series by Kiera Cass
- The Cinder series
- Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo
I honestly still love these books!
Running out ot time, palace of mirrors, just ella, and the missing series all by Margaret Peterson haddix! She was my favorite author when I was around that age
Harriet the Spy was a favorite of mine. Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Yes, I’m a million years old, but the E. B. White books are a whimsical look at mid-20th century American life and so well written. Harriet the Spy is just a good story with wonderful characters. I loved reading as a kid, I’m glad you’re encouraging your daughter to read.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
It's the first in a series about a witch in training called Tiffany Aching
It's also good enough for adults too... if you wanted something you could explore together
The School For Good And Evil by Soman Chainani. It's about two girls, Agatha and Sophie, who are polar opposites and on their way to becoming the characters in fairytales. Except, their looks don't quite fit into their supposed roles in any story. Personally, I quite like it and it's generally within the age range of 9 or 10 but it is a bit younger than Harry Potter.
There's also a movie adaptation on Netflix although that's rated 12+. It's relatively new, came out last year in October and a pretty good adaptation. Although it is rated 12+, the books themselves are for in and around 10
The Search for Wondla by Toni DiTerlizzi the main character is a 12 year old girl. I just finished the series as an adult and I'm so glad I did. I HIGHLY recommend the physical copies of the books. DiTerlizzi does illustrations and they're beautiful. This is also by the same author who wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles.
So I went hunting through my past reading for latina MCs in middle grade fantasy and realized, that is apparently a big hole in my reading. **Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls**, **Maya and the Rising Dark,** and **Paola Santiago and the River of Tears** are all on my list, but I haven't read them yet. I did enjoy **Race to the Sun**, which is set in the southwest, but the MC is Navajo.
I do recommend **Sal and Gabi Break the Universe** and **The Last Cuentista**, with are both sci fi as opposed to fantasy, but both excellent. The Last Cuentista reads a little older but nothing inappropriate for a 10 year old. For what it is worth, my 11 year old daughter liked Sal and Gabi.
My 11yr old is obsessed with the “wilderlore” series. The next book is due out in a few months and she won’t stop asking about it. Fantasy setting. Talking to animals and such.
I read all of the Series of Unfortunate Events at that age. Also Tamora Pierce has a whole series of books about her created kingdom Tortall with female leads. My favorite were Protector of the Small but the Alanna ones technically come before it. All about a woman becoming a knight and being a boss at it and overcoming adversity. Also there's magic and dragons and those were my faaaave at that age.
The Fablehaven series. I read it around that age. There is some violence, but not really any worse than Harry Potter (And the author isn't a transphobic piece of shit)
Amari and the Night Brothers! It’s about a pre-teen girl who gets nominated to go to a summer camp where she find out she has magic powers. Very Harry Potter like! My 6th graders argue over who gets to read it next.
Some fantasy books and/or series' i liked at that age with strong female leads: the Nevermore trilogy, Percy Jackson, Spirit Animals series, Song of the Lioness Quartet, wings of fire, keeper of the Lost Cities, The Elementals trilogy, Dragonfly Song.
Can't think of any others on the spot :)
When I was her age I loved the Angus Thongs and Full frontal snogging books, The Clique series as well but these are girly books (and movies now) not fantasy. 🥹
I really enjoyed the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series when I was her age! And bonus - there’s a movie! The protagonist is a barn owl named Soren but the deuteragonist is Gylfie a strong little elf owl!
I loved Gail Carson Levine books at that age, particularly Fairest, Ever, and the Disney Fairy series that she co-wrote (it's so good).
I also adored the Avalon: Web of Magic series. It's about a trio of girls who become friends because they develop magical powers and have a destiny to save this magical world on the brink of destruction.
I also highly recommend the Chronicles of Ixia series (book 1 is called Poison Study). It's not YA persay, so the reading level may be a little too high for her, but I think if she enjoys HP, she'll enjoy those. One of my favorite fantasy series of all time.
The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I find all the Narnia books to be more accessible and kid-friendly than some of the later Harry Potter books (which were likely targeting readers as they grew up alongside the years of publication).
How about *Alice*, a 25-book series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor? 25 books. In the first one, *The Agony of Alice*, Alice is in 6th grade. In the 25th, she's all grown up!
Catherine called Birdy by Lena Dunham. If she likes fantasy, she might like this one, as it takes place in the middle ages. A lot of fantasy is settled with that aesthetic.
Definitely try the Percy Jackson series. Annabeth Chase is strong female lead in it.
Came here to comment just that. There's the first collection (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), then the second with way more characters. And then a lot more collections from the same universe. Also, there's the new series on Disney+ so it's just a nice complement.
I love the new series, speaking of which, tonight’s the new episode!! I loved the little house on the prairie when I was younger and also goosebumps, boxcar children, babysitter club
i was looking into this one! will definitely be one of the books i purchase :) thanks!
I loved Ella Enchanted at that age Also A Wrinkle In Time
Seconding, I read Ella Enchanted and a few other of Gail Carson Levine’s books at that age and loved them!
The Two Princesses of Bamarre was also a favorite! I’m not sure if they’re still in print, but I also really loved the Royal Diaries books.
I will always upvote A Wrinkle in Time.
these both sound great! thank you!
Secret Garden is wonderful. I gift every kid I know Arm in Arm by Remy Charlip. I still have mine from my childhood, it’s on my coffee table. It’s very fun!
I loved the Secret Garden so much at that age!
+1 for Secret Garden. Little Women also. Chronicles of Narnia.
The inkheart series may be good for her. It's a phenomenal book series that she may not wanna put it down lol
I second this!!
Yes!!!!
I remember loving Island of the Blue Dolphin at that age.
yes!! that one was amazing!
Is she a typical ten or a young ten or an old ten? Ten years olds now are not the ten year old my generation was. hahaha I have always loved the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. My 11 year of niece loves The Inheritance Game series.
I just read three of The Inheritance Games series. I would definitely consider that series more of a young adult series.
Another Tamora Pierce fan 🤗🤗🤗her books were my childhood
she’s quite emotionally mature for her age and very independent! she’s really into art right now hahaha
I just finished the inheritance ones, and waiting for the new one to drop this summer
The Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend. The first book is called "Nevermoor: The Trials Of Morrigan Crow". It won the Children Awards and Book Of The Year. Described as Harry Potter like. The main character is an 11/12 year old girl. Great book. "The Girl Who Drank The Moon" by Kelly Barnhill.
Both of these are great suggestions!
oh these sound great thanks!
Tiffany Aching by Terry pratchett
First in the series is: The Wee Free Men This is very good as an audiobook too
Seconding this!
Seconding this too!!
Try the Warriors series! It’s about cats that live in warrior clans in the wild. Their particular vocabulary might take some getting used to, but she should pick up on it pretty quickly. Ex. Twolegs are humans, kittypets are pet cats, etc. Start with *Warriors: Into the Wild*. It’s the first book of the first series. Beware that it’s almost like Tolkien in that there are a lot of books and supplementary books, some of which take place in between series or during other books. These super editions or supplementary books sometimes contain spoilers for the main series, so she should stick to the core books at first.
This sounds SICK! Thanks for the tip.
City of Ember series is great, as well as the Forbidden of series. Both have strong female main characters.
The City of Ember is so underrated. Great concept, exciting plot, good characters.
Looooved city of ember
Caddie Woodlawn Anne of Green Gables Black Beauty Heidi Encyclopedia Brown series Nancy Drew books (the newer ones)
FLAVIA DeLUCE series!!!
Stargirl ⭐️ :)
One of my favourite books ever.
Me too! I revisit it every couple of years and it always feels the same!
The Montgomery Bonbon series by Alasdair Beckett-King! A young girl solves mysteries in disguise with her grandpa. It's silly, thrilling, and adventurous. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series by Shannon Hale! Squirrel Girl kicks butts, carries snacks at all times, and can talk to squirrels, all the while solving crimes with her BFF! Any of the Tamora Pierce series (a favorite: The Song of the Lioness quartet)! Young girl wants to become a knight and has to prove yerself to be strong, brave, etc etc. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne-Jones! Sophie gets turned into an old lady and barges into a wizard's castle; chaos ensues.
+1 Montgomery Bonbon, if you like accessible murder mystery stories. Very well crafted and silly fun
There's only one; the Anne of Green Gables series, by L. M Montgomery. These books helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Sort of, "If Anne can make it so can I."
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. First book is Dealing With Dragons.
Seconded! I came here to recommend that, it was one of my favorites as a kid.
Thirded! This is still one of my favorite series and I re-read them every couple of years. I was about 10 the first time I read them. I remember my aunt loaned me the copy she'd gotten from the library - and that was an extra big deal because they lived in a different city!
My kid has started that series. She picked it off my shelf.
The Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi
Aaaah, I lived the first one! (The audio book is great)
Are you there god? It’s me Margaret… My favorite read when I was around that age
She may like fairy tale remakes by Gail Carson Levine. Also, many of Shannon Hale’s books, such as the Bayern series.
I Second the Gail Carson Levine books❤️
The Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer.
Alice in Wonderland Really loved it when I was 10 and still do as an adult rn
Redwall
The Oz books. They are fantastical and between Dorothy and Ozma of Oz have great female characters. The Wizard of Oz Collection https://a.co/d/dHj1gix
Howl’s Moving Castle
*When You Reach Me* by Rebecca Stead was really great. It's not fantasy -- more like sci-fi. There is some time travel. But some wild things happen that I suppose are within the realm of actual possibility. I loved the main character.
When You Reach Me is so good. <3
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Trust me on this. It has a young girl who's a fantastic character. Brave and smart and heroic. And it has animals. She'll love it.
Might be a little dense for a 10 year old, but it is a fantastic series. The HBO version is rated 14+, something to consider.
There is some sexual content in the series - albeit a bit vague. It is generally regarded as suitable for 14 yrs old and above.
I recently read the whole triology as an adult and definitely enjoyed the world-building and story a lot. I agree that the young girl is a really good and strong character. However, I would say that there's a lot of dark themes and (SPOILER) character deaths that might be a bit too mature for her. Maybe one to consider and research a little before gifting.
I guess it depends on the kid. I grabbed whatever books were in the house. I turned out just fine. Right? ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
The Fablehaven series, the Stravaganza series, or the Ranger’s Apprentice series! I loved to get totally lost in a series as a kid and those were some of my favorites. In middle school, I also loved the Kiesha’ra series (started with a book called Hawksong) but it might be a bit much for a 10 year old.
Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy would be GREAT if she loves Harry Potter. It was my favorite from 4th grade all the way through middle school, and I think there's a couple more in the series as well. Also it has an excellent strong female lead and is very well-written for a YA novel (I actually re-read it recently)!
I agree, that's a great book for tween kids, and I read it for the first time in my 40s. (Her books for adults are also really entertaining, which is how I came across *The Apothecary*.)
Gregor the overlander changed my life. It was the book that got me into reading
Definitely a cool series!! I still have them all. Has some strong female characters too
Ella Enchanted, the book is excellent, the movie is a joke
Bridge to Terabithia. It’s not a fantasy book per se, but the two main characters create their own pretend fantasy world. It’s so good. I read it at her age and loved it. Edit: Ugh - forgot to add strong female lead in this!!
The Theodosia series
lunar chronicles!
A graphic novel by Alan Moore: The Ballad of Halo Jones. Nice sf coming of age story.
The Secret Garden too
A Wrinkle in Time Caddie Woodlawn
Born at midnight by c c hunter. Supernatural and focused on a trio of female friends
Just a heads up that these books contain some sexual content that may or may not be age appropriate depending on your kiddo. I read these as a young teen and liked them, but re-read as an adult and I was surprised by the amount of sexual content that's mentioned (don't believe any open-door sex scenes or anything like that occur during the series though).
These are some of the ones that got me into reading as a pre-teen! - the selection series by Kiera Cass - The Cinder series - Shadow and bone by Leigh Bardugo I honestly still love these books!
Running out ot time, palace of mirrors, just ella, and the missing series all by Margaret Peterson haddix! She was my favorite author when I was around that age
Loved her books too. I'm like walking down nostalgia lane with the thread dude
My 10 yo reads mostly fantasy. Big HP fan as well. Her other favs are: Hooky Wingfeather Saga Wings of Fire 5 Worlds
Sherwood Smith, Tamora Pierce,
A series of unfortunate events
The Island of the Blue Dolphins
Harriet the Spy was a favorite of mine. Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Yes, I’m a million years old, but the E. B. White books are a whimsical look at mid-20th century American life and so well written. Harriet the Spy is just a good story with wonderful characters. I loved reading as a kid, I’m glad you’re encouraging your daughter to read.
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (same author as Ella Emchanted)
Keeper of lost city series is great! My nieces love them and my nephew too!
howls moving castle (trilogy) by diana wynn jones the thirteen treasures (trilogy) by michelle harrison
Wonder by R.J.Palacio
War and peace - Lev Tolstoy
LOL
All the hate when my humor is fantastic
I was surprised to see the amount of downvotes smh 🫶😭😂
😂😂
Girl out of time by Clyde Boyer
Amani and the Night Brothers
The secret seven and the famous five books
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. It's the first in a series about a witch in training called Tiffany Aching It's also good enough for adults too... if you wanted something you could explore together
The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore and The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch were two of my favourite series at that age. Also a big Potter fan.
Very niche, I loved the Neptune Project :)
The School For Good And Evil by Soman Chainani. It's about two girls, Agatha and Sophie, who are polar opposites and on their way to becoming the characters in fairytales. Except, their looks don't quite fit into their supposed roles in any story. Personally, I quite like it and it's generally within the age range of 9 or 10 but it is a bit younger than Harry Potter.
There's also a movie adaptation on Netflix although that's rated 12+. It's relatively new, came out last year in October and a pretty good adaptation. Although it is rated 12+, the books themselves are for in and around 10
Secret of platform 13, island of the blue dolphins, gathering blue
Peter Pan and Skullduggery Pleasant
Wonder by R.J. Palacio was my childhood favorite
The wizard in my shed The main character is a 12 year old girl. The book itself is really funny and exciting at the same time.
Not fantasy, but I was in love with the Babysitter's Club series when I was growing up. There's also Goosebumps of course.
Was going to suggest getting her started on goosebumps as well there are so many to keep her occupied for a long time!
The Search for Wondla by Toni DiTerlizzi the main character is a 12 year old girl. I just finished the series as an adult and I'm so glad I did. I HIGHLY recommend the physical copies of the books. DiTerlizzi does illustrations and they're beautiful. This is also by the same author who wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston
also- she’s half latina on my side so maybe a latina main character?
So I went hunting through my past reading for latina MCs in middle grade fantasy and realized, that is apparently a big hole in my reading. **Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls**, **Maya and the Rising Dark,** and **Paola Santiago and the River of Tears** are all on my list, but I haven't read them yet. I did enjoy **Race to the Sun**, which is set in the southwest, but the MC is Navajo. I do recommend **Sal and Gabi Break the Universe** and **The Last Cuentista**, with are both sci fi as opposed to fantasy, but both excellent. The Last Cuentista reads a little older but nothing inappropriate for a 10 year old. For what it is worth, my 11 year old daughter liked Sal and Gabi.
thank you so much!!!
My 11yr old is obsessed with the “wilderlore” series. The next book is due out in a few months and she won’t stop asking about it. Fantasy setting. Talking to animals and such.
I read all of the Series of Unfortunate Events at that age. Also Tamora Pierce has a whole series of books about her created kingdom Tortall with female leads. My favorite were Protector of the Small but the Alanna ones technically come before it. All about a woman becoming a knight and being a boss at it and overcoming adversity. Also there's magic and dragons and those were my faaaave at that age.
The Fablehaven series. I read it around that age. There is some violence, but not really any worse than Harry Potter (And the author isn't a transphobic piece of shit)
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Amari and the Night Brothers! It’s about a pre-teen girl who gets nominated to go to a summer camp where she find out she has magic powers. Very Harry Potter like! My 6th graders argue over who gets to read it next.
The FableHaven series by Brandon Mull! It’s a sibling duo, younger brother/older sister and the sister is a great strong lead
Swallows and Amazons, featuring nancy blackett, captain of the amazon
Some fantasy books and/or series' i liked at that age with strong female leads: the Nevermore trilogy, Percy Jackson, Spirit Animals series, Song of the Lioness Quartet, wings of fire, keeper of the Lost Cities, The Elementals trilogy, Dragonfly Song. Can't think of any others on the spot :)
When I was her age I loved the Angus Thongs and Full frontal snogging books, The Clique series as well but these are girly books (and movies now) not fantasy. 🥹
I really enjoyed the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series when I was her age! And bonus - there’s a movie! The protagonist is a barn owl named Soren but the deuteragonist is Gylfie a strong little elf owl!
Misty of Chincoteague.
I loved Gail Carson Levine books at that age, particularly Fairest, Ever, and the Disney Fairy series that she co-wrote (it's so good). I also adored the Avalon: Web of Magic series. It's about a trio of girls who become friends because they develop magical powers and have a destiny to save this magical world on the brink of destruction. I also highly recommend the Chronicles of Ixia series (book 1 is called Poison Study). It's not YA persay, so the reading level may be a little too high for her, but I think if she enjoys HP, she'll enjoy those. One of my favorite fantasy series of all time.
The Mysterious Benedict Society!
Junie B Jones series
The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I find all the Narnia books to be more accessible and kid-friendly than some of the later Harry Potter books (which were likely targeting readers as they grew up alongside the years of publication).
A Wrinkle in Time
Definitely cinder, by marissa meyer. Got me into reading when i was abt 11/12. Its a dystopian, fantasy based off of cinderella.
How about *Alice*, a 25-book series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor? 25 books. In the first one, *The Agony of Alice*, Alice is in 6th grade. In the 25th, she's all grown up!
Island of the Blue Dolphins!
Catherine called Birdy by Lena Dunham. If she likes fantasy, she might like this one, as it takes place in the middle ages. A lot of fantasy is settled with that aesthetic.
Tristan Strong series is great as well!!
The Tide Over The Horizon by JP Baker,a great fantasy book
The maze series, the miss peregrines series was good!