Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot maybe?

very light and fun

RASCO AND THE RATS OF NYHM

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh are both good, light, fun, and easy to follow. No romance in either, but well written works. Very realistic for the situations described in the stories.

Anne of Green Gables
Litte Women
The Hobbit

I find the classics are more challenging to read without as much "dark" subject matter. Very accessible to tweens!

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Definitely check out Meg Cabot. The Allie Finkle series is fun for girls her age. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is fantasy but not dark.

I read mostly fantasy, but there is so much of it that is light and fun -- all pre-vampire trend! I recommend Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles (starting with Dealing with Dragons), Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted, Lloyd Alexander's Vesper Holly series (Indiana Jones-type adventure with a female protagonist), Kenneth Oppel's Airborn (GREAT adventure book!), Sherwood Smith's Wren trilogy or Crown and Court Duel, pretty much anything by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl's Moving Castle is my favorite)...gosh, I wish I were in front of my bookshelf right now! That should be enough to start, though. :-)

along with those above, i'd add the narnia chronicles, the wrinkle in time series, the boxcar children series, and *possibly* the david eddings belgariad - (i would have LOVED them at 11, but it'd depend on the child.).

I may be stating the obvious here, but I assume she's read the entire Little House on the Prairie series (which will start out too easy but rapidly become appropriate) and the entire Wizard of Oz series? I read both several times (as a guy) at the ages of 10, 11, 12 and loved them.

I also heard great things about the Betsy-Tacy series (again, will start out too easy but will catch up) though I've never read them myself.

Peter
(The guy who runs Flashlight Worthy)

These are old school, but still some of my favorites and coming back out again in reprints: Trixie Belden series, Nancy Drew series. Also, I suggest anything by Ann Rinaldi- she writes American history from the viewpoint of teenage girls. The Saddle Club and Thoroughbred Series are great for horse lovers too!!(Ooooo- how about Marguerite Henry??)

My 10 year-old's current favorites are: Nancy Drew, the American Girl books, Dork Diaries, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler

Wow! Thank you so much everyone! I'm so happy to have some recommendations. She has read some of the ones mentioned (Little House, Harriet, Nancy Drew, American Girls, etc.) many of them long ago. She read every Box Car book back in 1st grade. It's great that she's an advanced reader, but causing problems now when the subject matter gets too mature for her age.

Thank you so much for all the ideas; I will definitely add all of these to our library list! Thanks so much for taking the time.

I have so many great recommendations for this type of girl! The Red Blazer Girls #1: The Ring of Rocamadour is a fun and intelligent mystery, Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies is a great choice, The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez (both #1 and #2) is fun and engaging. I also recommend Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Flipped, Wings and The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. Hope these help - happy reading!

Everyone's suggestions have been great! Let me add a *few* things. First off, my 6th grade girls (students) LOVE Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series; it is funny with a little romance, but with an interesting twist. Shannon Hale's Princess Academy and Goose Girl are great fairy tale type stories. She could also try Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock or anything by Gail Carson Levine. Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes mysteries are light and feature a girl about her age. Any of Meg Cabot's YA would be great, just be aware that she also writes some books for adults and those are not appropriate for her age. OK, let's see -- Tale of Despereaux by DiCamillo, City of Ember by DuPrau, Savvy by Ingrid Law, and Rules by Cynthia Lord...

She can't go wrong with Charlotte's Web, or Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White; The View from Saturday and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg, Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater, 'Absolutely Normal Chaos' by Sharon Creech and anything by Eva Ibbitson: 'The Secret of Platform 13', 'Which Witch?', 'Island of the Aunts' and 'Journey to the River Sea'.

She has to read "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret". Every young girl should read it.

I was going to recommend "Fly By Night", as it's one of the best books I've ever read, but there are some intense moments that might be read as "dark". Anything by Daniel Pinkwater is golden, and William Boniface's "The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy" are nice light-hearted adventure stories in a world of superheroes. "Ten Kids, No Pets" and any of the Anastasia books by Lois Lowry are good choices as well.

Beauty, by Robin McKinley. Wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Also, Hero and the Crown by the same author.

A lot of the recommendations above seem to be things I read as a third or fourth grader. However, I'll echo Leigh-Ann's "Fly By Night" and anything else by Frances Hardinge. It has vocabulary that I had to look up, and my verbal SAT scores were perfect.

Someone else said that classics are harder to read than YA, and I'll echo that, too. The reading level on your typical High-School-Drama found in the YA department of any library or bookstore is generally a standard 6th grade or below. Not too many feature challenging vocabulary, just subject matter that appeals to an older crowd. I'd recommending staying OUT of the Teen sections until you feel your girl is ready to deal with sex, drugs, etc.

If she likes fantasy but you want her to read things that are less dark, I'd suggest Robin McKinley and Shanon Hale, and even older, true classics as long as you're willing to read and discuss with her - H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury are two that I read as a pre-teen. While you're going "old-school", you could even help her with Jane Austen. Watership Down, while not exactly fantasy, was another one that I really enjoyed as a sixth-grader.

Okay, I'm late to this answer party, but I'll still add my $.02. I have such fond memories of my reading at this age, the meat of which was the entire Anne of Green Gables series.

For more current texts, try The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O' Roark Dowell and the sequel. They are perfect for middle-school (or approaching middle school) age girls. I've heard that The Hard Kind of Promise is wonderful, and deals with similar themes.

Shug by Jenny Han is lovely - a funny, and touching story. Han has some other books that I've heard great things about, like The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The Traveling Pants series is actually quite fun. The Stargirl books by Jerry Spinelli always went over very well with my fifth graders. They passed the books around and had lots to say about them.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and When You Reach Me recently won big awards, which are very well-deserved in my opinion. They are great.

Good luck,
Shannon

Thank you to everyone else who responded. I now have a humongous list to reference for our next trip to the library. She prefers to find her won (ie not from Mom), so I'll have to figure out how to suggest them without actually suggesting them. : )

This isn't exactly light but it's not dark or depressing either -- for an avid reader of that age, I heartily recommend E.L. Konigsburg's A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver. It's the story of Eleanor of Acquitaine -- told by Eleanor herself, along with her mother-in-law Matilda and a couple other people from history. They're in heaven, waiting to see if Henry II is going to be allowed Up (out of purgatory). It's an interesting way to look at history and Eleanor's history is fascinating. I totally loved this book as a kid and recently re-read it -- it holds up well.

Steer her towards books by Tamora Pierce if you can, they're geared toward young adults and all the main characters of her series are women, demonstrating our strengths & hardships. The books fall into the medieval fantasy genre, with magic and dragons and knights (even girls defeating all odds to become a knight!). When she gets older, or if she perhaps has already read them, Terry Goodkind's series The Sword of Truth is where I found a similar read but aimed at a slightly older age group.

I was also an advance 11 year old reader, and I REALLY loved Kenneth Oppel's Airborn. It is adventurous, and hard to put down, but without leaving a creepy feeling afterwards. It is followed two other books, Skybreaker and Starclimber, if she really likes it.

I have an advanced 11-year-old reader. He'll read anything he can get his hands on. I love to read YA/MG, but had enough of fantasy, here are some that we've both read and enjoyed discussing together:

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (he read the junior reader, I read the adult - and then I read the jr. one because it was much livlier!)
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

It wasn't too long ago that I was 11 and looking for books... I would recommend some of Eva Ibbotson's books - I remember liking them *a lot* then and still now. Jane Yolen has good fantasy ones. My brother (who just turned 12) and I both love Ender's Game and The Giver (Giver is a bit dark but a wonderful story anyways). I second The Tiger Rising - an indian story. I also like The Iron Ring. Currently I am reading one of Robin McKinley's - though I wouldn't recommend this particular one for an 11 year old. The Magician of Hoad and the Maximum Ride books are good. My brother also loves the Alex Rider series - and I am told they are quite popular in the (elementary school) library.

That went longer than I thought it would...
Hope she finds good ones!
R. Maris (a teenager reader)

Madeleine L'Engle..."A Wrinkle in Time" and others.

How about Jane Austen or the Brontes, Dickens ? Does she know how to read in any languages other than English? When I was about her age, as I could read French I read both Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera in their original versions (French).

I remember enjoying the other OZ books more than the Wizard of at her age. I am guessing she has read the Harry Potter books. If she likes The lightning thief series how about a book on Greek myths they have them in kid, pre-teen versions which are slighlty less graphic.

Beautiful Joe, by Marshall Saunders, a story about a dog rescued from a brutal owner.

Thanks to all of the recent posters! I have a very wonderful long list for her now. : )

The messed up files of miss basil e. frankwieler cause I read it and I'm 10!

Already mentioned but Goose Girl and the Princess Academy by Shannon Hale are FANTASTIC

I'm also ten and sound a lot like your daughter so maybe she'd like the mysterious benidect society or the penderwicks.

Thanks for more ideas gals!

Definitely the Anne of Green Gables series, try the Love Comes Softly series, The Book Thief, and the Bible would def help her thoughts.

I don't know what your daughter has read yet but will recommend some of my favorites from when I was her age (way back when) -
- Mary Poppins by P L Travers and the 3 sequels
- Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
- The Twenty-one Balloons by William Pene du Bois
- The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
- The Borrowers by Mary Norton and the 4 sequels plus Bed-Knob and Broomstick
- Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper and the 4 sequels
- Heidi By Johanna Spyri
-Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson
-Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
-Mandy by Julie Edwards (also The last of the Really Great Whangdoodles)
-The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
-Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
-National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
-Louisa May Alcott's books - not just Little Women, Little Men and Jo's Boys, but Eight Cousins and its sequel Rose in Bloom, An Old-Fashioned Girl, Jack and Jill and Under the Lilacs
-The Trixie Belden Mysteries are being reprinted

While all the above books are "older", they should all be available at the library. If you have a source for out-of-print books I also recommend -

-Linnets and Valerians by Eileen Goudge (also The Little White Horse)
-Edward Ormondroyd's Time at the Top and its sequel All in Good Time
-Noel Streatfeild's books (Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes and Theater Shoes are easily available) but she wrote quite a few other books as well
-Enid Blyton's Famous Five, Adventure series and Mystery series (also the Secret Seven, but if I remember correctly those are a little easier)

Since this list is rather eclectic hopefully there will be some things on the list your daughter will enjoy.

The new science fiction series by Scott Westerfield with "Leviathan" and "Behemoth" is a wonderful series about a boy Prince Alek and a girl, disguised as a boy, named Deryn, who become friends when they meet aboard an airship. Westerfield reimagines a steam-punk world where the start of WWI begins with German "Clankers" who believe in the power of machines and British "Darwinists" who believe in using compatible animals for innovation. The characters come to life and the inventive setting and devices should appeal to your child. In my middle school library, they are favorite reads for boys and girls. Also, look at the start of a new series by Patricia Wrede called "Thirteenth Child".

Hello, try "Smuggler's Legacy: A Breton Sailor's Adventure." It's a mystery set in 1802 during Napoleonic times, (historic fiction based on a family legend). Action-packed and captivating story of relationships in an interesting time and place -- Concarneau on the dangerous and beautiful Breton coast of France. It's well-researched and has universal themes of courage, trust and accountability without being 'lecture-y.' There's hidden treasure and each of the main characters has a choice to make: There's Bedard, the reluctant smuggler, who sails under an alias and eventually must decide between his false identity and his true one. There's Bedard's teenage daughter, Nicole-Marie, a young woman who endures the social pressures of her times in order to choose her own path. There's the ambitious lawman, Coast Guard Lieutenant LaMotte; he learns the meaning of true justice as he hunts down Bedard as a means to salvage his own reputation. Combine these three with a corrupt politician and an engaging supporting cast of townfolk.

how about the baron in the trees by calvino,oryou can't really go wrong with somethin like the annotated alice in wonderland.another angle could be something like the prophet by kahil gibran

May I recommend "Gilda Joyce". It is an series starting with "Gilda Joyce:Physic Investigator". It's about a girl about her age in the 8th grade who solves mysteries. For example, her mom had a long-lost cousin whom like Gilda wanted to meet. She goes to Fransisco to solve a mystery about his daughter who fell because of the haunting of her aunt. It is very good. She could relate to it because the main character is around her age. It's not too dark. I loved the book. I'm twelve. There is no sexually explicit language but there may be some mild language you may find disturbing because you are a concerned parent. Your daughter needs this book.
(Sorry for the misspelled words.)

Though epic sci fi/fantasy, Dungeon Crawlers: Episode 1 and Dungeon Crawlers: Episode 2 by Stefan LeBlanc have a fantastic female lead character - lots of action but family friendly and humorous. I think she would really enjoy them - they are at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Janice S

~The Frog Princess series
It goes on from Princess Emerelda to her daughter Millie in a Magical adventure to help Greater Greansward
~Harry Potter
~The Magicians Trilogy
~The Hunger Games, book 1
Katniss is choosen to be part of the Hunger games (a fight to death)
Its not gruesome, I could not set it down
~Gregor the Overlander, Book 1
~Pond Scum
~The Warriors series

dork diaries by rachel renee russell has a high school girl that has a crush but has to put up with the school bullies.

Francesca lia Block is a good writer for young teens I loved her books when I was younger I dont remember anything dark or sexual in any of them.

The Sally Lockhart Series- Philip Pullman

The books are about a girl in the victorian times who solves murder mysteries. Yes, they are murder mysteries, but they are supposed to be not dark at all. I haven't read them personally, so I do not know for sure, but that is what people I know who've read them said about the books.

the percy jackson books are very good you have to be stupid to say they are dark

Well i'm 11 goin into 6th grade and i am a very advanced reader i get like over 300 AR points each year (which is a lot) and i do love the gallagher girls series by ally carter i am reading those right now can't put them down. My fav author is Rick Riordan he wrote some new books that just came out the red pyramid books. loved them. the summer i turned pretty books were AWESOME!!! The tapestry books are really good i don't think they are to dark. i did read the series of unfortunate events by lemony snicket, there are 13 books and they are a little dark there is some murder in there but not like really bad.. i liked them alot. i just thought that you might want a look from an advanced eleven year old reader like her. if she does find some other books that she liked that i didnt mention then please tell me so that maybe i might take a look into reading them.thanks

i recomend cathy cassidy books,jaquluin wilson andkaren mcombie.

I am 11 an I absolutely LOVE the Harry potter saga and have read each book about 6 times at parts it's a bit scary but at 11 I think you can bare it! Also after each book I watched the same film so I could compare what I thought of it to the films description but if you want none magical reading then I would say Malory towers is AMAZING! I read all of Enid blytons books rather than than the newest ones as they are quite repetitive so remember ENID BLYTON when you are in the library or shop also if you enjoy these the a few of my friends have enjoyed the saint Clare's books and said they were similar to Malory towers!

The steps is a good book about how her dad moves to Australia and then she gets step brothers and sisters and at first she doesnt like them (being stubborn) but as she relaxes she learns that her and her step become bestfriends whilste on a biggish adventure If you like this book get two steps forward it has some stuff about boyfriends and stuff in it a little more than the 1st one (by Rachel chone)

Jane blonde is suppose to be good mind it is for a slightly younger age group but it's a FUN read rather than chapter on chapters..

Swallows and amazons is suppose to be good but a bit long!

I realize I'm late to the game, but I'm studying to be a librarian and just finished my Children's class, so I have to hop in. I agree that anything by E.L. Konigsburg is great, particularly "Scarlet and Miniver."
Here are some others I have recently loved:
Moon Over Manifest by Clare VanderPool
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Al Capone Does My Shirts (about growing up on Alcatraz)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Holes by Louis Sachar
All of the Anne of Green Gables books are fantastic, but others by L.M. Montgomery are great, too!

Ballet shoes is a WINNER! after reading h.p and the good thing is there are other 'shoes' books similar

I'm ten. I read really fast and at the moment have 300 ar points, and we're only halfway through. I love fantasy books. I would suggest the Gail Carson Levine books. Some of my favourites are Fairest and Ella Enchanted. Wilma tenderfoot books are good, but maybe a little young.(my 8 year old sis reads them)

I'm 11 and love the books:
Ballet shoes- Noel Streatfeild
Swallows and Amazons-Arthur ransome
(above great novels and there are more in the series and books 'alike'

Series books:
Malory towers years 1-7 there are more but you should probobaly read Enid blytons instead as the other ones are repetitive years 8-12 (I wouldnt go on to that, much of the same charecters!)
If Malory towers is a sucess I would really go on to saint Clares books

Big Brill Books
Running Wild-Michael Murpogo
Harriet the spy (not too sure on author)
Hugo-not to sure who by
the Enchanted woods/forest-Enid Blyton

Books I would probobly stay away from if you dont want 'dark':
The spooks- can be pretty scary and 'dark' at times
Maybe twilight? sometimes I bit frightening
and Darren shan

The secret garden,it is a beautiful storie that can draw you to tears

I reamend the heartland series. I am only a teen with a love for horses and share the same love with my cousin, Dasha who also reads the heartland books. I also reamend the Warriors series by Erin Hunter(if you like cats this would be the best book for you).

The Magicians Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

The last dragon Chronicles by Chris, D lacy are fantastic books. I'm 10 and I love them. :)

I have no idea how long ago the last answer was posted on this forum and the 11 year old that the question was asked about would be well into teen fiction by now, but I stumbled across this forum in my many years of research about what girls in the 10-11 year old age bracket are reading. It is my belief that they have been forgotten by the modern publishing world and so, as an author, this age bracket is my target market and I have just launched my first novel for these young girls and the response has been resounding. No Ordinary Excuse is published by Odyssey Books and is available from Amazon. No Ordinary Excuse is a contemporary story about friendship, creativity and how our biggest mistakes are often our greatest teachers. I hope that my words affect and entertain this age group in the way they were intended.
Thanks
Michelle Adams
www.michelleadams.com.au

Per my 11 y.o. daughter, her favorites are: A Little Princess, the Tuntum and Nutmeg stories by Emily Bearn, Savvy by Ingrid Law and The Apothecary by Maile Meloy. The last two are fantasy but not dark at all.

Liz

Some great books are The Hunger Games series. There is some romance and A LOT of kissing. They are Awesome books and I recommend them to Tweens/teens and adults! There is a lot of killing and violence but not dark. They are my favorite books and I cannot wait until the movies.( The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) They are all by Suzanne Collins. I also recommend the Popularity Papers series by Amy Ignatow. Some other books:Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson, any book by Wendy Mass, The Kind of Friends We Used to be by Frances o' Roark Dowell, anything Judy Blume, Sincerely Sophie by Courtney Sheinmel and Sincerely Katie by the same author. You can get these books as one some places. Hope his helps!

I'm eleven years old so I should know the best. Some good books I especially liked are:HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, CASTLE IN THE AIR, THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING, THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET, and like, so much more, i just can't remember it all. My favorite one is Howl's Moving Castle.
I read My Unfair Godmother, but it's more for teens, I think, but I still liked it.

Oh, and Moon Over Manifest, Edward Tulane(By Kate DiCamillo)and the Moorchild...

i have to agree harry potter isnt th dark at all and im 11 too hunger games like who hasnt heard of tht one of the best books i ever read could never put it down soo if u havent already read it i advise u and am telling u to read it u will love it so much

Stargirl!

It's definitely a complex book with some sad parts but it is definitely worth it!

Oh, I read the Hunger Games too. There's a movie now!

Personally I like dark but eb white, dork diaries,dear dumb diaries, Alice in wonderland , and classics

Why I Must Lie by M. M. Lake

Flying smack into a new existence, literally, sophomore high school student, Mia Frare, finds herself able to alter her body at will to that of a 3½-foot-tall bird.

WHY I MUST LIE is a two week chronicle of Mia’s transformation and induction into a hidden spiritual world. While adapting to her new abilities, such as amplified hearing, acute eyesight, and what Mia refers to as, “freakishly strong feet”, she finds herself drawn to three other students in her overcrowded high school. Possessing supernatural talents of their own, Gabe and his two sisters befriend Mia and invite her along on their rescue missions. Although Mia’s growing closeness to Gabe poses difficulties he can’t ignore, it’s evident that the four are meant to join forces in averting tragedy and seeking the truth regarding Mia’s emergence.

around the world in 80 days it is fun and im a 11 year old girl and i am still reading it :)

if she like romance [she probably will like them ] why don't you rad crush confidential, they are really good books !

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/series/Crush%20Confidential