I have two daughters, 6th and 8th grade, and both of them have really enjoyed books from "The Wedding Planner's Daughter" series and the "Pandora" series by Carolyn Hennessey. A lot of their friends have been reading both series also and liked them a lot too. They chat about them all the time, especially the Pandora books.

I recommend the book "Whale Song" by Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardif. The book delves into many social issues including bullying, relocation and the loss of a parent. I've read it and reviewed it, and I think the girls would enjoy reading it, but also learn a lot from it. It's a book that's perfect for discussion purposes.

I highly recommend the book "Willow King" by Chris Platt. It revolves around the story of a 13 year old girl who saves a young foal's life, and nurtures him into eventually becoming an amazing race horse. A lot of great messages in the story, about love and friendship even in the face of great adversity. You can read more about it here. http://tinyurl.com/35kmk5z

I recommend "Kiss, Bang, Boom!" by Leslie Lamb. It's a great first book in a series that targets teen issues in a realistic and witty way. I think she will really enjoy it and will most likely read it more than once! It's also a fast read with short chapters :)

The Hunger Games series is completely captivating. My 13-year-old sister loves a series by Nancy Farmer the first book of which is called The Sea of Trolls. Robin McKinley has several great books for that age group, including Rose Daughter and Spindle's End. I just started The Book Thief (which my sister also recommended) and it is fantastic. I could go on...

I would highly recommend the 'Kevin and Sadie' novels by Joan Lingard, a series of novels about a young couple falling in love during the troubles in Northern Ireland and the difficulties of one being Catholic and the other Protestant. also Brother in the Land by Robert Shindells is about children surviving in a post-nuclear wasteland, The Dancing Bear by Michael Morpurgo about a girl's friendship with a bear - I remember all of these novels having a huge impact on me when I was that age.