Book recommendations for a 10 year old?

I'm trying to finish up my Christmas shopping, and the only one I have left is my 10 year old niece. She's not a typical girly-girl and likes strategy games and books about history, adventure, etc. I'd like to order a few books for her. Any suggestions?

what about the Inkheart trilogy?
http://www.amazon.com/Inkheart-Cornelia-Funke-Hardcover/dp/0439852706/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260895279&sr=8-3 (also comes paperback..target had it for like 9 bucks)

There's Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath..my son (11) is getting Inkdeath for Christmas but has read the other 2. (there was a movie about Inkheart too)

here's all 3 in a bundle
http://www.amazon.com/Inkheart-Trilogy-Inkspell-Inkdeath/dp/1906427100/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260895331&sr=8-5

my daughter is not very girly either, but she really enjoys the American Girl books (but would not be caught dead with the dolls) - they focus a lot on history and the timeperiods of each girl and she thinks they are really interesting.

My Katie (9) is really into the Roald Dahl books right now Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Three Witches, James and the Giant Peach, etc. I got her a big boxed set at Costco of most of his books and she has really been enjoying them.

You may also want to check out the Mysterious Benedict Society series, all of my kids love that one and it's a pretty chunky but fun read.

Great suggestions - thanks! I'm just so out of it when it comes to stuff for this age group.

The Ulysses Moore books are REALLY good. There are four of them, I think. They are all adventure books w/ historical stuff mixed in. They're a lot of fun.

My 14yo ds **HIGHLY HIGHLY** recommends the "39 Clues" ... they are put out by Scholastic but are in the regular bookstores... i.e. Borders.

You definitely would want to start her on book #1 ... it sounds like this series was MADE for your niece...

http://www.the39clues.com/

Read about all the things that go along with the books ... besides a brother and sister traveling the globe (history/adventure) looking for clues...you also have clue cards, online games to earn more clues, etc. This is the **FIRST** book series that has EVER captured his attention...he loves it! I catch him reading the books in the car by flashlight, at night, whenever...he really enjoys it.

I bought my niece the first book for her for Christmas...and ds is going to bring his laptop over on Christmas Day and show her how to get started on the adventure!

P.S. If you are a Borders Rewards Member (it's free!) you can get discounts in e-mail every week and get it even cheaper...for example today they sent out a 30% off (almost) anything coupon ... I picked up some extra clue cards for my mom to put in his stocking.

I was thinking 39 Clues too. My kids (7 and 9) love them. They seem just about the right reading level for a 10 year old.

My favorite books at that age were Little Women and The Little House on the Prarie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I must have read those books a million times!!

Inheart trilogy rocks...and it's about a chick who isn't girlie..and about adventure..which rocks (my kinda books! LOL). Benedictine Society books are awesome, and we loved Ulysses Moore. The Gregor Series by Suzanne Collins are great - about underground world below NYC (animals & humans) and my DS 9 is absolutely enthralled. Hank the Cowdog is a huge hit, as is the the REdwall series. Wer

Here are the current hits in our household - DS 10
* Inheart Series (Cornelia Funke - isn't that the greatest name?!) And I can't emphasize enough how this book is SOOOOOO much better than the movie.
* Benedictine Society Series (Trenton Lee Stewart)
* Gregor Saga (Suzanne Collins) Underground world under NYC
* Ulysses Moore (Michael Merryweather) excellent time travel books
* Hank the Cowdog (John Erickson) - a ranch dog and his domain..a bit tongue in cheek and hilariously funny (especially on audio)
* Redwall Series (Brian Jacques) - think medieval times done with woodland and field creatures - excellent series.
* Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) Tale about a modern day 'hero' who is a half-blood Olympian and has lots of Greek/Roman mythology
* Peter and the Starcatchers (Dave Barry & Ridley Pierson) A new twist on the Peter Pan story - before Wendy.
* Historical Mysteries (various) These are fictional books interwoven with historical timelines..and we love them! And yeah, while they're American Girl, we get over it
*Chasing Vermeer (Blue Balliett) - mystery full of puzzles...really great book - followed by 2 sequels.

Another vote for the 39 Clues....my 11 year old DD LOVED them!!! This Christmas we are starting a new series for my DD it's the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. She has been talking about them for month now!!!

Educate me on 39 Clues, please. He's the same guy who wrote Percy Jackson, so now we're wanting to check it out. Do you have to buy the cards to get the clues to finish and figure out the book? and where do you get the cards - bookstore (and are they still carrying them for book 1, etc?)

Jeff is reading 39 Clues to Cameron right now and they haven't done any of the "extra" stuff like the websites/cards/etc. And they get TONS of enjoyment out of the books. They're super fun, from what they've said about them.

My daughter is 10 and she and all the girls in her class are into the Warrior Series of books by Erin Hunter. They are about clans of cats. She loves them. They got her interested in reading =)

Stephanie

hey Darcy it looks like amazon.com has the books and extra card packs

Darcy, each book includes 6 cards, but you don't need the cards to figure out the book -- it just allows you to go online to learn more and do extra missions. I guess there are also other clues you can find through the online activities that allow you to win prizes and stuff, but I haven't figured all that out yet.