Need a book gift suggestion for my 13 y.o. daughter...

She spends too much time with her phone and I'd like to get her a book series.  I bought her "Gregor the Overlander" last year (or the year before) at her request--I know nothing about it.  I'd love for her to read some classic SF (e.g. the Dune series) but I think she's more likely to be engaged by something leaning more into the Fantasy realm.  I need something similar in concept to the "Gregor" series, perhaps?  I'm thinking maybe "Dragon Riders of Pern"...  I've tried to get her to read the Harry Potter series to no avail.  I'd be open to suggestions.  

The Inheritance series, starts with Eragon. Massive fantasy epic, but written nowadays not decades ago. More mature than Harry Potter, but less monotonous than Lord of the Rings. Our 12 yo (reads above her level) just finished the whole series and immediately started over again. 

How about something completely different? 

"Hank the Cowdog"

As a former 13 year old girl and voracious reader, here's what I remember reading roundabouts that time:

• anything and everything written by Scott Westerfeld (sci-fi) ETA: his most popular series is Uglies, but I also enjoyed his other series.
• The Twilight Saga (reading something poorly written is better than reading nothing?)
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel)
• Sleeping Arrangements by Laura Shaine Cunningham (NOT the Madeleine Wickham one that comes up when you search the title)
• The Books of Ember (Post-Apocalyptic fiction series by Jeanne DuPrau)
• The Hunger Games saga (Ok, I did not read these but Tom did and enjoyed them)

I will consult our bookshelves for more recommendations I may have forgotten here when I get home

Does she like manga? I'd suggest Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

If she hasn't read The Hunger Games, that series would be a solid choice. 

My teenager was a fan of the maze runner and insurgent series.

By that age I was already through most of Steven Kings catalog, so I'd recommend those, but I doubt many parents consider that age appropriate these days.

Not too early to start on Chuck Palahniuk though, maybe Rant, Lullaby, or the Diary. 

I don't have any suggestions for topics, but I do regarding the media.  If she's on her phone a lot, getting her to pick up a physical book may be challenging.  I'd recommend getting her an online book subscription or maybe even an ebook with some titles loaded.

-Rob

I never really got into the Pern books, but I really liked everything else that Anne McCaffrey wrote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_McCaffrey

I'm not sure how well they've aged, but I also enjoyed Julian May's books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23284.Julian_May

Maybe a trip to the local brick & mortar book store is in order?

They maybe able to provide feedback on what's currently trending as well as point you to some steady movers. Additionally you may be able to get the first book from a few different series to increase your odds that she'll find one that catches her attention. 

Appleseed said:

Does she like manga? I'd suggest Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

We've watched that movie a lot in the past.  That's a good idea.

EDIT: Yow.  They're really proud of those books...

The Tiffany Aching series of novels written by Terry Pratchett. The first book is "The Wee Free Men".

The perfect series for a 13 y.o. girl who likes (good) fantasy.

It's a coming of age series about a young girl growing up to become the witch of a small village/region. In many ways it is incredibly philosophical, but completely grounded. It explores themes of responsibility and power. What real power is and how it should be used. How being a leader is service.

Ultimately the moral is that what matters is doing the small things to ease the suffering of life of those around us. The tiny things that everyone overlooks as insignificant, but that truly mean the world. That being a Witch is not about grand spells that shake the heavens and the earth. It's helping a child into the world and then having respect for the young mother who has no idea what she's doing. It's clipping an old man's toenails when he's too old to reach his feet anymore, and being sure he is buried with dignity after he passes.

Eragon

Looking up "Gregor the Overlander", books/series that put me of a similar mind. In rough order that it reminds me of:

• Tiffany Aching ('The Wee Free Men')
• His Dark Materials ('The Golden Compass')
• Chronicles of Narnia ('The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe')
• Wrinkle in Time
• Percy Jackson

All of the above fit the formula of teen/tween protagonist(s) coming into contact with a supernatural parallel world that they are thrust into as a coming-of-age.

Reading the description of "Gregor" makes me redouble my suggestion that I think the Tiffany Aching series includes a lot of the same elements that she is likely to enjoy:

• Similarly aged protagonist (although female this time, and ages as the books progress)
• Discovers the supernatural world because of a 2 y.o. sibling
• Becomes the leader of a group of tiny warrior people (although these are goofy faerie men with Scottish accents as opposed to rats)

In reply to stroker :

They're worth it. So much more in them (obviously) than the movie.

• The Unfair Advantage
• Animal Farm
• The Millionaire Next Door

sorry, i'll see myself out.

I enjoyed the Pern series.  Plenty of good female characters there.

Anything by Terry Pratchett, especially the series mentioned above.

Coraline, Neverworld, Stardust, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, M Is For Magic, or Varjak Paw by Neil Gaiman.

I would start with short story collections or shorter books if you are trying to transition her from screen to print.  Though the e-book reader suggestion above is a good one.

My daughter loved the Percy Jackson Greek Mythology series.  She is 17 and I am still buying the new ones as they come out.

They do mix in modern ideas with the old Greek myths but she read them and got interested in reading other books on mythology. 

Fingers still crossed that I will get her to read the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Paper books are great and all but a kindle paper white and kindle unlimited subscription would be a great idea if she's always on her phone. I've read through more books in the 2 years since I got my kindle than I had the previous 10. Cheaper, easier to carry everywhere, long battery life, no need for external lighting, and a massive selection. I've also used a tablet and a phone app as ereaders in the past, and the Android tablet was nice once it was dialed in, but the phone was horrendously under sized. 

Doing some more thinking and looking over my book case, I see the Nightside series by Simon R Green, which is a fantastic blend of fantasy, mythology, and noir may be the right word. 

I also see Robert Rankin very heavily represented. The 9 (currently 8) part Brentford Triangle trilogy is highly comedic and delves a bit into fantasy and sort of sci fi, but his other books and series like Armageddon the musical are also good, light hearted, not so grown up subject matter beyond hanging out at a pub. I've read all the books of his I have multiple times, in multiple ways. 

Polling my girls also yielded:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians if she's into Greek mythology at all. There's a lot of Rick Riordan series that are different mythologies, which is cool. There's Aztec, ancient Chinese, Native American, etc.

Chronicles of Prydain series is another coming of age adventure series but very, very light on the fantasy. A little magic but all humans. Very good story about character.

Changing Planes by Usurla K Le Guin is a really thought provoking light fantastical sci-fi. She has a ton of other books that all have different universes.

We have a 12 yo soon to be 13yo girl reader in the house and she really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. She has also read through the Harry Potter series a few times. Either one would probably get her attention. Why not both!?

The Tolkein series hit me just right around that age. You should start her with the Hobbit it's a light and easy read and gets you hooked on the universe.

I would third or fourth the Terry Pratchett recommendations.

RevRico said:

Paper books are great and all but a kindle paper white and kindle unlimited subscription would be a great idea if she's always on her phone. I've read through more books in the 2 years since I got my kindle than I had the previous 10. 

Echoing this, I've read 66 books this year, all on the Kindle for free from the library. I love the portability, the lack of need to go physically to the library to get the books, and the ability to queue up books that are all checked out and just have them show up later. It's nice. I don't have Kindle Unlimited so I don't know how that compared to a Kindle plus a good local library.

A Deadly Education by N. Novik 

Four books in the series? Think Harry Potter but a much more deadly school setting and world.  Was a book club book for YA authors that my friend hosts for librarians and I got the whole series, it's really well written. 

I'll give another recommendation for Eragon and the inheritance series.

Just for the love of God avoid the movie adaptation. One of the worst examples of book to movie transition. Terribad movie. 

Depending on her sense of humor, either Mort or Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. The Color of Magic is also a good, more general, entry point to Discworld.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini is a pretty light read and very easy to get through. The entire series is pretty good.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is also a fairly light read and easy to get through.

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb is more medieval fantasy but a good series.

Split Infinity by Piers Anthony is a classic scifi/fantasy mashup trilogy.

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey was an excellent long-running high fantasy series.

The Dragon Riders of Pern is good but it's a dense read. She might be a bit old for Redwall at this point.