For a 9 year old

Good night stories for rebel girls first edition crowd funded with second book out now. One page illustrated stories about strong women and girls from ancient history to modern times. Saw it in the front window of Waterstones this week. It will expand horizons.

My young eleven year old granddaughter loves Ruby Redford by Lauren Child’s.

They all have their favourites that they simply can’t tear themselves away from, though. I have lost count of the number of times GS has read and re-read the Harry Potter series (Deathly Hallowes again as we speak!); also Percy Jackson, and Magnus Chase, though he has a bedroom full of books he hasn’t read yet. I tried to get him going on Penelope Lively’s ‘The Ghost of Thomas Kempe’ recently but though it is a good story, and age appropriate, I think it was a bit too much of a slow burn for him.

Thanks Greyduster - I have just read the reviews for and ordered "Fortunately the Milk" for grandson. We are reading Jeremy Strong at the moment which I enjoy as much as him.

Last year I bought GS a book called “Fortunately the Milk”, by Neil Gaimon, and he thought it was very funny. Lots of good stuff out there though.

Make that Jane Eyre. (Who is Jayne Sure?)

PS, I read Jayne Sure when I was nine, but I was an extensive and adventurous reader!

My DD read The Hobbit and loved it when she was a nine year old.
How about Terry Pratchett's Truckers /Diggers /Wings books (the Bromeliad trilogy) about little nomes trying to make it in a world full of humans. Funny books.
Classics she might enjoy, how about Tom's Midnight Garden or any other of the Phillipa Pearce books.

Diana Wynne Jones.

Especially
Wilkins Tooth
The Ogre Downstairs
Black Maria

I love the David Walliams books.

That should have read Roald Dahl, obviously.

I didn’t like Enid Blyton when I was a child. I thought the children she wrote about were really boring, and I wasn’t into ‘adventure’.

My grandson loved The Christmasaurus, too, mcem, and books by David Walliams. I wouldn’t call those classics, though.

A lot of children get hooked on one author - I know my DDs did. There is something to be said for just leaving them to it!

To pick up on her dancing interest you might try:
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Magic Ballerina series by Darcey Bussell

She sounds as though she is a lovely girl.

I don’t think it matters that she reads so much Enid Blyton. She will grow out of it. I presume she’s read Roal Dahl. How about Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes? It’s not as exclusively about ballet as the title implies, though it does come into it. Very lively girl characters. Published in 1936, but today’s children will recognise the emotions and problems.

I wonder if she’s old enough for What Katy Did or Anne of Green of Gables? It depends on which end of nine she is, probably.

I’m not up to date about modern classics for girls, but have a nine-year-old grandson who devours books. I know it’s not fashionable to think boys and girls like different books, but in fact I think there is a difference.

Don't know what happened to that last sentence!

Browse around the library. (or Amazon's children's section) with an open mind.

I've never been a fan of Enid Blyton for several reasons.
One is that many parents/grandparents actively encourage children to 'tick off' the titles as they read as if working their way through them is in itself an achievement.
I don't know how you define a classic but if you're open-minded and not just harking back to your own childhood favourites then there are wonderful, more modern authors to explore.
For easy-to-read, enjoyable stories try Michael Bond. As well as the Paddington series there is the delightful Olga da Polga.
Joan Aitken's books are excellent - Necklace of Raindrops for example.
The Harry Potter series is a little more challenging.
My GS loved The Christmasaurus.
Browse through around the library (Amazon's children section) with an open mind.