The classics.

Madame Curie written by her daughter, Eve Curie–beautiful writing

Shogun

Battlefield Earth (just a great great story, 1,000 pages, but your daughter can do it) (my gifted 15 year old read it the summer before she went into 5th grade–she’s my 4th daughter)

Gone with the Wind (my 2nd to oldest daughter was 12 when she won that as a prize for having the highest number of accelerated reader points in the entire school–she read it quickly)

Read some James Michener yourself and see what you think as to whether they are too adult. Hawaii may be, I can’t recall if Texas is, Chesapeake might be a bit too adult.

My 15 year old still loves Tamora Pierce mysteries. I know they are probably 8th grade reading level, but my daughter did get 800 on the critical reading SAT test 3 months ago, so it won’t hold your daughter back. Sometimes the tale is worth it even if the reading level is a little bit lower.

Day of the Triffids–my brother (also gifted) said this was the best book he ever read as a teen.

Oh, here’s something you can use!!!! My 15 yr old, who has read everything under the sun just discovered a website from a schoolfriend–www.fanfiction.com

In that website, you change the endings of novels you have loved (Maximum Ride is making the rounds right now, extremely popular series by James Patterson–I know, the scary writer, but my daughter says these are not scary). My daughter had just read Maximum Ride and so wrote in and changed the ending on that website to what she wuld have liked.

That started it all. She now goes everywhere, pen and binder in hand, waiting for inspiration to strike and then writes on and on. She told me she was experiencing “writer’s block” and then while we were in Walmart, an episode came to her, so she stood int he middle of Walmart, behind some racks, and wrote more to her story. We had separated as we entered walmart, and i was outside, wondering what happened to her. This website is a godsend if you are hoping that your daughter will take her reading skills and use them for writing. I just so wish we had found this website when she was younger!

If she is reading a book a week, you can find literary classics in any bookstore. Those are mostly fine for a 12-year old. I would suggest using your public library. Librarians are delighted to help young people make good selections.

But at 12, she is old enough to make her own choices about what to read. If you have raised her right, nothing she is going to read will harm her.