My daughter is glued to her cellphone day and night and I convinced her to give books a try, she sent me 3 of her choices, all thrillers but all with adult content. I get she seems to gravitate towards mysteries and thrillers btu I would like to know what are your suggestions no matter the genre for a 15 yo girl. No violence or sex please. TIA.
by walkingnottoofast
18 Comments
It’s not too bad if the books have minimal adult content. She might start reading because of it and that will distract her from her phone. Also adult content is readily available online, not like you can stop her from consuming it. Don’t make a taboo out of it.
Hey there! That’s great that you’re trying to get your daughter into reading. How about you check out “[One of Us Is Lying](https://wydgetlabs.com/?red=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F1524714682%3F%26tag%3Damznwydget-20%26linkCode%3Dur2%26creative%3D9325%26th%3D1%26language%3Den_US)” by Karen M. McManus? It’s a Young Adult mystery thriller that’s got tons of twists and turns, but it’s totally appropriate for a teenage girl. You can find it on Amazon here. Hope she likes it!
YA mystery/thrillers are going through a boom, so you should be able to find something for her fairly easily! One of Us is Lying (in general anything by Karen McManus), A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Truly Devious…
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz (a thriller about different disasters throughout the world.)
also, a sidenote: I believe the summary did mention something about animals attacking. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find books with zero violence – especially in thrillers.
I can totally understand why you would want your daughter to avoid certain content in her reading. Yes, “adult content” is everywhere sadly. But that doesn’t mean one should feel obligated to let their young readers engage with inappropriate stories. Anyway, have a blessed day! If you need any more help, let me know.
I know you want to shelter her and protect her, but I read *Pet Sematary* when I was 13 and it set me on a path to be a lifelong reader.
I’m not suggesting she read THAT book but if her suggestions aren’t too far over the top, you should probably facilitate her in reading what she wants to read.
Drowning by TJ Newman is a good one. Content is appropriate, but it is very suspenseful.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
My favorite book when I was that age (I am now 25 and it is still one of my favorites that I reread yearly) is called *Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea* by April Genevieve Tucholke. It’s definitely mystery/thriller/romance/spooky YA. There is a sequel to it as well. <3
give her some agatha christie if she wants thriller. they also barely have any swear words. i can search a bit through the books I read as a kid and give you some recs if you want.
what titles did she give you? also, i am very happy that you ar einterested and invested and that you don t let her read anythign that is populat or that she wants if itsn t suitable for her age. congrats!
How strict are you on the no sex or violence bit? It sounds like you’re limiting her access quite a lot. It’s not going to go the way you think. At 15, she’s capable of determining her own comfort levels with different aspects of media. At 15, she’s going to get exposure to sexual and violent content. She definitely already is. Censoring her reading won’t stop that.
Honestly the idea of having to filter my reading through my parent at age 15 is just *beyond*. I can’t think of anything I read at that age that didn’t have either mild violence or sex, because I mostly read a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure type things. But maybe I’m assuming your bar is much lower than it is.
The jack west jr series by Matthew Reilly
The Sundown Motel by Simone St James is probably relatable as the protagonist is a young woman. Suspenseful but no s€x and violence is implied but not detailed, with a great conclusion.
In a similar vein I’d recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. Suspenseful, but again, not scary.
Megan Miranda is pretty mild psychological thrillers. Might be a good starting point.
Sundown Motel and My Best Friends Exorcism. Might I add that I personally don’t think restricting the content is the best idea. At 15, she knows more about sex than you think and she can easily access any of it on her phone already. She probably has. You’re trying to encourage reading and putting restrictions on something you want to encourage is counterproductive
I also came here to say The Sun Down Motel! A great thriller with no sex and no detailed violence.
I think you need to read them first, then let her read them. This way you know what content she’s reading and you can talk to her about it
15 is pretty old to have her reading censored. By about 10 I had free reign of the adult section of the library, and I always went for the best stories, not the most sensational. I’ve been a big reader all my life.
The Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison. First book is called Angus, Things and Full-Frontal Snogging. I have loved these books since I was a teenager and they never fail to cheer me up. It’s basically like the 14 year old girl equivalent of Bridget Jones’s Diary, it is so so so funny and very ahead of its time in showing the absolutely ridiculous things that happen when you’re that age but it feels so so serious. Short, fun reads and absolutely hilarious.