Books for a nine year old girl - back to basics gifts?

[lucyanna girl]

I hope someone can recommend some books for my nine year old granddaughter.

This year I just can't seem to come up with good gift ideas. I decided I AM going to cut down at least a little this year. I say that every year but this is the year I am going to do it. All of our children except our youngest (freshman in college) are grown, married, have children of their own and most of them make a lot more money than we do. Every year we spend more on Christmas because they all have everything they need and go and buy everything they want and I spend hours looking and trying to find something they might like.

Back to the nine year old, she is a precious little girl whose parents give her everything you can imagine as far as the newest and best. I'm thinking of going the other way, "old time" gifts that I hope she will like. A new series of books or several single books, maybe some artsy craftsy type things like bead stringing, a sewing box with some simple cross-stitch, maybe a kids recipe book with an apron, etc., maybe a small easel and a paint set.

Opinions, please? I don't want to disappoint her but I'm just out of ideas. She doesn't live in the same state we do so we don't see her often to judge her tastes.

Wish I could find some old time (from when our daughters were young) type toys. Seems like at that age they liked skates, maybe that toy that had a ring you put around your ankle and it swung around to jump it, a Jump-Skip maybe?

I decided her younger (five) brother is getting some John Deere tractors and equipment like my boys spent hours playing with - that baby needs to learn to play in the dirt, lol.

Penny

 

[Glynis]

When my daughter was 9, I got her a children's cook book, and some basic cooking supplies (measuring cups and spoons, a mixing bowl, etc.). That's still something she loves. She's turned into quite a good cook, too. I like the idea of going back to basics!

 

[Magpie]

http://www.daringbookforgirls.com/

Plus, you can't go wrong with any of the Klutz series of books (http://www.klutz.com/).

Also, the American Girl dolls come with their own book series.

Girls are so much fun to shop for!

 

[SaraJayne]

My 9 year old DD loves the Ivy and Bean book series. Does she already have that?

 

[SaraJayne]

http://www.daringbookforgirls.com/

Plus, you can't go wrong with any of the Klutz series of books (http://www.klutz.com/).

Also, the American Girl dolls come with their own book series.

Girls are so much fun to shop for!

Oh! We also have this book (in both the boys and girls versions) and my DD loves this one, too! It has all kinds of "old-fashioned" stuff in it.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

My DD9 loves the Ivy & Bean books too. As well as the old fashioned Betsy, Tacy and Tib series. Her other favorites are the Ramona series and Ballet Shoes.

For old fashioned toys, she really loves jump rope, sidewalk chalk, roller skates and her scooter. Oh, she likes those upside down pails that have long ropes on them that you use to walk on. What are they called? I don't remember. If she likes American Girl dolls, they sell the miniature ones at bookstores and Amazon.com, they come with a miniature book too! They're really adorable.

 

[lucyanna girl]

Thank you all! My youngest daughter is nineteen and I've lost touch with what girls that age like and dislike.

Penny

 

[Saphire]

My children loved the Chronicles of Narnia series at that age. Maybe she could start with 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'.

 

[mjkacmom]

It's hard, not knowing her. Dd9 is into clothes (Justice), sewing, reading http://www.percyjacksonbooks.com/, makeup (just for play), activity kits (perfume making, lotions, etc.). She's not into barbies, or any kind of figurines (gave them away). It's a hard age to buy for, especially if she already has a lot. Dd9 already has a cellphone, and wants an ipod touch (already has a flip video camera, ipod, dsi).

 

[magicgirl]

My best present as a child was a book gift card. I would spend ages picking just the right book and always prefered that to just being given a book. For my grandson's 6th birthday I gave him some money and said that we would go book shopping as well. We spent a lovely 90 minutes while he made his mind up.

 

[golfgal]

One year Grandma got all the girls started on doing cross stitch. It wasn't for Christmas but the girls really enjoyed doing that with Grandma. My DD loves to scrapbook too so maybe some supplies for that? I think you will find that some of the simple gifts are often the most remembered. Heck, one year my SIL gave all the grandkids a box of bandaids with characters and you would have thought they were boxes of gold. DD STILL has her box in her dresser drawer

When our kids were in about 4th grade, all the BOYS started knitting. They had an elective period every Friday at their school and one of the mom's taught knitting. It was great to see all these BOYS on the playground knitting.

 

[Kika]

... maybe some artsy craftsy type things like bead stringing, a sewing box with some simple cross-stitch, maybe a kids recipe book with an apron, etc., maybe a small easel and a paint set....

My soon to be 9 year old really likes this kind of stuff. She always has some "art project(s)" going on around here.

Regarding books, she likes the Dear Dumb Diary books, Baby Mouse books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, etc.

She also loves all those little things from Justice, Claires, and Bath & Body Works (lip balm, diary, hair accessories, etc.) so if you are near a mall that has those stores, that could be another option for you.

 

[LukenDC]

Books and art supplies are gifts that stand the test of time and are sure to please any curious or creative child.

 

[skuttle]

Last Christmas we gave our cousin's 9 year old daughter a scrapbook kit. She really liked it. It was designed for young girls/tweens.

 

[mamacatnv]

My MIL lives in Florida and we are in NV. The kids only see Grammie and Grumps (yes that is what he prefers!) every few years.

The best "old fashioned" thing that my MIL did for DD was she sent her stationary and became her pen pal. Not an email pal but a true pen pal. It really helped my DD with her writing skills and she loves getting mail from Grammie. They started this about the time that DD was 8/9 and still do it to this day. Every Christmas DD gets a new box of some cute w/envelopes stationary. Grammie also now includes stamps in that box so that DD does not have to rely on us to get her letter mailed, she writes it and sticks it in the outgoing box.

I love that my MIL and my DD despite their distance have gotten to know each other, that is a very precious gift.

The book series I loved at that age and that I bought for my DD is:
Trixie Beldon

 

[lucyanna girl]

Oh, you all have some wonderful ideas - thank you! I hadn't thought about scrap-booking but that is a really good one as well as the stationary. I remember when my Sarah LOVED to scrapbook and getting letters from Emma would be a delight.

I read Trixie Belson books when I was a little girl. I didn't know you could still get them. Hum... anyone else old enough to remember Nurse Cherry Ames? Some books will deficiently be among her gifts.

I saw some small sewing boxes somewhere in a store lately, I just have to remember where.

Penny

 

[laurafergie]

My DD11 loves the Warrior Cat series by Erin Hunter. She started reading these when she was about 9. She loves cats and was thrilled when DS23 brought his two cats to live with us when he went to SC for school - so now we have three cats in our "cat clan".

 

[JustineMarie]

My 9 year old loves the Dear Dumb Diary Books. She loves them as they are kinda like the Diary of a Wimpy kid books, but written for girls.

 

[MsLeFever]

I LOVED the Cherry Ames books! And the Happy Hollister's mysteries too.

I'm reading the Little House books with my daughter who is 9 and we are really enjoying them.

 

[monkeybug]

What about getting her a book you loved when you were her age and writing a little note on the inside of the cover?
I have a Winnie The Pooh book (the original by A.A. Milne) that was given to me by my Grandma. It was a favorite of hers when she was young, and she wrote a little letter to me on the inside of the book telling me a bit about her life when she was a girl. I cherish that book to this day, it's one of my most prized possessions.