Book recommendations for a 12-year-old girl?

[Veronica]

My niece, who is now 15, enjoyed the Rick Riordan series which was suggested by a middle-school Reading teacher (friend of mine). Her students loved them & my niece really liked them as well.

The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian
The Demigod Files

I think that's all of them?

Loved these and he has another set going about the Roman gods. He's two books into that one and a set on Egyptian gods - also two books in. I can barely wait for the next ones to come out.

Scott Westerfield also has a trilogy set in an alternate version of pre WW1. The first one is called Leviathian.

I just read The House on Mango Street today and it is a little adult in some places, too much for me to read aloud to my class, but I've got a girl I would give it to. It's a very easy read, but the language and the images she evokes are amazing. It's often referenced as an example of good writing in teacher manuals, and I had never read it. i can see why it's referenced.

Veronica