👍

Yes, she seemed so sassy and much older than I was when I read them too.

Well-stocked libraries (public funding) are so important for kids! My school’s library just happened to stock the series, but sounds like you got lucky with the sale.

This is pre-teen list:

A Wrinkle in Time - Meg is most people as an awkward youngester who doesn’t quite fit in 100%. Again, she saves the day by rescuing her father and brother, with the help of benevolent mentors/beings who don’t dictate every little step.

Trixie Belden - I’ve forgotten how old she was meant to be but loved how this little girl could solve mysteries by using her brain and curiosity - empowering. And the fact boring ol’ suburbs could have interesting mysteries to solve was another attraction point.

There are many others but these two for some reason are what comes to mind ATM.