Smith of Wootton Major . I read this book when I was about 10 or 11, and I still remember what it felt like as it rewired my mind.
Ender’s Game, of course, as you’d said.
Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy (not to be confused with that other book by the same title).
Pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett except for The Colour of Magic (it’s not great), but especially the Tiffany Aching books (starting with The Wee Free Men), and possibly Small Gods.
Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, and especially The Dream Hunters.
Hmm, upon reflecting on this list, I can see that it mostly consists of fantasy. I suspect this is due to my personal bias. I used to read science fiction exclusively when I was little, and there are tons of Russian science fiction writers whom I could recommend, if only your niece spoke Russian, which I suspect she does not. I was not aware that fantasy even existed until the aforementioned rewiring took place.
Smith of Wootton Major . I read this book when I was about 10 or 11, and I still remember what it felt like as it rewired my mind.
Ender’s Game, of course, as you’d said.
Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy (not to be confused with that other book by the same title).
Pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett except for The Colour of Magic (it’s not great), but especially the Tiffany Aching books (starting with The Wee Free Men), and possibly Small Gods.
Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, and especially The Dream Hunters.
The Myth series by Robert Asprin.
Hmm, upon reflecting on this list, I can see that it mostly consists of fantasy. I suspect this is due to my personal bias. I used to read science fiction exclusively when I was little, and there are tons of Russian science fiction writers whom I could recommend, if only your niece spoke Russian, which I suspect she does not. I was not aware that fantasy even existed until the aforementioned rewiring took place.