Ideas for 9 year old girl?

I want to get my 9-year-old cousin 3 books for Christmas, since I'm getting her 14-year-old sister a trilogy and sibling rivalry means they need similar types and amounts of presents. (Besides, I love reading, and would really like to get both of them to love reading too.) But, while I have more ideas than I need for her older sister, I have no idea what to get the 9-year-old. She is currently in 4th grade, and reads at grade level.

She often starts books, loses interest, and doesn't finish them. I already tried giving her Matilda and some of the other Roald Dahl books (the BFG, and the 2 Willy Wonka books, since she liked the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film), but she wasn't interested in them. (Maybe they were too low of a reading level? While Amazon says a lot of the Roald Dahl books are for ages 9-12, I read them when I was 4, and I've seen threads about parents introducing their kids to them at ages 5-6. I mean, I still love them - great children's lit is great at any age - but I don't know if appropriate reading level is an issue with her not finishing/being interested in things, or if she just didn't like them. I've tried asking why she doesn't like certain books and what she thinks might interest her, but she doesn't do a lot of reading for pleasure and I don't get a lot of helpful responses.) She does like the Harry Potter books she's read.

I'd like to get her the first book in the Animorphs series, since I know I liked those books when I was younger and they're individually not very long, but I don't know what to buy for the other two. Since I don't know if she'll lose interest in Animorphs before the end of the 1st book, I don't think I should buy books 1-3 in that series. Would the first book in the Percy Jackson series be a good idea? I remember reading The Giver in school in 4th grade and loving it, but Amazon calls it a YA book.

Can someone help me out with some suggestions? Something about the level of the first 2 books of the Harry Potter series is probably about right for her reading level, and she finished both of those. Suggestions with strong female characters would especially be appreciated - I'm trying to segue her older sister from obsessively re-reading Twilight into enjoying other supernatural/dystopian/paranormal YA series with female protagonists stronger than Bella Swan.

(Note: I also crossposted this to the other children's group, since I wasn't sure which group would be a more appropriate area for asking. If one needs to be taken down, someone please let me know; I don't frequent these forums often.)

I really like the The Mysterious Benedict Society. Amazon says 9-12 for that one and I would but it closer to the top end of that range. A Series of Unfortunate Events is also really good. Both these are a bit on the "darker" side so might appeal to kids who haven't gotten into some of the "lighter" standards.

The Emily Windsnap books--I think there are at least three--or the Pandora books, starting with Pandora Gets Lazy

My daughter really enjoyed the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when she was that age. You might try those, but I suggest first you ask her what she enjoys reading about. Fun, quirky books? Scary stories? nonfiction? That will help narrow the list down.

Well, my oldest just turned seven, so I don't have the right sense of what nine-year-olds enjoy. For my niece and nephew at that age, we got them Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series is here: http://www.librarything.com/series/Diary+of+a+Wimpy+Kid ) and the Percy Jackson series (http://www.librarything.com/series/Percy+Jackson+and+the+Olympians ), which were both hits with them. I recently read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda to my daughter and loved it (me, I loved it. My daughter enjoyed it to.)

My grand-daughter really enjoys the American Girl books. Her favorite is Kit, whose story is set in the 1930s, because my mother - her G.G. (great-grandmother) - was a girl back then, and she can talk to G.G. about what she reads.

Although a bit more 'old fashioned' than the potter series - the Chronicles of Prydain by Loyd Alexander is a great fantasy/adventure series.

Has she read anything by Madeleine L'Engle yet? A Wrinkle In Time or Meet the Austins introduces some characters she can enjoy for the rest of her life.

And I believe that the classics are classic because they continue to offer good reading. I read Little Women and Heidi at that age, and still love them.

The Secret Garden and Black Beauty are also good reads. Then, there is Dickens and Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol.

How about Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary books. Those are classics and great literature. I know this is a late post cause you wanted ideas by Christmas but there will always be another Christmas or a birthday.

"My best friend is a person who will give me a book to read."

Check out books by Judy Blume, Sara Pennypacker or Barbara Park. The Fudge Series, Clementine, and Junie B are all very funny and engaging.