How old? And what is her favorite book? "Teen" is a wide range

Try looking at lists in Goodreads?

She's actually about 23ish but has some developmental challenges. She was born almost deaf but now has cochlear implants, she is mostly non-verbal and has mobility issues. If you met her, you would think she is much much younger than she is. She's not into boys or shopping or hanging out or anything like that, and is very much a homebody (especially since Covid). But she is also very smart and loves to read and will read or watch her favorites over and over again. Unfortunately I don't know what her favorite book is but I would probably aim towards young-teen.

Google "young teen books for girls who love animals" and you will find several lists. Now I want to buy her a book! : )

You have hit upon a troubling void in the world of books. -teenage reading level books which aren't about romance or vampires.

A couple that may work:

The Underneath -one of my favorite books. I've seen it listed as a sixth-grade book, but there is a complexity to the book that many sixth-graders would struggle with. If you are close with this young woman, it would be fun to read it at the same time and discuss. As a tutor, I've recommended this book to more than a few of my students, but I've always found that they struggle with the interwoven plot based on an old Caddo legend, so it would be worthwhile to discuss it with her as that part of the book unfolds. I truly love this book. Here's a link: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

Has she read The Incredible Journey? An old classic that still resonates. Here's a link: The Incredible Journey

There is a series of books called Redwall, which my now-grown son absolutely loved and devoured. The nice thing is there are 22 books in the series, all available in paperback, so if she likes them, it will keep her going for awhile. They are marketed to Young Adult, but I have known sixth-graders to read them. Here's a link: Redwall. I've linked to the entire series, but of course they are available as singles too. A quick Google search will indicate the correct order. The characters are woodland animals, but this is no cutesy story. These are well-developed characters full of spite, generosity, vindictiveness, and kindness.

I'll try to think of some more, but those came to me off the top of my head.

Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family - and a Whole Town - About Hope and Happy Endings

by

Janet Elder

3.66 · Rating details · 1,685 ratings · 263 reviews

Huck is a page-turning, unforgettable true story of the tenacity of one small dog, the unexpected, extraordinary kindness of strangers, and a family’s devotion to each other.

Anne of Green Gables?

The One and Only Ivan

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Iris is a lonely Deaf girl who feels alone at her school and in her immediate family. When Iris learns about Blue 55, a whale who is called the loneliest whale in the world because his song is at a different hertz than other whales, she immediately feels a connection to him. Iris uses her compassionate heart, intelligence, and tinkering skills to write and record a whale song that Blue 55 will hear so he’ll know that he’s not alone. Her subsequent adventure is profoundly life-changing. This is a heartening, poignant story that gives readers insight Deaf children, the richness of Deaf culture, and the power of compassion.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

Elizabeth George Speare won the 1959 Newbery Medal for this portrayal of a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor by James Herriot

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. Two of the books in the series were Newberry Award winners.

Watership Down by Richard Adams.

Any book by Brian Jacques.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

I can think of two - both by Abbi Waxman. The Garden of Small Beginnings and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Not exactly meeting your criteria but nice, fun, light hearted reads that any teenager would enjoy. Not designated as teenage/YA but it could work.

A young teen who loves animals? The Black Stallion series - the first four are the best. Along with the series you could give her the Black Stallion movie, which is faithful to the book and has won awards for its glorious cinematography. I still have my copies of the books, which I read over and over, even aloud to my mother as she was sewing.

My favorite series about dogs is Silver Chief, Dog of the North, about a husky-sled dog who was the loyal companion of a Canadian Mountie.

When I think about my mother, who was a teacher, and how she worried that I would never read anything but animal stories, I have to smile. Somehow, around age 13, I graduated from dog and horse stories to historical novels, which I still love. But tales of The Black and Silver Chief have stayed with me all my life!

Sable

ohmydog, I don't know if I'd have the emotional fortitude to read The Incredible Journey. Lots of tears.

For that age, I would recommend Tolkien, starting with The Hobbit and then Lord of the Rings trilogy. I sort of think of hobbits as animals, or at least Gollum. Anyway, most of the characters are not exactly human.

I too was going to mention the James Herriot books.

Also, I loved reading Paul Gallico books: Thomasina, Mrs. 'arris books, and The Love of Seven Dolls was one of my favorites.

Carl Hiaasen has a series of 5 YA books, heavy on animals, quirky characters, humor and respect for nature, and devoid of heavy duty teen angst. One of his books, Hoot, was made into a movie.

http://www.carlhiaasen.com/young-readers.shtml

My middle-teen granddaughter loved the several series by this author and there are many, many books. I greatly enjoyed the second "Warriors" series myself!

From Amazon:

About Erin Hunter

Erin Hunter is the author of the bestselling Warriors and Seekers series. She is inspired by a love of animals and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior.

Watchers by Dean Koontz is a great story. It is suspense, the dog is called Einstein, and is of course brilliant. A great dog book.

Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog is a lovely movie, I have watched it many times. A boy and his dog get lost in the Alaskan wilderness; boy saves dog, dog saves boy. Oh it is so sweet!

There was a popular series when my sons were in HS called Warriors by Erin Hunter it is about cats. My sons never read it, so I have no experience but throwing it out as a brain tickler, for others who may know of it.

I remembered my favorite cat book, The Abandoned (also titled Jennie) by Paul Gallico. It is about a boy that hits his head and when he comes to he is a cat. The novel is from the perspective of the cat, so entertaining.

Actually check out all of Gallico's books. LOL I just looked up thread and see Annie said Gallico. Annie- consider yourself 'high fived'

Black Beauty is a classic.