OMG I was totally gonna suggest Fruits Basket.
I actually have something in common with MilesZ.
Anyway yeah, I'm totally addicted. It's up to like 16 volumes now. And I'm not even a nine year old girl... I'm an adult!!!
The theme of the series, in my opinion, is that you don't have to be a SMART person to be a GOOD person. The MC is an orphaned high school girl who gets taken in by a family where everyone turns into one of the zodiac animals when they are hugged. It is a curse and they all have issues, but this girl who is frankly pretty stupid manages to bring light into all of their lives. It's funny, cute, and heartfelt.
The only thing is I don't think it's written left to right. You mean the "western" way? It's "backwards." But it has a little explanation in the front about how to read it and I really don't think kids would have any problem with it.
Ahem. BTW, if you get it for the 9 year old, sneak a peek yourself. It's worth reading.