Water for Elephants in my top recommendation.

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books and PC Cast's House of Night series are both YA vampire books. Very different, but both really good IMO. Also, CE Murphy's Walker Papers for some non-YA urban fantasy.

If you don't mind a book designed for preteens, "The Dark Lord of Dirkholm" by Dianne Wynne Jones is a good fantasy book but I believe the age range for it starts at like 12?

"The Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King is good too, I'm pretty sure it falls into fantasy. It just doesn't really fall into urban fantasy I don't think but there's not really any elves or anything, just a dark wizard, he originally wrote it I believe for his daughter so it can be a little aimed for a younger set.
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The Nightside series by Simon R Green are more urban fantasy. Its set in a more realistic world, but in a hidden subsection of London. They follow John Taylor a private eye and native to the Nightside as he solves cases and tries not to be killed by everyone afraid of him.
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If you like vampire novels at all, the Blood series by Tanya Huff is really great, as is her Smoke Series. They're both set in Canada. The blood books are about a detective Vikki Nelson, she has a disease in her eyes causing her to go blind slowly, she's already lost her nightvision, and in the first book (Blood Price), she meets up with Henry. Henry is the bastard son of King Henry the VIII and a vampire. There's a bunch of murders occuring throughout the city and they team up to try to find out whats happen, her wanting to stay in the game as she loved being a cop before her eyes went, and him wanting to do away with any rumors of vampires in the city.
The Smoke books pick up after the events of the Blood books, with a side character from the blood books, Tony Foster. He goes to work for a TV station, ironically one that features a vampire dectective and weird things start happening around the set.
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If romance doesn't bother you, Sherrilyn Kenyon's dark hunter novel, "Dark Side of the Moon" is pretty good. I haven't read much of the other dark hunter books but so far this is the only one that's really shined out to me. But it is more of a romance/fiction.
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And possibly the best fantasy fiction book I've read would be another Simon R. Green book, Shadows Fall. This book was fantastic! It's about a town called Shadows Fall, where people and things go when people stop believing in them. So like rock legends after they die, comic book characters, book characters, etc. They all end up in Shadows Fall. As do old toys, old friends, family, and old pets. They are all in this town until they feel they're no longer needed and submit to the call of the Forever Door. The story follows a wide range of characters as they all handle the looming cloud headed for the town, murders begin occuring which isn't mean to happen in Shadows Fall, people become scared because of that and because Old Father Time isn't doing anything. But there's a greater fear growing in them when a man names James Hart returns to the town and has a prophecy of doom on his name. Hart just wants to find out who he is, but he really picked a bad time to return to the town.
There are several events that take place but I won't mention them as they would lead to spoilers, this is the best spoiler free summary I can provide, but it's really great. Definately worth the oppertunity if it sounds like its up your alley.

As far as Urban and Relistic Fantasy goes I'd reccomend anything by Francesca Lia Block. I especially love the Weetzie Bat series (Dangerous Angels + Necklace of Kisses), Violet & Claire and Echo. But I've read everything she has put out so far except one of her newer pieces, Quakeland, and I've loved them all.

I read Inkheart a long time ago in English and it was nice! I thought the way it was written had a lovely flow to it.
Check out the Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud & Pendragon series by DJ MacHale.

Try the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, witches, Fae... what's not to love?

And I love your icon, btw!

The Bartimaeus Trilogy!

When you said urban fantasy, my first thought was "Someplace to be Flying" by Charles de Lint. I definitely got sucked into that reading it and very much enjoyed it.

(I love The Book Thief and Ink Heart...)

Memoirs of a Geisha, Someplace to be Flying, Practical Magic

I'd recommend The Time Travelers Wife, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Shadow of the Wind.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: it's long but it sucked me in completely right from the start. It's written as a sort of alternative 19th century England, with magic.