Suitable books for a 12/13 yr old boy with 16 reading age.

dora37

DS (12, nearly 13), is an avid reader, however he is finding it harder and harder to find things to read.....the trouble seems to be that as his reading age is that of a 16 yr old, the books aimed at older teenagers are either not suitable in content or are aimed at girls.

I would be grateful if any one has any suggestions. Regarding the types of books he likes, he really enjoyed the Lemony Snickett books and has been reading the Young Bond ones too.

Older_but_not_wiser_2

I'd suggest the Hobbit, and if he likes that, he can have a go at The Lord of the Rings.

I was around his age when I first read TLOTR, and a bit younger when I read The Hobbit.

Strepsy

The Hardy Boys?

Nicki

How about Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, or his new one, A spot of bother. Phillip Pulman and His Dark Materials series. Tolkien, Terry Pratchett for some light relief. If he like sci fi, maybe some Phillip K !!!!!! or Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series. If he's into more action thrillers, the older ones have less sex, eg Chandler and Hammet, but tend to be more violent.

If he has a reading age of 16, he is probably up for most adult fiction subject to it having a content that interests him, and not too graphic S and V. You could recommend books that you have enjoyed which you think are suitable. You could also point him in the direction of the more modern classics (doesn't have to be too heavy going - you don't have to send him to Dostoevsky, but he might like Graham Greene or Hemmingway if he's into action stuff)

As a last resort, why not ask his english teacher for ideas, or look at the syllabus for GCSE and A levels (not just in your areas but nationwide) as the content of these are unlikely to be too off beam.

At this age, I was given free rein by my parents in adult section of library, and didn't come to too much harm. You'd be surprised at the degree of self-censorship at this age, and you can always keep a weather eye on what he is choosing and discuss and strange choices with him. This also has the advantage that you try before you buy.

Nicki

Strepsy wrote:

The Hardy Boys?

For a 12 year old, going on 16?

If these are the ones I'm thinking of ("Alfred Hitchcock presents") I was reading these at primary school along with my Nancy Drew mysteries!

ka7e

Anything by Terry Pratchett.
Douglas Adam's "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Universe" - a trilogy in 5 parts!
"The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon
If he likes sci-fi, Julian May's Saga of the Exiles series starts with "The Golden Torc". More complex (and a bit gory) are the books of Neal Asher.
Stephen King spins a good yarn - my boys particularly liked "The Stand"

arthur_dent_2

My husband, who is as far as reading goes is not that into it, likes to read the Shaun Hutson Horror novels and Viz. Saying that he might be a bit old for Viz.

jrrowleyws

Books by Anthony Horowitz make a great read, both old and new. They arent really too advance but have good story lines!

frivolous_fay

How about some big, meaty classic adventures?

There are some great thrillers by Wilkie Collins. Or how about Dracula, Frankenstein, some Dickens... or the Count of Monte Cristo? (The latter not for the short-of-attention... it's huge!

I was always frustrated by my local library - there was only a small section of 'teenage' fiction, which I'd got bored of long before I was 14 and permitted to borrow adult fiction. I wasn't allowed to borrow more than two adult books at a time until I was 16!

flybynight

the new torchwood books are very good, theres a whole series of em

seven-day-weekend

Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Chronicles of Narnia

Also tell him to go the the library and have a good scout round.