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

LizD_2

I'd recommend any of Anne McCaffreys' novels to be honest, as well as the Dragons you have the Unicorn series (about telepaths) and several standalones. (The earlier ones are a bit 'adult', but again it's more implied than actual). After you've been reading them for a while, you'll pick up on subtle indications that link most of the novels into one huge universe.

Another Pratchett fan as well. What about Colin Dann's animal novels, such as the Farthing Wood series.

andi2

I can't believe I forgot to mention Robin Hobb - they're fantastic.

Assassin trilogy first, then the Liveship Traders, then the fool trilogy (sorry, can't check the exact names all my bookcases have been dismantled to decorate).

Trudi Canavan well worth a read as well (Black Magician Trilogy first - got to wait till July for last part of her new trilogy).

edited to add - Piers Anthony Incarnations of Immortality also fantastic (On A Pale Horse is book one)

lesleydejager

i would recommend George Orwell s 1984 and Animal Farm, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

cupid_s

I always had a fairly advanced reading age. At around 13 I loved all books by John Wyndham - still do. Chocky or the chrysalids are good ones to start with.

Idiophreak

Is there a good reason people haven't recommended Robert Rankin?

It's been a while since I've read any, but can't remember too much unsuitable?

More votes here for pratchett (and, as suggested, especially Good Omens) and tolkien (I'm still struggling with the silmarillion at 23 )

Also, as someone else suggested, a magazine subscription would be useful - new scientist maybe.

Also, I used to enjoy reading James Herriott (sp?) around that time....

frivolous_fay

Lillibet wrote:

What about the early Ben Elton novels, Past Mortem might be a bit to graphic but This Other Eden, Gridlocked, Blast from the Past, Dead Famous would all be suitable & are amusing.

I really liked Ben Elton's early books, although I think he lost the plot after This Other Eden... they all seem a bit cliched and sanitised to me these days. I got interested around the time they televised Stark (which is a brilliant read, absolutely hysterical, but with a serious message!)

I didn't notice if any of Bill Bryson's books have been suggested... they're really readable, funny and interesting. Notes from a Small Island has local interest. A Short History of Nearly Everything is great, fascinating, educational... but not for the faint-hearted!

By the way, my favourite Pratchett is Feet of Clay. Brilliant

SSB

Hi
Darren Shan Chronicles, first one is 'Cirque De Freak. I love Shaun Hutson books but they are not suitable for 12 year olds regardless his reading age... Unless you want him to indulge in rather graphic depictions of sex and violence...

badmumof1

im in the same situation as my son is 11
i went into waterstones and they suggested lemoney snicket but he covered them in junior school

SSB

Hi
Darren Shan's Chronicles are good, first one is ' Cirque De Freak'. I love Shaun Hutson books but I would not recommend them to any 12 year old regardless of reading age... unless you want to introduce him to depictions of graphic sex and violence...

grastgirl

Just ideas from what I used to read and what I'm reading now.

Terry Pratcehtt - Good, most of it completely inoccuous to a 12 year old, and he can go back to them as he gets more life experience and get more of the jokes.

Trudi Canavan - Really enjoyed the magician trilogy, and I can't think of anything too bad

The Hornblower books - I'm reading them at the moment, mostly action, so some violence (but nothing too gory or explicit to give him nightmares) and absolutely no sex as far as I can tell

The Sharpe books - a bit like the hornblower ones, but definitely more gory and some sex scenes, but there's more of them and they tell you what really happened as well

Anne McCaffrey - good for slightly younger readers, although I vaguely remember one or two books having more sexual references in there (The white rider onwards?)

The Hobbit and LOTR - very good and I think I managed LOTR at about 14

Judy Blume - A bit girly, and "Forever", may be a bit old for him just yet (sexual scenes, that are fairly realistic now I know the difference), but some of the others could probably be enjoyed by both sexes, especially if he wants some idea how girls' brains work

Dickens - He could give it a try, but I don't think even now I've gotten all the way through Great Expectations

The New Series of Doctor Who books - I think there's 12 already and I think they're separate to the episodes on TV

Robinson Crusoe

I'll have to take a look at my book case when I get in.