Re-stocking a teens bookshelf cheaply

DKLS

I would recommend the tech solutions, despite being a lover of printed books, Just like with the iPod, ebook readers have revolutionised reading for me.

There are loads of free ebooks, and if you are so inclined they have all been pirated.

Spendless

tyllwyd wrote: »

I think if it was me, I'd also be trying to push him verbally - I mean trying to prod him into talking to me and describing things. I pick the kids up from school every day, and I always ask them how things have gone (when they are a captive audience in the car!) - the teenager starts by grunting but after a couple of tries usually starts telling me about something. Talk to him about tv shows, take him to see films, talk about whatever sport he is into - try to get him used to using his brain to remember what was happening and tell someone about it!

Oh he can talk for England if he's going on about some aspect of Science or Minecraft. Several teachers report that he hangs around after class, to tell them about this or that he's seen on a documentary. He was even put in for a science quiz representing the school a few months back due to the amount of 'off curriculum' knowledge he has. His English teacher/tutor is trying to make him connect seeing descriptive words written down and doing it himself.

Everhopeful

Apologies if this has already been suggested, but you could search on Ebay for 'job lots' of suitable books - search for collection only, then filter search to 'nearest first' . You might just be lucky & find a local seller with a bookcase to clear.

MissAdventure

If you are near a Healthy Planet book store they give away their books for free.

(There is a limit on how many books you can take per visit and a donation box, but no one has ever paid any attention to how much I put in.)

Locations here : https://healthyplanet.org/get-involved/sustainable-community/books-for-free/centre-map

I was so sad when my local one closed, I live too far away from the others. Although my house was becoming over run with books...

Stephb1986_2

I've had books from Greenmetropolis they are pre loved but usually in very good condition.

Steph x

jellyhead

Spendless wrote: »

Oh he can talk for England if he's going on about some aspect of Science or Minecraft. Several teachers report that he hangs around after class, to tell them about this or that he's seen on a documentary. He was even put in for a science quiz representing the school a few months back due to the amount of 'off curriculum' knowledge he has. His English teacher/tutor is trying to make him connect seeing descriptive words written down and doing it himself.

My 8 year old's reading card for school is mostly Minecraft books

He's started reading Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy and he finds it hilarious, but some of his suggestions for World Book Day costumes were rather silly

There have been cheaper suggestions, but the Book People have some Minecraft books at £3.99 that I'm getting for mine, but your son might already have them. My older boy likes to flick through the Book People's catalogues when they arrive in the post, and he sometimes chooses books that way. He often goes back to the hitch-hiker books though, he loves them so much. I honestly think it was those books that helped him to improve his Literacy level when he was the same age as your son. He developed a love for descriptive words and long or unusual words. He's not brilliant at English, but as long as he is adding subordinate clauses, etc. he gets higher marks and he passed his GCSE despite making absolutely no progress in literacy between years 6 and 9.

scubaangel

If he enjoys the Hitchhikers books is it worth him trying some of Terry Pratchett's stuff, I adore the Discworld series as it's so varied in topics and characters that even people I know who hate to read have found at least one of them was a good read - the character collections (broadly) are Witches, The Watch (Police force), Wizards, DEATH in the early books, but they tend to overlap characters the later books are less clearly defined character sets to my mind but they can all either be read as a series or as standalone books.