Recommendations for boy just discovering not all YA is equally enthralling.

[BookStop]

Well, picked up a couple recommendations at the library - a Robert Redick book and a Gardner. He is excited to start them, so that's a good thing, although I'm sure he'll be done w/in the week. Our library didn't have a lot of the books we wanted to look for, but we were able to order a Tad Williams' book as well.

I really thought he'd like The Hunger Games, but apparently he read the first one already and didn't care for it. *sigh* He's a tricky kid.

[Stephen Palmer]

Which Sally Gardner?

btw, the Alan Garner books mentioned above are great too.

[BookStop]

The Silver Blade was the one he picked up by Sally Gardner. He is rather antsy to start it, but is just finishing up the Stephen King book

[Boneman]

You could try Picus the thief - if he liked Artemis Fowl, he might like that - see the review wot I wrote... And it's part of a series.

[CyBeR]

Originally Posted by BookStop

I was wondering of he'd like Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency(years since I read, so can't remember if appropriate) ... or the Discworld books. They're not his usual, but he might be ready to start trying a few different types of books too.

Yes on both accounts, though on the Discworld I'd mainly encourage the Nightwatch series and the Witches. I have a feeling he wouldn't care much for Rincewind or the Wizards' usual shenanigans.

Also, if he's into games and the such, the Infernal City and Lord of Souls by Greg Keyes, the Elder Scrolls novels.

[merritt]

Julian Mays stuff seems like it would be OK. Jack the Bodiless, etc. Adult themes but no porn.

The Exiles and Milieu series.

2 books that are very enjoyable(no worries here):

The Aluminum Man - Edmondson
and Way Station - Simak

[Thadlerian]

Sounds like a good time to start reading The Lord of the Rings.

[monkeypooper]

L Ron Hubbard books are ideal, just forget about all that Scientology crap,


mission earth series or battlefield earth is a great read

[Teresa Edgerton]

Maybe Chris Wooding's YA books:

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
Poison
Storm Thief

Or Marcus Sedgwick

The Book of Dead Days
The Dark Flight Down

[Timba]

Early Heinlein, such as "Have Spacesuit, will travel" or "Mother was a Lovely Beast"
Rick Riordan, The Percy Jackson series
Kathy Reichs better known for her Temperence Brennan (Bones) character recently wrote a YA called Virals which now has a sequel called Seizures. I have not read Seizures yet but Virals was great fun.
Anne McCaffery's Pern series
Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar stuff.

[monsterchic]

As a teen myself, I would recommend:
Hunger Games,
Percy Jackson,
Bloody Jack(LM Meyer),
Harry Potter(of course, no brainer...),
The Den of Shadows(Amelia Atwater-Rhodes),
Uglies and Leviathan series(Scott Westerfield),
anything by Tamora Pierce,
Lord of the Rings,
Incarceron,
anything Holly Black,
Watersmeet,
Elphame's Choice and Brighid's Quest(PC Cast),
The Roar(Emma Clayton)

I'll research more, but if you need anymore, PM me.

[zigzzagz]

Hard to do better than the hobbit if he hasn't been there yet. Also maybe better yet, a book called I believe 'nine princes in amber' though I may possibly have the amount of princes incorrect, it could be less. Lol regardless it would be very easy to find and is one of a few books from my youth I'd really love to read again. Absolutely brilliant and imaginative. Gripping from page one till the last. Sorry I can't remember the author either but it's quite a famous book, and like I said would not be at all hard to find with the info I've given you. Yes definately get him that one...... then lend it to me when he's done. Lol

[Timba]

Originally Posted by zigzzagz

Hard to do better than the hobbit if he hasn't been there yet. Also maybe better yet, a book called I believe 'nine princes in amber' though I may possibly have the amount of princes incorrect, it could be less. Lol regardless it would be very easy to find and is one of a few books from my youth I'd really love to read again. Absolutely brilliant and imaginative. Gripping from page one till the last. Sorry I can't remember the author either but it's quite a famous book, and like I said would not be at all hard to find with the info I've given you. Yes definately get him that one...... then lend it to me when he's done. Lol

The Author is Roger Zelasny and it is actually a series of books called the Amber Chronicles. I think the 9 princes was the first book.

[Extollager]

C. S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by merritt

Julian Mays stuff seems like it would be OK. Jack the Bodiless, etc. Adult themes but no porn.

I wouldn't recommend The Saga of the Exiles for one so young - very adult themes, including rape and torture, in the later books. Add in forced impregnation of captive women, and a character who develops a ten-foot long priapic, um, appendage after losing control of his psi powers...

No. Seriously, no. Highly recommended for adult readers, but not for a 12-year-old.

I haven't read the ones set in the future (Jack the Bodiless, and so on), so they may be milder...