Asking for a friend ... see below
Can you suggest a book to read for my son? He is super difficult 😣 and all my suggestions don't work. He is 13 and unlike me doesn't like to read 😭
The book ideally should be:
1. Teenage male main character
2. Not scary/no character death/ no torture or extra suffering / no sick people etc.
3. Better be funny
4. Easy to read
5. Not too long
Plus he will need to write a book report about it...
What not to suggest...
Hobbit (too long)
Harry Potter (already read)
Neil Geiman
Series of Unfortunate Events
If you have any other ideas I will be grateful
The Narnia books
Discworld
Mort, from the Discworld series.
Northern Lights/His Dark Materials :wub:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Quote from: Sheilbh on January 27, 2021, 04:16:08 PM
Northern Lights/His Dark Materials :wub:
Yeah, HDM is a laugh riot. :huh:
Quote from: Josephus on January 27, 2021, 04:12:57 PM
Hobbit (too long)
Harry Potter (already read)
Does not compute.
My Side of the Mountain
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Because of the Lupin series, they are republishing the books in English. It's good, quick lighthearted, reversed detective stories. The Hollow Needle has a teenage male protagonist.
Catcher in the Rye?
Artemis Fowl
Ender's Game
Lord of the Flies
Quote from: Habbaku on January 27, 2021, 04:17:00 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on January 27, 2021, 04:16:08 PM
Northern Lights/His Dark Materials :wub:
Yeah, HDM is a laugh riot. :huh:
Already read Harry Potter - it's the natural progression.
Quote from: grumbler on January 27, 2021, 04:16:52 PM
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
This!
It was the first full book my older boy read after learning to manage his disability - and it hooked him into a love of reading.
Send him to Reading Gaol?
Sounds like comic territory. He tried many of those?
I've heard of kids being weened onto reading via steadily more complex comics.
I'm totally not representative but I remember at that age I was very into Forgotten Realms. Pulpy and nothing complex. Drizzt of course is the best.
Quote from: Tyr on January 27, 2021, 05:00:55 PM
Sounds like comic territory. He tried many of those?
I've heard of kids being weened onto reading via steadily more complex comics.
I'm totally not representative but I remember at that age I was very into Forgotten Realms. Pulpy and nothing complex. Drizzt of course is the best.
Surely comic books are not allowed by school for book reports.
William Sleater has some awesome sci fi books for kids that age. I read them in early middle school and loved them.
Quote from: grumbler on January 27, 2021, 04:16:52 PM
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Thirded. I can't recall if it was easy to read though. :hmm:
James Joyce - Ulysses.
Might as well start with the setting on "hard" to see how you do.
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
Quote from: Grey Fox on January 27, 2021, 07:51:11 PM
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
The Mistborn Trilogy is pretty good and age appropriate too.
Quote from: Caliga on January 27, 2021, 07:11:31 PM
Quote from: grumbler on January 27, 2021, 04:16:52 PM
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Thirded. I can't recall if it was easy to read though. :hmm:
It's rated as suitable for 8th graders. That's 13 or so, but if the reader isn't up to grade level, maybe not.
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 27, 2021, 04:42:24 PM
Ender's Game
Was considering this one but there are a few dark moments.
I couldn't make it through Ender's Game. I thought it was goofy.
Quote from: PDH on January 27, 2021, 07:18:43 PM
James Joyce - Ulysses.
Might as well start with the setting on "hard" to see how you do.
:D
Thanks.Great suggestions. I'll pass them along
Does he like Star Wars? I'd say most if not all of it is appropriate for teenagers, but there are young reader/junior novel lines:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_canon_books
Some are more violent or such than others of course. I would e.g. not recommend the Aftermath Trilogy if that's a concern.
I read several of those David Eddings books at that age. They had funny dialogue, a teenage protagonists and individually the books were short... of course there was like five of them.
Quote from: grumbler on January 27, 2021, 09:04:06 PM
Quote from: Caliga on January 27, 2021, 07:11:31 PM
Quote from: grumbler on January 27, 2021, 04:16:52 PM
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Thirded. I can't recall if it was easy to read though. :hmm:
It's rated as suitable for 8th graders. That's 13 or so, but if the reader isn't up to grade level, maybe not.
Well, my son read and enjoyed it in grade 5 so ymmv