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Book recommendations for a preteen?

pixidance

pixidance

New Member
My son has turned into an avid reader and I'm having a hard time keeping up with him! He's read everything in the house that he's found interesting and just finished the last book I bought him in a week

So, I was curious if any of you could recommend books that would interest him. I want something clean because he's 10. The problem we're running into is that his reading level is higher than books targeted for him, but I don't want him to read some of the YA fiction that's out because I don't think he's that mature yet.

Books that he has loved and sucked up in a few days are

Leven Thumps
Fabelhaven
Freddy series (I, Freddy, The Haunting of Freddy...)
Judy Blume
Flush

Right now he is reading the first Maximum Ride book and he's loving it.

Books that he started but didn't finish-
Watership Down...it was more that I bought another book that he was more interested in
Princess Bride
The Golden Compass (he said it was boring)
He claims that he's not interested in Brian Jacques, but he hasn't given them a try yet

So, now that you have a little background, I'd appreciate suggestions :)
 
The Pendragon Adventure, by D. J. MacHale
The Charlie Bone series, by Jenny Nimmo
The Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling
The Mirror's Tale by P.W. Catanese (and his other books)
Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton

I've heard good things about Peter and the Starchasers, but I haven't read it.
 
Definately look into Peter and the Starchasers! My kids loved it.

I'd also recommend The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques. His Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen is good too. I really loved his Seven Ghostly Tales..particularly the audio. Jacques is a fine writer and his audios are wonderful. Some of my kids turned their noses up at Redwall too.. for a time. Some loved them and others enjoyed just a few..still others refused to read about talking animals.. so there ya go!

We've discovered Eva Ibbotsen. She writes fantasy novels for kids. My favorite was the Secret of Platform Thirteen.

Don't overlook Roald Dahl either. Charley and the Chocolate Factory is just the beginning.. his works are legion and phenomenal.

Oh, and you might see if he's interested in Coraline by Neil Gaiman.. it's rather spooky so use your judgement..Still, it's a great story, well told.
 
Oh, yes, we LOVE Roald Dahl here :) I have most of his stuff.

I also forgot to list the Peter and the Starcatchers series. He loves them :)

Thanks for the other pointers, I'll go look those up.
 
I also recommend Coraline. It is bit creepy otherwise it's clean and very interesting. And Ibbotson's stories are recommendable. Then, there's Hoot by Hiassen. And Dragonrider, Thieflord by Cornelia Funke. She also wrote many other great stories.

At age of ten, he might want to challenge himself to Tom Sawyer, but you want to explain the n-words that's used in the book. Also there's the murderer, Injun Joe.

Finally, there's Bartimaes Trilogy. It has bit of higher level of vocabulary, but the story is awesome and humorous.

Other recommendations: Children of Lamp series by P.B. Kerr. Midnight Magic by Avi (He wrote alot of good books). The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. And The Penderwicks.
 
How about '13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear' by Walter Moers. I read it when I was thirteen, so your son's opinion on it will be entirely different. It is a very thick book, almost textbook thick actually, but it has so many things happen it in, right from the start, that it is quite hard to put down. And because it is so thick, it takes a long time to read.

I think your son would really enjoy it.
 
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery - James & Deborah Howe
The Celery Stalks at Midnight - James Howe
 
I am probably around your son's age, I liked the Brian Jacques, but some of them are boring.

I think he would like Skullduggery Pleasant, The ranger's aprentice, and the warriors series(into the wild, Fire and ice,etc.) theyy are some of my favorite books.
 
I recently read Airborn, which was an very good book. Don't be intimidated by its size; it's a huge book, but it's a quick, easy read.

Cornelia Funke books are awesome, as well. The Thief Lord and Dragon Rider are very good, but my favorites are the Inkworld series.
 
My daughter is 9 and she has been asking me for more mature books than the Fearies collection she has been reading, what do you guys recomend?
 
Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and Inkspell are good. Inkdeath is scheduled to come out soon. I look forward to it. I must know what happens!
 
Ummm

Charlie Bone
Harry Potter
Inkheart Sieries

These were the three books i loooved a few yrs ago - Harry Potter i still love though!
 
I would second the recommendations for the Cornelia Funke books. Loved those and she bounces back and forth between boy and girl primary characters.

Just finished the Mysterious Benedict Society, which was a nice fat one that might keep him entertained for a while.

Among my favorites lately are The Edge Chronicles series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Fabulous art and lots of great action. But, with action does come a bit of violence, so you'll have to make the call there. I didn't recommend them for a friend's son who's 11 because he is a bit sensitive and I didn't think he could handle the bandabear being eaten by the little fuzzy things.

I might need to re-read this before I suggest it, but what about Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card? I know the story overall would appeal, just can't remember if there were any adult themes/language issues. Can't imagine there would be since it's Card.

I assume he's already devoured the Beverly Cleary books - The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Henry Huggins, etc. How about other classics like Pippi Longstocking or Mr. Popper's Penguins? The Phantom Tollbooth?

Might not be up his alley, but The Wee Free Men from Terry Prachett is a hoot.

OK. That's enough out of me for now. :)
 
I second the nomination for Mr. Popper's Penguins, but it might be beneath his reading level.

Here were some of my favourites as a kid:

-anything by Monica Hughes (mostly sci-fi/fantasy, all geared toward young adults, very clean)
-anything by Agatha Christie
-anything by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Bruno and Boots series by Gordon Korman
-Narnia series by CS Lewis
-Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren (might be beneath his reading level as well)
-Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
-anything by Karleen Bradford (excellent historical fiction, very well researched)
-Alien Wargames by Martyn Godfrey (not as violent as it sounds - it's an alien invasion story, only it's the humans who do the invading)
-Animorphs series by KA Applegate
 
I forgot my personal favourite, anything by Jules Verne! But I'd steer clear of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea unless you can find an abridged version. Verne goes on and on and on listing fish all through the novel that would put a lot of people off the story. Great novel though! :)
 
I love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

The series includes The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
and the new The Battle of the Labyrinth
 
I second Ender's Game (although there were some pretty violent scenes) and the Mysterious Benedict Society. And most of the others mentioned.
 
He might like the Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart if he's into fantasy. The reading level isn't too high, and the stories are interesting.

Though the books do seem to get progressively more violent toward the end.
 
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