What would you recommend to a 12 year old...

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My aunt recently asked me to recommend some books for my 12 year old cousin. She wants him to read more since his reading level is a little below what it should be, according to his school. He likes "Holes" by Louis Sachar, the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortuante Events books, and some of the Hardy Boys mysteries. He doesn't like Harry Potter. I recommended "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatly Snider (because I liked it a lot), "Bunnicula" by James Howe (again, I liked it a lot), and "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin. I'm having trouble coming up with anything else. I can't really remember what I read around that age. He said he likes mysteries, so I was trying to think of some, but I'm not limiting it to that. Does anyone have any suggestions?

― Sara L (Tara Too), Saturday, 10 April 2004 03:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember liking The River Rats (auth. unknown) - adults have been killed by some mysterious plague in the near-future, a Mississipi paddle-boat is manned by a crew of teens/pre-teens who travel up and down the river, ultimately they save the world, etc.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 10 April 2004 04:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I assume, too, that the interest is more in getting your cousin into reading rather than throwing 'great works' at him. In which case I'd be importing truckloads of the Christopher Pike teen horror novels.

Quick, fun reads, not insultingly stupid, enough semi-edgy content to interest a pre-teen boy.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 10 April 2004 04:09 (twenty-two years ago)

buy him some kind of greatest ever SF short stories book.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 10 April 2004 12:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I loved The Last Man Alive by A.S. Neil when I was that age. It's quite old, written in 1938. Basically it's a group of kids (and their teacher and a millionaire) having adventures in a world where a green cloud turned (almost) everyone to stone. It's funny and I still like it a lot as an adult. Hmmmh, that reminds me....I should read it again .

― Susanne Wilhelm (FourEyes), Saturday, 10 April 2004 13:34 (twenty-two years ago)

John Fitzgerald's "The Great Brain" series is a great read for 12-year-olds. It's very funny, and has a boy protagonist. Supposedly all true stories. A sort of Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn thing set in Utah.

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Saturday, 10 April 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. Its a murder mystery. The murder is that of a dog and the detective is a 15 year old, but there's a lot more to it.

― Fred, Saturday, 10 April 2004 16:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't give him Lord of the Flies, whatever you do. I read it at about that age (my family's reasoning being slightly awry; bunch of 12-year-olds on an island; like Enid Blyton, right?). Frightened the Bejeezus out of me. I'm 47 now, and I still haven't been able to face it since. True. Poor Piggy.

― Dorien Thomas (Dorien Thomas), Saturday, 10 April 2004 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I loved Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke at that age.

― S. Asher (StephA), Saturday, 10 April 2004 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

There is no good age at which to read Lord of the Flies.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 10 April 2004 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Would he like the His Dark Materials series or is that for older readers?
Roald Dahl, the Witches, Mathilda etc.
Maurice Gee, Under the Mountain and the Halfmen of O are both great scary fantasy adventure books for young adults.
Another NZ author, Margaret Mahy, writes books for children and young adults, one of hers about that age range would be Under Runners. Also The Birthday Burglar and A Very Wicked Headmistress.
An Australian series 'Tomorrow when the War Began' is very gripping and exciting, probably with protagonists about 15years old.

― isadora (isadora), Sunday, 11 April 2004 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, right um, books...

― Queen G of the morning after, Sunday, 11 April 2004 07:15 (twenty-two years ago)

P.W. Joyce, Tales of Ancient Ireland, or whatever it is called, that he may rise to his proper dark.

― the finefox, Sunday, 11 April 2004 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

There's always Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and Nix's Sabriel trilogy. The first kind of reminds me of all the Madeline L'Engle Wrinkle in Time books and the second is kind of like Lord of the Rings. That's what I think.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Monday, 12 April 2004 10:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Daniel Pinkwater.

― 57 7th (calstars), Monday, 12 April 2004 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

His Dark Materials would have traumatized me if I'd read them when I was 12. Back in the day, I loved Albert Payson Terhune's dog books, mysteries, and Mad magazine. I'd also recommend P.G. Wodehouse, who is great fun for all ages. And why hasn't anyone mentioned the obvious--Harry Potter?

― Carol Robinson (carrobin), Monday, 12 April 2004 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Oops, didn't notice the mention at the beginning. He doesn't like Harry Potter? Fuggeddaboutit.

― Carol Robinson (carrobin), Monday, 12 April 2004 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

PG Wodehouse is great. Also someone on another thread mentioned Asterix, who is well worth reading and 12 is the perfect age for it. Who knows, maybe he'll get a taste for comics and move on to grown-up graphic novels.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Holes is the perfect book for a twelve year old. Or a 34 year old.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I recommend the Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. A great international orphan adventure story. I agree on pooh-poohing the Lord of the Flies.

― Phastbuck, Wednesday, 14 April 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Some of the Ray Bradbury books would be good. Comics like Herobear and the Kid and Electric Girl would be appropriate, I think. I second the Christopher Pike recommendation. I was slightly obsessed with Pike novels around that time. I can't remember what age I read Gary Paulsen books, but it was probably around that time. Some of the better, longer ones at least.

― Jessa (Jessa), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

If he's reading below grade-level I think His Dark Materials would be too much for him.

Huge second for Wrinkle in Time.

Where the Red Fern Grows.

A lot of kids love those Goosebumps books.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (sp)

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there some reason it has to be fiction? What about seeing if he'd like to read non-fiction books about something that interests him?

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 14 April 2004 21:10 (twenty-two years ago)

That is a good idea. There is no reason it has to be fiction. I know he has read a few books about fish (his main interests are fishing, bowling, and heavy machinery). I'll suggest some non-fiction.

― Sara L (Tara Too), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Cannery Row, probably. I wish I read it when I was 12.

― (fairest), Thursday, 15 April 2004 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Two book series I enjoyed when I was around (or slightly before) that age were the "William" books by Richmal Crompton and the "Three Investigators" books.

― jose, Saturday, 17 April 2004 04:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I loved, loved, loved Island of the Blue Dolphins. Also, anything by Roald Dahl. Or Madeleine L'Engel.

― Caenis (Caenis), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Paul Zindel - "The Pigman". Has he read "The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S.Lewis?

― aimurchie, Wednesday, 28 April 2004 11:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I am reading now ERAGON BY Christopher Paolini, a 15 year old boy. I think it is delicious, great for adults and adolescents.

― Nelly Mc Causland (Geborwyn), Saturday, 1 May 2004 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I was excited to read "Eragon", but after trying to get into for a couple of weeks, I returned it to the library. I think I may have not been in the mood for dragon fantasy novel? It just seemed to me that the story he was telling had been done by others first and better, McCaffrey for instance.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Saturday, 1 May 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (in the vein of the Harry Potter books)
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (three books in the series - first is the best and very funny)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Brighty of the Grand Canyon; King of the Wind; Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
The Phantom Tollboth by Norton Juster
Red Planet by Robert A Heinlein
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge by Judy Blume
Call it Courage by Armstrong Perry
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Pretty much anything by Gordon Korman or Jerry Spinelli.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Saturday, 8 May 2004 07:08 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

i remember reading 'the pigman' in maybe fifth grade under the watchful eyes of my classmates, who for some reason demanded that i demonstrate i really was the fastest reader in the class. so i read the whole thing very quickly and then described the plot so they could confirm that i had actually comprehended some of what i read.

not surprisingly i don't think i remember anything about the stupid thing, now.

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 11 August 2006 08:46 (nineteen years ago)

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