Recommendations for books to read to an 11year old boy that we will BOTH enjoy.

Can I add the Jimmy Coates series by Joe Craig? Fast paced and gripping. Lots of action. About a part-engineered boy living in a 1984esq world where he is destined to become a government assasin. Activated too early he fights against his programming and the regime.

Books so far are on Amazon

I'm surprised that any 12 year old boy would allow their mother to read to them! As soon as my son hit Year 7 that was it - mum banned from bedroom, no more cuddles or books. I have just bought a David Walliams today in WAterstones for our impending holiday and after having a quick flick though I think it is geared towards 9/10 year olds. Neigh mind, at this age any book is better than the ipad/xbox. :)

narnia - sorry if already recommended.

Just to say that you are completely right about Swallows and Amazons itself but the others are much less tedious - so worth having on his shelf, even if he won't try them at the moment. I'd suggest We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea, or Great Northern?

Echoing Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines - husband and I are gobbling up the second (Predator's Gold)for out own enjoyment. He does adventure plus empathy and character - some call this genre "steam punk" .. kind of like cyber punk (?!) apparently but with Victorian technology...

More votes here for Ali Sparkes Frozen in Time (Won the Blue Peter bk of the year award) and I enjoyed it hugely as an adult - makes you think on how health-and-safety-dominated our lives are now. And Rosemary Sutcliffe

Windsinger good, but the sequels go a bit odd

Is not Eva Ibbotson a bit girlie? Actually if you and he got on with Secret garden maybe not.

Just William and co by Richmal Crompton are well-written short stories, v amusing and Jennings hilarious if he can handle the datedness

If you want something a bit more innocent my 12 year old Nephew has just discovered James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small and - as has been mentioned -Gerald Durrell My family and other animals.

The 'Nicholas' books by Goscinny. Translated from French and written in the 60s and 70s, tale about a schoolboy and his friends and family. Always ends in a scrap or schoolteacher tearing hair out or neighbours and parents arguing. I love reading these with DS - laugh out loud stuff.

Also an American series 'Encyclopedia Brown' - you have to work out how he solves the crime/mystery at the end of each story.

And have you seen the series written by Stephen Hawkings and his daughter? Space adventures - just started the first one - seem to combine some interesting facts into a child based adventure.

Also 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' by Salman Rushdie - written for children but I read it as an adult. Not sure what age written for but a beautiful book.

Enjoy!

The Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve are wonderful. I think there are 7 books in the series and we all enjoyed them. The Cherub Series and The Henderson Boys books by Robert Muchamore have really captured my 11 year old son's imagination. The Northern Lights trilogy by Philip Pulman are also very good. As my children are dyslexic I have read a lot of these books to them and I've found them really readable.

THe Adventures of Hugo Cabret is great (it looks dauntingly fat, but there are alot of pictures, and you can find the silent movies mentioned on You Tube). How to spot a Hadrosaur in a Bus Queue is, implausibly, a book of lists, but for some reason, this really appeals to my lad (similarly Ripley's Believe it or not, and The Guinness Book of Records) and he likes to read these out to me, rather than the other way round. We also really liked Eleanor Updale's Montmorency, Eva Ibbotson's One Dog and His Boy (a bit young for 11 though?) and I even read him A Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time (but had to do a bit of editing on the hoof due to bad language and some sexual references -- my lad is only 7 but he has an adult reading capacity which makes it a bit tricky to find things that are written at the right conceptual level for him). Also, Louis Sachar's Holes, and The Fall of Feargal by Philip Ardagh.

Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe - a legionnaire & his British slave journey north to above Hadrian's Wall to rescue his Dad's missing eagle. There's been a movie made of it recently but haven't seen it so can't say if it's as good as the book.

Very this minute - War Horse -

Some of the Judy Blume books, fudge and super fudge are good -

Itch my Simon Mayo is great - worth the hype I think.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George is wonderful and was my favourite book as a child and my sons love it too
Holes by Louis Sacher
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman - quite adult but would suit kids who like Harry Potter but are ready for something darker - there is a great audio version by the bbc

Sorry I suggested loads of things you've read already.

How about:

A Little Piece of Ground and Garbage King - Elizabeth Laird

There is a sequel to Skellig (which is excellent, but I haven't read the sequel) called My Name is Mina.

Other David Almond books which are okay but not as fab as Skellig are Heaven Eyes, Kit's Wilderness and Counting Stars

The Moomin books by Tove Jansson (I adore these books)

The Iron Man - Ted Hughes

Journey To Jo'burg - Beverly Naidoo

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr

Some Roald Dahl (if you haven't already done them all)

I know you've done some Morpurgos; have you read Alone on a Wide Wide Sea? The audio book of this is great - very good reader and the sound and music is lovely too.

Some fab suggestions.

What about Holes and Small Steps by Louis Sachar

Thirty Nine Steps - John Buchan

The Weird Stone of Brisingamen or The Owl Service - Alan Garner

Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian

Hoot - Carl Hiaasen (not sure how to spell his name)

Stig of the Dump

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler - Gene Kemp

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

Stormbreaker series - Anthony Horowitz

I know it's considered Lowbrow, but a lot of the Jacqueline Wilson books are very funny. Cliffhanger, Double Act. Anything by Jeremy Strong, too, especially the Dog ones. Saxby Smart, too. Holes by Louis Sachar.

My 11 year old has recently enjoyed this series , Skulldugerry Pleasant, Skellig and Antidote by Malorie Blackman.

Just finished reading " my side of the mountain" by Jean Craighead George" which ds and I both loved. About a boy who runs away to live n the wilderness

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-50-books-every-child-should-read-2250138.html

There are lots of good books for boys. Have a look at the link

Calvin and Hobbes cartoons are magic!

Mrs Frisby is my absolute all time favourite children's book

Black beauty, not a girly as you might think.
Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles by the same author.
11 is just right for the first his dark materials, he might need to come back to the latter ones.

Lots of things my slightly older DD likes have been mentioned already.
Alex rider, hunger games, skulduggery.

Don't tell my Dad you don't like Swallows and Amazons. He read them all to me as a child, but I was younger. They are slow for a modern audience.

My 11Y DD is no help, she likes horrid Jackie Willson and Cathy Cassidy trash.
Oh and Asterix and Calvin and Hobbs cartoons. Both of which would defiantly appeal to a boy.

I also used to teach the play of Treasure Island. It's great fun if you are a confident reader and can get into the accents and voices. Some dcs loved it and some hated it.

If you enjoyed reading Mr Gum together you should be ok as I found that really hard to read aloud.

We (me and DS, 12) are currently reading Cosmic by Frank Cotterell Boyce and totally loving it, both. Me and DD (8) have just loved his sequel to Chitty chitty bang bang too. he's my new best author.

Wouldn't Treasure Island be similar to Swallows and Amazons?

I mean more in the writing style than actual story!

Treasure Island is good, but I found it tough going to read aloud.

Thought of another - Windsinger - William Nicholson :)

I'd second the Diana Wynn Jones books. I've read some of the Chrestomanci books and very much enjoyed them.

Also, how about Treasure Island? I love that book I do, and hope my son likes it too, although I've got a bit of a wait (about 8 or 9 years, I reckon) before he's going to be old enough for it. The black spot!

Does he enjoy the diamond twins series by horowitz? Funny detective stories. Short.