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Original poster

Recommendations for 14 year old boy

35 replies

seasidequayside · 08/10/2019 13:23

I need ideas to tempt a 14 yr old boy back into reading. He has no difficulty reading, but has just lost interest. Up until a year or two ago he was reading a lot - Harry Potter, Alex Rider, Lemony Snicket, the Simon Mayo Itch books, Artemis Fowl, the Charlie Higson Bond books, and lots of others, mostly spy/mystery/action type books.

I've tried encouraging him to read different genres as I thought maybe he'd grown up a bit and didn't know what books to move on to. I've had recommendations from the library, gone through school booklists and have also tried non fiction and easier adult novels (most recently Treasure Island, which was 'boring and stupid'). I think he's just absorbed the idea that reading is too much effort and so barely looks at the books I suggest. I wonder if endless computer gaming makes children expect all leisure activities to involve constant high drama and entertainment with little mental effort?

Has anyone come across any books that have really appealed to boys of this age group? And has anyone been successful at getting a teenager back in the habit of reading?

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EmCamB · 02/01/2020 20:03

The following worked for us - check out:
Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - Good Omens
Simon Scarrow - various Roman series
C S Forester - Hornblower series
Hitchhiker's Guide series
Bartimaeus series

Zuby · 31/12/2019 21:49

Hello

There's a book called 'The Wolf and the Goats' on Amazon by author 'Juned'. The story has a great message and is not your usual wolf loses against the weak.

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The story teaches the importance of team work and togetherness.

Hope you like it as much as I did.

mamaduckbone · 09/12/2019 18:01

I'm also lurking for inspiration as my just-turned-14 year old who has always loved reading suddenly can't find anything he wants to read (or that will coax him off his phone more like)
Cherub series & Mortal Engines series have been his all time favourites.
He's also enjoyed some of the Benjamin Zephaniah books - easier reads but quite hard-hitting subject matter.
I think I'm going to try Ready Player One for his stocking.

Mumski45 · 21/11/2019 09:56

A good one for this age group is the Gone series by Michael Grant and Cherub series my Robert Muchamore

EmCamB · 21/11/2019 09:18

Hi,
Try the original Greek myths - various options - e.g. Stephen Fry
Tom Sharpe - comedy
Hitchhikers Guide series - comedy
Sean Yeager series - action / comedy
Biggles series
Enders Game

SurpriseSparDay · 10/11/2019 10:09

Gormenghast and sequels by Mervyn Peake.

Agatha Christie and other Golden Age crime novelists. They’re so immediately engaging and portray a world that will be entirely alien to the contemporary teen.

Footballer biographies have been useful here when all else failed.

Monr0e · 10/11/2019 09:59

I came on to write a similar post for my 13 year old DS who used to be a massive book worm.

He usually enjoys a good series he can get his teeth into but more recently has read a few stand alone. Like others suggested
Ready Player One (I loved this too!)
Good Omens
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Series he has enjoyed include
Charlie Higson - The Enemy (about 6 books)
Chaos Walking (think this is currently being made into a film)

He's previously read the Eragon series which he loved, Shadowhunters, His Dark Materials

I'm lurking for ideas, he has asked about horror books so looking for ideas for teen horror books to start him on.

spiderlight · 08/11/2019 13:40

Another - I'm currently reading him 'Boy 87' by Ele Fountain in the evenings (he's 12 1/2 but still loves being read to) and we're both gripped by it.

spiderlight · 08/11/2019 13:37

Mine is currently galloping through Chris Ryan's 'Alpha Force' series. He's also enjoying Alex Scarrow's 'Time Riders' series, and has 'Plague' by the same author to read when he finishes those.

horseymum · 07/11/2019 15:49

Bear Grylls autobiography, various cyclist/ runner's autobiographies have gone down well. Maybe less sex in these than footballer ones? ( not sure about the drugs!). Ds enjoys real life sport/ adventure mostly rather than fiction.

LoveGrowsWhere · 22/10/2019 15:21

Hoot by Hiaasen!

Original poster
seasidequayside · 22/10/2019 14:01

Thanks LoveGrowsWhere - I'll look up those two.

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LoveGrowsWhere · 19/10/2019 10:14

A lot of the heavily promoted YA books are from quite a narrow range of genres. Try him on something completely different.
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian is brilliant.
Hoot by Saagen.
Neither could be described as boring.

BlueChampagne · 16/10/2019 12:52

Hope it's a hit.

TheWolves · 15/10/2019 14:54

Diggers, Truckers, and Wings (three different books) are also great, by Terry Pratchett.

Original poster
seasidequayside · 15/10/2019 14:52

Thanks - I've ordered Wee Free Men from the library.

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BlueChampagne · 14/10/2019 13:06

Wee Free Men won't be for very young! Y6 onwards maybe and enjoyable for adults too.

1busybee · 14/10/2019 06:35

Time rider series really interested my son. It’s fiction but based on real life historic events. Also young Sherlock. We’re having similar issues at the moment.

Original poster
seasidequayside · 12/10/2019 19:39

Thanks BlueChampagne. I did the generator and got The Wee Free Men, but I put in 'for younger readers' - not sure if that means very young or teenagers. I'll have another play with it later.

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BlueChampagne · 11/10/2019 15:12

www.terrypratchettbooks.com/book-series/discworld/ says they can be read in any order, but there's a book generator at the bottom which can give you an idea where to start based on your main interests.

Original poster
seasidequayside · 11/10/2019 12:27

BlueChampagne I've thought about Terry Pratchett before, but I've never read any of his, so not sure where to start. Do you have to read them in order or are there ones that are particularly good for teenagers?

I hadn't thought of Adrian Mole - will look out my old copy. And will also look up the other suggestions.

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BlueChampagne · 10/10/2019 13:47

And Terry Pratchett, because he can be funny on serious themes.

Alternatively Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair and sequels.

BlueChampagne · 10/10/2019 13:32

Or, Gaiman again, how about Good Omens since it's now a Thing on Amazon?

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole?

Original poster
seasidequayside · 09/10/2019 19:22

BlueChampagne I think he’s read some graphic novels, but good idea - I think our local library has some, so I’ll check them Out.

porolli I agree. A large number of books aimed at boys seem to be dominated by adventure, dystopia, sci-fi, spies and monsters.

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