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Original poster

Your (children's) Recent reading recommendations for 9s-14s please? (boys or unisex not girly)

56 replies

roisin · 29/04/2007 16:02

I'm about to place an Amazon order, and am wondering if there are any recent big hits which have slipped under my radar?

OP posts:
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TooTicky · 01/05/2007 20:34

The Grk books by Joshua Doder are great.

Bink · 01/05/2007 13:55

roisin - I know you were asking for recent big hits, but has your ds1 done the golden oldies? - like Leon Garfield (Smith, Devil-in-the-Fog, Jack Holborn (latter was my favourite - probably because of rather than despite the nightmares ...)) or H Rider Haggard - I think I read Allan Quatermain at around 10. Or Alan Garner? - Weirdstone of Brisingamen, remember that series?

Or the very odd Owl Service, which I never quite got? Or Moonfleet?

There's a particular vein of 60s-70s adventure (and its inspirations, hence mentioning Moonfleet & H Rider Haggard) that is just sitting looking for your ds1.

Ds2: my ds is trundling happily through fiction so long as it's Enid Blyton. Which is a perfectly fine start, I think - and there are endless amounts of it. Also will countenance Lemony Snickett (though I don't much like that), the easier Philip Reeve and Mark Haddon's Agent Z books.

christie1 · 01/05/2007 13:28

Horrible histories, my son is obessessed with them, and, he is learning history!

hewlettsdaughter · 30/04/2007 22:36

Thanks - hadn't come across them before.

SueW · 30/04/2007 21:16

audible.co.uk - talking books.

But unlike normal CD books which have say 30 tracks to a CD, they have pretty much one continuous track to a CD. And since DD likes to listen to them in bed and often falls asleep before she turns it off, it's frustrating for her to try to find the place again.

hewlettsdaughter · 30/04/2007 20:30

what's audible?

SueW · 30/04/2007 19:17

We downloaded Magyk from audible but DD wasn't partic keen.

pointydog · 30/04/2007 18:35

o yes - just my own personal anti-fantasy spelling thing

hewlettsdaughter · 30/04/2007 18:03

I know what you mean pointydog but ds thought they were great

hana · 30/04/2007 17:21

my nephew ( 12) really liked the young james bond books ( think there are 3)

and also, he like the series of books written by Andy McNabb - thin there are also 3

pointydog · 30/04/2007 17:18

"Magyk, Flyte and Physik"

all those ys and ks are a bit offputting

hewlettsdaughter · 30/04/2007 17:14

Am going to investigate Dragon Rider, Thief Lord and Dragonfire for my ds.

Do any of you know Angie Sage's books Magyk, Flyte and Physik? DS rocketed through the first two of these recently (a sure sign that he enjoyed them).

DDav, I know of Barefoot Books - we have some of their publications for younger children.

stleger · 30/04/2007 15:24

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. It is selling well in Ireland - got a copy for dd1 who is 13, her friend borrowed it and has had the nerve to return it without telling me if it is good! I work in a bookshop and am always worried about selling things which look nasty in case of nightmares.

SueW · 30/04/2007 11:08

Thief Lord is excellent.

DDav · 30/04/2007 10:15

oops, link didn't work:
\link{http://ddavenport.mybarefootbooks.com}

DDav · 30/04/2007 10:13

Whilst many of their books are aimed at younger children, Independent Publisher Barefoot Books does have a few fantastic titles for the older reader, and some great ones for boys.

Mine love 'The Adventure of Odysseus' - fast paced, exciting and a great early introduction to the classic. 'Tales of Wisdom and Wonder' (includes CD of stories too) plus others.....

Take a look:
\link{http://ddavenport.mybarefootbooks.com

Original poster
roisin · 30/04/2007 07:45

thanks for the other suggestions on here: I think I'll try and get hold of some through the library.

OP posts:
Original poster
roisin · 30/04/2007 07:45

Hewlettsdaughter - Cornelia Funke: Dragon rider is great (I love Thief Lord too) ds2 is 7, and a fluent reader; but not at all gripped by the reading bug iyswim. He will read non-fiction tilt he cows come home, but requires a lot of encouragement or a very exciting book to persevere with a 'real' novel.

and Dragon rider worked for him recently.

OP posts:
Marina · 29/04/2007 22:45

Lots of chances to do mad Scottish voices for the fairies and distillery owners pointydog, and it's a really original story

pointydog · 29/04/2007 22:43

oo that looks interesting, marina

Marina · 29/04/2007 22:41

We are loving this at the mo, recommended by Edinburgh friends.
Ds now wants to visit Loch Ness

tealady · 29/04/2007 22:39

My son read it non stop when he first got it over a year ago and he has read it three more times since then. He was really sad when he finished reading it the first time because he wanted it to last forever.

bubblicious · 29/04/2007 22:38

Good book that I recently bought for DD(12) and I have enjoyed reading it too and a few friends and that is

Malorie Blackman

Cloudbusting

Its all in poetry and a good quick read probably wont take longer than an evening but brilliant! honest a real worthwhile to read!

Jomist · 29/04/2007 22:34

Ds1 is 13 and loves Darren Shan and Antony Horowitz. Darren Shan books are about vampires apparently, but Ds2 at 10 is really into them so they can't be too frightening.

hewlettsdaughter · 29/04/2007 22:32

I have been wondering about some of Cornelia Funke's books, tealady.

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