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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?

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hewlettsdaughter · 29/04/2007 22:31

That sounds worth getting hold of then - thanks. My ds is very keen on going to see the real Victory in Portsmouth sometime soon!

DS didn't see that Dr Who episode - in fact we haven't let him watch any yet. I think he is less mature in terms of watching stuff than reading (I may be wrong).

tealady · 29/04/2007 22:29

dragon rider
was a big hit with my ds(9) and the Eager series by Helen Fox here

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 22:24

No, absolutely fine. It sounds to me as though Victory is very much a parallel to King of Shadows in style and plot; so I'm sure he'll be fine.

DS1 has read 'noddy' versions of Shakespeare (it deals with performances of Midsummer Night's Dream), and has visited the Globe. This made the book more real to him, I think; but it doesn't assume or require background Shakespeare knowledge.

(Is your ds a Doctor Who fan, and did he see the Shakespeare episode in that?)

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hewlettsdaughter · 29/04/2007 22:18

Is there anything in the Shakespeare one that would be difficult for a nearly 8 year old to understand/connect with, do you think? (he's an advanced reader - coped fine with Victory but I haven't introduced him to The Dark is Rising yet).

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 22:13

Beetroot - yup loves Lionboy++
Hewlettsdaughter - I think I may have already bought a copy of Victory and have it upstairs in the 'forthcoming presents cupboard'. I've certainly looked at it before on Amazon.

I'm favourably inclined towards it both because of the Susan Cooper Shakespeare one, and recently read and enjoyed Secrets of the Fearless, which is set in a similar period.

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hewlettsdaughter · 29/04/2007 22:05

Sorry, that should be Susan Cooper's Victory. Read it with my ds recently - we both enjoyed it.

hewlettsdaughter · 29/04/2007 20:16

roisin - has your ds read Susan Hill's Victory?

ThatBeetroot · 29/04/2007 20:13

lionboy

ThatBeetroot · 29/04/2007 20:13

Lion noy and the sequels

pointydog · 29/04/2007 19:18

over sea unders tone, yes

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 19:00

Any more before I place my order?

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ThatBeetroot · 29/04/2007 17:47

I can't remember the names of the books but amazon has them. Ii think about 3 or 4.

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 17:21

shouldbedoingsomethingelse - thanks for those suggestions, we have all of those already (Book People fans!), but those sort of things are a bit young for what I'm looking for really.

PointyDog - I'm going to order the first of the Susan Hill ones: we read the Shakespeare one by her (King of Shadows) and both loved it.

I'm trying to work out from Amazon which is the first one? Is it Over sea, under stone?

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shouldbedoingsomethingelse · 29/04/2007 16:51

it very much depends on the boy really. My DS when 9 enjoyed these:

Shakespeare books

and these

my story books

and of course Roald Dahl

Jeremy Strong seems a popular choice

HTH

pointydog · 29/04/2007 16:47

Anthony Horowitz - Groosham Grange, Return to Groosham Grange and Granny - all with autobiographical elements. Extremely entertaining. DD1 keeps re-reading them.

Pullman - Clockwork is fab, var sinister, macarbre fairytale. Foreworkmaker's Daughter too.

The Susan Hill series - Dark is Rising - not really dd's cup of tea but would appeal to those more into sci-fantasy.

Snickett obv.

shouldbedoingsomethingelse · 29/04/2007 16:42

my son (just 10) is really enjoying this series of books atm. In fact he cant put them down!

HTH

OrmIrian · 29/04/2007 16:34

roisin - thankyou Was still wracking my brains for the name of the book. Yes bloodhthirsty but hey...we can take it..

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:31

I will be back!

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Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:31

I have to go now, as ds1 has brought me a book to read - one he's written this time; apparently some of it is in code Oh joy!

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Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:30

I got ds1 some Willard Price for Christmas: I think dh read them when he was young. Ds1 read them, but without particular comment. Good adventures I think, but that's as far as it went - didn't particularly hit the mark with him.

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Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:29

OrmIrian - ds1 loves the Cry of the Icemark (two out so far), but far too bloodthirsty for me. Far too many pages spent describing the battles

Philip Pullman we like obviously. I'm just reading Ruby in the Smoke, which I hadn't come across before: but we looked at with the reading group to analyse the beginning of a book. It has a couple of sequels too.

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Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:26

I've seen Benjamin Zephaniah perform (is that you who mean), but haven't read anything else by him.
What do you recommend?

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OrmIrian · 29/04/2007 16:26

Can't remember the titles but they are by Stuart Hill. About a fantasy world where there is a sort of Norsish country fighting a huge Empire that seems suspiciously like the Romans. And there are talking snow leopards and witches and the like. The main protaganist is a warrior Princess. DS and I loved them - me more than DH if truth be told.

Published last year I think.

Philip Pullmans possibly?

QueenofBleach · 29/04/2007 16:23

Swallows and Amazons, Willard Price

Original poster
roisin · 29/04/2007 16:22

Sorry - I didn't mean to ignore you Beety
I love Malory Blackman, superb: very powerful stuff. If asked me top recommendation for 12-16 yr-old I think most days I would say Noughts and Crosses.

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