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Original poster

Books to grip a 16yr old boy?

37 replies

gerbo · 03/05/2026 11:43

My son has always quite enjoyed reading. He sometimes finds a series he likes, and follows it, then seems to not read for a while. (Revision/xbox are other pulls on his time!)

He recently really enjoyed Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir....

Can anyone recommend other page-turners for teen boys? (Not thinking too hard about then being literary classics; I just want him to keep enjoying reading.)

Thanks!

OP posts:
CallItLoneliness · 03/05/2026 16:37

I HATED Life of Pi, so wouldn't recommend that. Curious Incident is great though. Stephen King--some of his shorter books are excellent. Depends on how much gore/horror is ok for your son.

I also like Matt Haig's adult books for that age group, The Humans is excellent, as is The Midnight Library. He might like Babel by RF Kuang too, or the Kim Stanley Robinson Mars series.

Would he read anything with a feminist flavour? There are some GREAT dystopias around at the moment in post-Handmaid world: Vox, The Power, The Grace Year, The End of Men. Also, I loved Orwell and the 1930s classic dystopias at his age--1984, Brave New World, even (gasp) Anthem and We the Living by Ayn Rand (they were before her work became overtly and explicitly political). There is a brilliant 1984 retelling out at the moment, Julia, told from the girlfriend's perspective that might be a fun pair with 1984. And then,

And on that note--retellings! Soooooo many good ones around at the moment, Song of Achilles being one I would especially recommend for a young man, since it is about the men. Joanne Harris has written a series of retellings of the Norse myths from Loki's perspective that is quite fun, too.

PygmyOwl · 03/05/2026 16:27

Life of Pi and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Original poster
gerbo · 03/05/2026 16:26

Great ideas, thanks all.

No, didn't know there were 2 more Andy Weir books! I'll research.

OP posts:
Albertroad · 03/05/2026 16:24

The Bunker diary by kevin brooks is good

AprilFlowersMay · 03/05/2026 16:23

Gone. (The whole series).

mrbojangle · 03/05/2026 16:20

Malorie Blackman Noughts and crosses series. My son at this age loved this series

DisplayPurposesOnly · 03/05/2026 16:20

Patrick Ness - The Rest Of Us Just Live Here, the Chaos Walking trilogy

DisplayPurposesOnly · 03/05/2026 16:17

John Wyndham - Day Of The Triffids, Midwich Cuckoos

EmbarrassmentLovesCompany · 03/05/2026 16:13

You've offered him the other 2 Andy Weir books, yes?

DS has also read some of the Sharpe books, along with other stuff by Bernard Cornwall, and has requested Douglas Adam's for his birthday.

Other than that, im after inspiration!

ninetofiveeveryday · 03/05/2026 15:56

My 15.5 year old son was gripped by the Christopher Paolini series. Now back to reading nothing as need another series to grip him, so following this thread too 🙂

Original poster
gerbo · 03/05/2026 15:52

Thanks. Any specific novels by King you'd start with? Any which are more accessible?

OP posts:
EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 03/05/2026 13:55

Good age for Stephen King. Accessible but more adult as opposed to YA.