Recommendations for read aloud novels for a 13 yr old boy

[IdaBWells]

My son is a strong all rounder academically but his teachers here in the USA after some testing said that he could do with more reading to improve his language arts. I'm sure this is down to screen time and no reading. So DH and I thought it would be a good idea to have a family read aloud each evening to keep his interest. I am hoping you can all give some good suggestions. He is quite analytical and a sophisticated thinker, he surprises me with the interesting things he has to say. He just recently self-diagnosed a medical condition after consulting with Dr. Google. As an American kid I think Dickens will leave him cold. Good characters and a great plot from any genre is fine. He did live in Germany from 2-8 so has lived in different cultures. As we will be reading, plus possibly his 16 yr old sister (although during the school year she is likely to have too much homework) please suggest a good crowd pleaser.

Thanks in advance and very interested to hear your suggestions. Classic American novels might be a good idea. I thought of The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison but thought that could be too dark for a 13 yr old. I enjoyed Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. Some books that come to mind have content that is not necessarily appropriate or interesting to a 13 yr old ( he was 13 in June).

The city where I grew up had a drama library where you could borrow sets of book scripts for plays. We used to have family holidays in houses that had no TV (imagine the horror) so my parents would borrow several sets and we would read through a play together (or just one act at a time if it's a long play) as our evening entertainment.

Tom Stoppard plays are brilliant for this. Hilarious.

I know you aren't sure about Bill Bryson but what about his book A Short History of Nearly Everything? I think it would appeal to a science buff.

I'm all in favour of families sitting together and actually connecting. I hope you find the right book to help you do this. Anything to stop people retreating into their own behind-the-screen bubble too often.

I don't think that anyone has suggested the Terry Pratchett Discworld novels yet? I think they might fit the bill for reading aloud and although they are marketed as 'adult' novels there's nothing inappropriate for a 13 year old. I would suggest starting with Going Postal or Guards Guards.

I was still reading to my DC in their early teens - they loved it.

Big successes were Tom Sawyer, which would be my top choice for you, the Eagle of the Ninth (Roman Britain, military, lots of interesting stuff about cultures colliding), Watership Down (I know it's about rabbits but it is surprisingly brutal and creates a fascinating world). If you have not done the Hobbit that is at least shorter than the Lord of the Rings. One DS read The Moonstone, which is a cracking detective story but might be too Victorian for you. I would read Sherlock Holmes in your situation - you can spot the jokes that the TV series made with the original. Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything was a big hit, but I think some non-fiction is quite hard to listen to - a strong narrative hook really helps concentration. His A Walk in the Woods would work though.

I don't know if I would do Le Carré, although he is an absolutely favourite author of mine - his concerns are just very adult, and what is actually happening can be confusing for a long while into the book.

Some random suggestions: Ursula Le Guin. Roald Dahl's short stories (although check for adult content). The Count of Monte Cristo if you don't mind long. The Martian which is trashy but might let you have some fun arguing about whether the science would work.

Not sure if they’re available on audio but my son absolutely loves Rick riordan. He does a series based around Greek mythology called the trial of Apollo. They have my son hooked and we have every book by the author. Son is eagerly awaiting the new one due October x

I'm a huge reader and always have been. I think when I was a teen I was reading Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey dragon of pern, David eddings, David Gemmel. All sort of fantasy type fiction

What encouraged my dad was the WiFi going off and hour before bed and phone/tablet left downstairs. Big pile of books to dip in and out of by his bed and he read before sleeping- something he does now as an adult.

If there's any resistance on his part whatsoever with the reading out loud I wouldn't push it.

It doesn't matter what he reads (ds loved Guinness World Records and Ripley's) just as long as he reads.

As an adult who enjoys YA books my favourites in the last few years have been
Anthony Horowitz -Diamond Brothers series and the Alex Rider series.
The Young Bond books
The 'Gone' series by Michael Grant
'Girl Missing' series by Sophie McKenzie
'Hetty Feather' series by Jacqueline Wilson

Other books that are considered children's books but I never read until I was an adult include
Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian (possibly my all time favourite book)
Paddington Bear series (hilarious books)

I often think the worse way to put a teen off reading is the insistence they have to read 'grown up' books too soon when there are so many brilliant YA books out there. YA books can lead to adult books (ie Anthony Horowitz also writes for adults, Young Bond can lead to 'real' Bond etc).

OP...I have a 13 year old DS is sounds similar to yours Excellent ay Maths/Science etc but all his year have been asked to up the reading this summer.

He's currently onto Bill Brysons Short History as yes as another poster says it does appeal to the science in him. We've also got him somebooks along this line as he finds fiction very hard

Agree Phillip Pulman's His Dark Materials.

Empire Of The Sun by J G Ballard was my favourite book at this age. It's about a British Boy living in China during the war.
It was at 13 and still is now, one of my favourite books.

AT 13 I'd try for a slightly more modern language than Tolkein, though the plots are at a great level.
What about John Steinbeck? John Green? Jack Kerouak?
To Kill a Mockingbird (lovely to read aloud as it is written in the first person) by Harper Lee. Or if English phrasing isn't offputting, how about John Wyndham or George Orwell?

If you feel those are too grown up in content maybe Percy Jackson: after the original series it carries on with new characters so you can keep going for months!

Another idea is 'book group' Where you all read the same book and discuss it (with downloaded questions as hints). We do this as a family and its fun! My youngest loved Animal Farm at this age and really got lots out of the book group experience as she didn't know anything if the background. It made her comprehension skills/critical thinking skills leap on.

Why don't you get some plays instead, then you can all take one or two parts and throw yourself into it. You could start with The Cursed Child - the Harry Potter sequel.

I'll second the Michelle Paver books.
I read them to ds1 when he was about that age.
He found reading really difficult, but had an amazing capacity to listen and absorb what I was reading to him.
I love reading but can't use audible books as my brain goes off on tangents.
Ds1 always knew where we were in a book (if the bookmark fell out) and would summarise the plot so far which helped me find the place again. (I would read in automatic mode and not really be taking it in myself).

He's now an avid reader as a young adult whereas DS2 never liked reading books or having them read to him.

I read Count of Monte Cristo TO mine and they loved it. Said recently it was a favourite. BUT it took ages. I get them to read if I am too tired out but I do the majority.

Maybe start with a shorter read! Sherlock Holmes mysteries are in easier to handle standalone stories.

The Narnia series- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the best known- and has lots of layers of meaning for adults too. Other books in the series feature different characters and worlds, so something for everyone.
I read them all aloud over a series of months to my DSs.

Well, stories originated from being told and spoken, and eventually were written down, so to sit and read aloud together is perfectly normal!

You do need to be good at reading aloud though, else that will be really boring to listen to, and diminish the interest with reading even further.

Phillip Pullman His Dark Materials trilogy - just sublime. Lots of interesting discussions to be had to.
Lord of the Flies - same re discussions. Golding has a powerful way of painting a picture using his words too.

I would also recommend getting him into teenage graphic novels as a follow on into inspiring him to read. They aren’t just ‘comics,’ children learn so much about story arc, themes, character development etc. If he is also a visual person it is a way to keep his mind engaged and focused. Then once he has the reading bug you can introduce similar genres and so on. I’ve seen lots of success doing this with slightly more reluctant readers.

Finally, have you considered reading aloud some plays, or scripts (?) might engage him too.

I do literacy work with teenagers. You are doing the right thing reading with them, I think that's a lovely way to learn and do something nice together too :)
I recommend two American verse novel titles that have been highly acclaimed and went down a treat when read aloud with my students : Booked by Kwame Alexander and Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Language is easy but brilliant for reading out loud and discussion.

Just a few suggestions:

War Horse and Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpugo
Terry Pratchett, Disk World
Earthsea series by Ursula la Guin
The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper
Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

I could go on forever! So many great books out there!

I just spotted that your kids have liked E. Nesbit.

Have you all read Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders?

It is a lovely book in its own right and due to the themes more suitable in my opinion for a more mature reader than the original books.

My 13 year old son still enjoys me reading to him! He has enjoyed the LOTR trilogy, is a massive Terry Pratchett fan, also anything by Derek Landy, he's engrossed in Stephen King's DarknTower series at the moment.

I have to nag him to read instead of staring at a screen, but he still let's me read to him most evenings. It's nice, we get to sit together, read and chat about our day. I doubt he'll keep it up much longer but I'll be a bit sad when he stops wanting to do it.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Also, there’s a fantastic series of YA books by Isabel Allende which have a 13yo boy protagonist- they’re about a boy who is sent to live with his anthropologist great aunt and who goes on expeditions to far flung locations. They’re called City of Beasts, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon and Forest of Pygmies.

I teach high school English in Scotland. Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, the Divergent Series, The Hunger Games trilogy are popular. Also, look at Ray Bradbury short stories such as The Veldt and A Sound of Thunder, The Pedestrian. A hanging by George Orwell is non fiction short prose. The Book Thief, Stone Cold and Once have all been taught to this age group with success. Roald Dahl has written loads of creepy, darker short stories suitable for teens such as The Landlady. Even reluctant readers enjoy these.

Have you considered reading plays too? Often fluency can be improved greatly with having to think of movement and music too.

I would love it if this was a social norm rather than people locking themselves away on seperate devices. My son is only 4 but I'd adore still being involved in his reading at this stage.

I've scrolled through thinking I am not on the same page as everyone else,but I see posters have suggested my absolute first reaction - Terry Pratchett!Discworld is one of the series I read to/with my 13 year old (so I also have the experience of reading to my teenager.We both really enjoyed it,it started because he is dyslexic,at that age he wanted the stories but couldn't quite manage the reading.)
If you skip the early books,they are such clever books,full of references to pretty much everything,and of course funny.

Is it best to skip the early books then?