To ask what books your 12 - 13 year old boys enjoy reading?

[SpringSunshineandTulips]

My sons reading is a bit below where it should be so the teacher has asked that he reads a bit more frequently. Teacher just said anything he enjoys is good. He / we have read most David Walliams / Roald Dahl / David baddiel type books. He does t like Harry potter. Any other suggestions?

I’ve looked at Waterstones as I’m sure they used to have a best seller list for kids books in age order but can’t find anything like that now.

I agree with Percy Jackson (and other series by Rick Riordan) and Skulduggery Pleasant, my DS has read them over and over! Other ideas:

• Eva Ibbotson
• David Walliams
• Alex Rider
• Artemis Fowl
• Nevermoor
• Cogheart
• His Dark Materials
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett
• Mr Monday & rest of that series by Garth Nix
• Young Bond
• Young Sherlock Holmes

My son loved the cherub books and probably the fact that they contained less suitable material - it got him reading and was well worth it.

Thanks everyone. I’ve ordered the first Percy Jackson book for him to try as he needs something new and also the latest David Baddiel book as I know he likes them. I will be going through all of these with him and seeing what else he might fancy. Thanks

My son is a a bit older but when he was 12 his favs were the:
Cherub series by Robert Muchamore
Maze runner
Artemis Fowl
Skulduggery Pleasant

DS is currently into the "Gone" series by Michael Grant. He also enjoyed the "I am number four" series.

www.booktrust.org.uk/ is worth a look as they have lots of recommendations and a book finder search.

DD loves David Baddiel books, she also enjoyed Tom McLaughlin books (The Accidental Prime Minister / Secret Agent / Billionaire etc).

Moone Boy by Chris O'Dowd is funny and just right for that age grouo.

Also, David Baddiel's brother has a book out for children.

I'd agree with David Baddiel and definitely the Skullduggery series. My DS is 11 and is a ridiculously avid reader (so I know the opposite end of the spectrum from your experience - he's reading War and Peace right now! 😂) but he's just stated his intention of re-reading the entire Skullduggery series again (something like 14 books!) because he loved them so much.

Ds2 loved the Warrior Cats books.

My 11yo was exactly the same, would only read David Walliams and Diary of a Wimpy Kid style stuff, then he discovered War of the Worlds which really caught his imagination and he amazed me by devouring it! Since then he's loved
Z for Zachariah
The chocolate wars
After the first death
Holes

Currently Day of the Triffids

He really needed War of the Worlds to realise the variety of fiction genres available, that not everything needed to be about 10yo children to be interesting!

Also fairly sure he only tried War of the Worlds as I said it would be too hard and grown up for him

My son loves mythology & adventure stories.

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (everything by RR is great!)

Who Let the Gods Out by Maz Evan's

Adventure Island, The Mystery of... by Helen Moss

The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris d'Lacy

Pegasus by Kate O'Hearn

Valkyrie by Kate O'Hearn

The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

Inheritance Cycle (eragon) by Christopher Paolini

I've got Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner & my old Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code etc) ready for him to move onto. He likes to have a stack waiting!

Another vote for the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Our previously reluctant 11yr old reader blasted through them & asked for more!

At that age mine was enjoying Terry Pratchett.

My 13 year old ds loves the Cherub series. He has the Audio books.

Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Anthony Horowitz.

For football - the Football Heroes series by Matt and Tom Oldfield are great — possibly a bit easy for him but lots of lads that age get into them and read the full set. The authors also interact a lot with readers via Twitter and their website/the National Football Museum in Manchester.