Good recs for 9 Yr old DS who tends to stick to the same genre?

[bananacarnival]

Over the years, I've followed mumsnet suggestions - DS (about to turn 10) has loved comical books -Guy Bass a huge favourite, Andy Stanton when v young, he's enjoyed George and the universe - Hawking books, loved Ted Hughes The Iron Giant.

School have tried hard to get him into the Michael Morpurgo books, but he runs a mile. Finds sentimental, animal stories, war stories dull. What would you recommend? In terms of books with a gripping plot? - He's been known to flick the light back on to carry on reading.

I keep on picking up books that look promising at the library but are dull 5 pages in.
Thanks in advance

Weird stone of brasingamen?

Not funny but not sentimental either.

Thanks MollieCoddler, will look it up.

I second the weirdstone books. Mine have loved them

Mortal engines series
Tripods series
The secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flammel series
The cane chronicles
Percy Jackson
The divide series

DD1 has recently become obsessed with the Amulet series of comic novels. So have I... Don't take long to read (DD1 reads one in about an hour) but more complex than that suggests.

Have you tried the Little House on the Prairie series? This is my No1 recommendation to everyone at the moment and boys and girls seem to love it, the early ones have lots of life and death situations so are pretty exciting. I think a lot of boys miss out because it's about a girl but they really aren't girly books at all.

For another American classic what about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, would they appeal? I adored those when I was a kid.

The Louis Sachar Wayside School stories are good, easy to read and fun and my DS's who also enjoyed George and the universe loved them.

And this is why I love mumsnet. Scribbling down all your suggestions - many thanks all

The Itch series by Simon Mayo

Meant to say that it has the best vomiting scene ever written!

DS1 has also suggested:

A Letter for the King
Momo
Artemis Fowl series
The Spiderwick Chronicles
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snickett - need to read in order)

There was an article about books for young people in the Guardian yesterday:

Maybe this will help

Lionboy trilogy by Zizou corder (though annoyingly the 1st book ends on a cliffhanger, be warned . . .)
Definitely Percy Jackson & Artemis Fowl if he hasn't already read them.

Farmer Boy was the little house one ds liked best. It's about Almanzo (her husband) and his childhood.

Cue for Treason (Geoffrey Trease) was one my ds loved. Not funny, but there are some funny lines: Ds particularly liked the idea of being "sentenced to 101 adjectives". Bannermere series too (same author) has some very funny moments. Alctually laugh out loud bits, which I don't do very often in reading.

I know you said not war, but has he tried Biggles? They are quite fun if you like it. There is a certain amount of war naturally but they're not all about it.

Narnia set are good, and not sentimental animals.

Alex Rider are spy if that's acceptable, very gripping ones.

My Family and Other Animals?

Jules Verne
Leon Garfield
Scarlet Pimpernel
Prisoner of Zenda
Sherlock Holmes short stories?

The Djinn series by Linda Davies.

The Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones.

Anything by David Walliams.

The My Story series, by various authors. Each is told from the point of view of a historical person, but not a famous one, for example a soldier in the trenches in World War 1, a maid in the court of Anne Boleyn. There are loads of them, and very popular in the school library where I volunteer.

Street Child by Berlie Doherty.

Artemis Fowl
Percy Jackson
Alex Rider
David Walliams books - very funny, but thought provoking too
Just William books - my DS thought they were very funny

Do you have a Kindle? Dragon's Rock by Millie Slavidou is good.