If my 12yo DS loves Douglas Adams and hates PG Woodhouse, what should I buy for holiday reading

[stealthsquiggle]

...he's not a natural reader, but on holiday and separated from his iPad he will get engrossed. He has chosen Dirk Gently, so far, but I need to load his kindle with 3 weeks worth of books. DH has proposed His Dark Materials - any other suggestions?

I used to love John Wyndham at that age.

Terry Prattchet
Tom Holt

Skulduggery Pleasant series should do the holiday. My two loved this series, great humour too apparently (I haven't read them).

Oh yes, John Wyndham is a good call. I never got into Terry Pratchett myself, but he might. I don't know Tom Holt - I will investigate.

Robert Rankin.

Was going to say Terry Pratchett and Tom Holt too. Similar sense of the ridiculous (althoug TP got more serious in later novels)

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman - completely brilliant

Pratchett. Some Neil Gaiman, but some is very dark and more for adults.

Piers Anthony?

Another vote for Terry Pratchett here.

Diana Wynne Jones might be worth a look - very readable fantasy.

Jasper Fforde is worth a look.

Lots of great suggestions - Thank you. He has read the Jasper fforde Nursery Crimes books, but not sure he would really get into Thursday Next.

Off to research the others.

Two really good series:

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Balckman

Working my way through...

Philip Reeve I think he may have read some of.

Tom Holt - lots of books - where is a good place to start?

Try Jasper Fforde's "The Last Dragonslayer".
"I Claudius"?
Sherlock Holmes

He might like Eoin Colfer, the Artemis Fowl series? Starts off with Artemis Fowl being a 12yo criminal mastermind (he's a boy) so he might like it.

Tom Holt - he's a bit hit and miss IMO, but I really liked Who's Afraid of Beowulf and Ye Gods! best of the ones I read. I gave up with him in the end because it felt too much like he tried too hard.

I second/third/fourth Terry Pratchett - start him with the Guards! Guards! book, probably.

The Jasper Fforde dragonslayer books are fab. I really enjoyed the Mortal Engines series, and if he likes something a bit scary, the Garth Nix books are v good.

Tom Holt - I'd start with Expecting Someone Taller.

On the Terry Pratchetts, try the Wee Free men first.

Another vote for Pratchett. Wee Free Men is a good place to start but if he can't deal with a female protagonist try Mort or Guards Guards. Good Omens is also good.

Are you close enough to London that he knows it fairly well? If so Gaiman's Neverwhere or Stone Heart etc by Fletcher are good as they are fantasy stories that are very much based in the real city.

I also like Jane Yolen's Dragon books. Anything by Garth Nix. Something like Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. Also The Circle of Magic books by Tamora Pierce (though lots of female protagonists here again)

Actually, I've just thought - he might like Terry Pratchett's Johnny series. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Maxwell They're about a boy who is 12 in the first book, so perfect age match. They're a bit "Just William-ish" but set in modern(ish) times, I love them. The gang in the Johnny books is pretty similar to the gang in Good Omens, but the story is pitched a little younger than Good Omens is (roughly based on the Omen films).