Is there a way to get ds to stretch himself with his reading?

[JumpandScore]

He's always enjoyed reading but doesn't seem to have progressed much since he was 8yo, now 14. He knows what he likes and reads the same books over and over. What he likes is Harry Potter, Olympus, Cherub, Skulduggery Crescent. He can read more difficult books, has read Lord of the Rings etc but by preference he always returns to his favourite children's books. What might catch him?

I was going to say both Malorie Blackman and Patrick Ness, see they have already been suggested. Also Marcus Sedgwick, Sally Gardner (Maggot Moon).

I got into horror around that age - Stephen King etc. James Dawson?
And yes, Terry Pratchett around that age too.

Also Wonder by R J Palacio - super book, though it might not be quite challenging enough for a 14yo - and The Fault in Our Stars. And, of course, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night...

I've always found reading lists published by schools quite helpful as well. Lots of schools categorise by Year, so they're easily searchable.

I had similar taste as a teen and went on to do a degree in English. I agree with Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov...how about John Wyndham (The Chrysalids), 1984, Brave New World, The Time Machine?

thank you for this thread I have had fun on amazon ordering books for ds and my nephew. Lots I haven't heard of.

How about Ender's Game if he likes Dystopian Futures. Or Children of Dust. The Tripods or John Christopher's other series The Prince in Waiting might also work. The Chrysalids has already been mentioned but Chucky might work too

For Fantasy/Sci Fi stuff: David Eddings starting with Pawn of Prophecy it's slightly easier than the Wheel of Time but may get him hooked. I'd second Asimov and suggest starting with either I, Robot or Caves of Steel though the Lucky Starr books would also be good if you can find them (I think they are out of print). You could also look at other classic Sci Fi. Something like EE Doc Smith's Lensman books. Or Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy (but you be aware of he has rather liberal attitude to sex and sexual relationships so you might decide that some of his other books are not appropriate).

The other thing that springs to mind is Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Maybe start with the radio series and see if that gets him hooked enough to read the books?

Pratchett Pratchett Pratchett

My brother was slightly younger than 14 when he plonked one of the Guards series in front of me and said 'read this' he'd picked up in the school library. Perfect age I'd say.

DD1 is 8 but has an older reading age. We had a similar problem in that she would read books she could have read in year one because it was easy and she didn't have to think. She is now more than 2/3 of the way through Anne of Green Gables (and the vocabulary is slightly archaic/stretching for her) and loving it.

I read it to her first and then had the brainwave that if she read it herself I'd buy her the DVD. So that was this initial carrot but she no longer needs it, she wants more in the series.

Can you find a hook like that? Something a bit older on audio, and then the book to go with it? Or if he reads Going Postal by TPratchett, you'll get him the film to compare when he has finished?