books for a 12 year old boy? can anyone help?

[cheeryface]

i want to get ds1 some books for xmas. any ideas??

eragon?

What is he into? Harry Potter, Doctor Who etc?

he's read Harry Potter. He's interested in computers, the war er ...anything technical..he's really difficult to buy for.
really struggling with xmas present ideas and books are the only bloody things i've come up with!

can be fiction or non

horrible histories?
my ds loves these, tho he is only 8, so perhaps these are a bit young for your ds.

Philip Pullman's Norhern Lights trilogy?
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
Lord of The Rings/The Hobbit
The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier (sp?)

what aboiut classic sci fi like john wyndham

"The Wind Singer" trilogy by William Nicholson.

The "Silver Child" trilogy by Cliff McNiesh (I think).

Another vote for "The Hobbit"

"Holes"

"The Divide" books are fun - can't remember who by, sorry.

artemis fowl (sp?) is recommended for this age I think

Is he a voracious reader?

My DS, who is now 13, has been reading a wide variety of adult books for a while. He has read all the Dan Brown books (ie Da Vinci Code, et al), some Jeffrey Archer, Clive Cussler etc. Basically, things we have hanging around the house.

But agree with all the other recommendations

DS also says Dick Francis and Isaac Asimov

Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo
The vampires... - Darren Shan
The Dangerous Book for Boys - Hal Iggulden

Classic sci fi?

Ooh yeah, Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy maybe?

Those young James Bond books are good, I've only read the first one (BIL got an inspection copy for PIL) and I would have liked them when I was younger

Oh yes, the Young Bonds are really good - but a bit gory, so only if he's not over-sensitive. Also the Alex Rider books are fun too.

And "The Book Thief" which is based in the 2nd world war and is brilliant - massive though, so only for confident readers who don't give up too easily.

just come back to check and found all these suggestions, thanx!!

the young bond books, when you say gory, how gory??

My 13 yo loves the young bond ones. Also the edge chronicles - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddle
eragon, tunnels, stormbreaker series, darren shan

I think in the first yong Bond, if I remember rightly, somebody gets eaten by eels for example.

And the Darren Shan that I read was VERY gory - a family murdered, very graphic descriptions of the bodies. I think they're pretty over-rated to be honest; not desperately well-written but lots of boys like them.