Books for very clever but unmotivated 11 yr old boy!

[theusualwednesday]

I love the recent thread about a voraciously reading girl and have saved it for closer perusal.

My problem is I have a boy who is super academic but much less of a page-turning reader!!!

I would love help putting together a list for the next few years - books everyone ‘should’ have read. It’s really important to me that he has a foundation or some kind of canon of books he’s read, because I think that there are some books that change the world!

What books should EVERYONE have read, especially a boy who would not e.g. touch Anne of green gables?

This sounds like DS1. He was put in the top reading group in year 6 & it nearly put him off reading for life, because they were given His Dark Materials to read and the sheer length of it was anathema to him. That was 20 years ago, so my suggestions won't be current.

I remember in year 7 he really liked Benjamin Zephaniah's novels, starting with Skin. He also liked David Pelzer, A Boy Called It. The Harry Potter books were coming out at that time and he read them too.

A list of ‘books everyone ‘should’ have read’ for a child who isn’t likely to encourage a child who doesn’t read much. It’s more likely to put them off.

The rubbish they give kids to read is enough to put you off for life. My 11 year old son is very bright yet hates reading books. The only book he ever enjoyed and said anything positive about is a book they read in class ( year 6) called ' Holes'.

My son loves non fiction. Could you suggest that? Adam Kay has written 2 great books for kids about the body. They're really funny. I know it isn't high brow literature but I think it will backfire if you force it. They're a different generation to us and it doesn't really matter if this isn't his thing. It sounds more like this is your thing ( I did the same as my degree was English Lit.).

Audible stories on Alexa are a good shout. I know it isn't reading a book but some absorb books better this way. We listen to loads of non fiction on audible every bedtime.

My son is an amazing reader but doesn’t read a lot of fiction, I have always let him choose for himself, I love to read but I feel it’s personal for the reader. I’ve never liked being bought books, I’d much rather have book vouchers, even as a child. Let him choose himself. You can go to book shops etc together and chat about it etc

My daughters English teacher gave us some great advice in year 4. "As long as they are reading, what it is, doesn't matter". He had comic books, manga, classic works, all kinds.

TinTin. Some kids love the visual stuff even the keen readers
Katherine Rundell - The Explorers, Rooftoppers.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - both my kids loved this in year 5
My year 6 is doing The Last Bear at school at the moment, they're not allowed to buy it and read it as their teacher is doing a chapter at a time. Appears to be grabbing all of them.

How often do you go into a bookshop with him though? I can't buy a book unless I've picked it up, flicked through it, admired the cover, read the blurb at the back. The story has to grab you and often the cover

Ah - it was also pointed out to parents that if your kids don't see you reading, but only watching tv and doom scrolling, it's not only hypocritical but its setting the wrong example. So if you want digital downtime, it needs to be family wide.

I’m not a fan of ‘books you must read’ either. I think as long as kids are reading, it doesn’t matter. Magazines, blogs, graphic novels. Take him to a bookstore, what does he gravitate towards?

Don’t give him a list of books he must read .
That will put him off for life!
popular modern books here have been the Percy Jackson series and adventures on trains series

Not many kids would pick up Anne of Green Gables today, it was of its time. I’m a big fan (!) my kids (all teens now) less so and they are big readers

My 12yo DD was the same until last year when she discovered Manga - you have to obviously vet it a bit as there are extremes (just a google before buying) but she couldn't put them down. Now she is reading a different genre and 1 book a week (nothing high brow and a bit too American for me, but then hey, Point Horror anyone?) and I honestly didn't think she would ever be that child. She is dyslexic but reading wasn't an issue, more spelling, so I think I didn't push it too hard and just made a point of reading to her which may have helped her miss stories when she didn't want them before bed any more. The first ones she read were The Avatar - The Last Airbender (now on Netflix I think) but Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun was the recent one and is along the story lines of Beetlejuice/Moaning Myrtle from HP. They are shorter and much less intimidating/more of a fun hobby which should bring the joy back.

The spy school series is good for that age and maybe he could try the Alex Rider and Percy Jackson books. DS also liked Wonder. I’d he likes non fiction the football heroes books are popular with DS and his friends for some more light / easy reading.

DS10 was a reluctant reader but he loved A Series of Unfortunate Events and read about 9 of the books. He then lost interest and it took a while to find the next thing. One day I read a bit of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness to him and then found him picking up the book and reading from where I left off. He's now on book 5 in the series.

It depends how advanced his reading level and understanding is, but my son really enjoyed this History of Strategy, which has many idea and concept chapters so you can dip in and out. Sparks lots of interesting conversations!

Strategy: A History amzn.eu/d/flvcN2s

Does he want to read fiction? My brother hated fiction but went through books about world war 2, tanks, aeroplanes etc like anything

This is an American series but my son loved Encyclopedia Brown which is the nn of a boy detective, given this name due to his huge knowledge (written pre internet! The recent imprints have much more modern covers.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_Brown

My same aged son has loved the Young Bond series by Charlie Higson and Steve Cole.

Got him back into reading after really losing his way with it.

Percy Jackson
Unladylike activity books

I sadly overdo screen time but dc are obsessed with books. What worked is having a steady supply of engaging books since they were little. Most of them came from the charity shops. They have full bookshelves in their rooms but we haven't really got books elsewhere as I gave away most of my books away when we moved I only read on a kindle now.

Having superb books in the school library also helped. Now, in secondary the library is not at all good so they don't go there. We go to our local library or buy second hand from eBay and amazon.

OP, how about Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Wonder, The Boy At the Back of the Class?

I was still reading to my sons at that age - and up to about 15. It meant we could tackle books that they probably wouldn’t have read by themselves like Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Anne Frank’s Diary, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein etc. - and when older Catcher in the Rye and 1984. I’d really recommend it if he’ll let you.

Manga and graphic novels may be a fun diversion, my teens absolutely soak them up.

I'd echo what others have said, let him pick what appeals to him.
My 11 year old reads constantly but he will often leave books untouched if others pick for him.
Some ideas that he has enjoyed,
Percy Jackson
Magnus chase
Katherine Randell books
Michael morpurgo
Disney twisted tales books
Order of darkness series
Diary of Anne frank
Boy in the striped pyjamas
He also gets the beano and phoenix comics every week that he still likes to read
Lots of non fiction about history mainly
Darren Shan series
Cirque du freak
He still will read stuff like diary of a wimpy kid, Harry Potter etc over and over.
Football hero's.

But to answer your original question I would say books that I think everyone should read (that a child of that age may like)
Anne franks diary
Animal farm
The boy in the striped pyjamas
Any Shakespeare book
Any dickens book
Dracula
Goodnight Mr Tom
Black beauty
Wonder

I am sorry but I don't believe in mandating books outside the school curriculum. It is one sure way to kill the joy of reading.

I would bring him to a big library and graphic novel shop and let him choose. There is a book prescription service in some book shops where they talk to the person helping identify interests.

The books you should read need you to appreciate them and not wallow through.

I don't think that you should get him to read any books that people 'should' read. The key is to get him reading at all, even if it's below the level he's working at, if you see what I mean.
Try some fast faced adventures like the Frostheart series. I'd second the chronicles of ancient darkness books. I think there are 8 in total and my DS has burnt through them and now thinks of himself as a reader. Finding books that he could read quickly are were gripping is what changed his mindset about reading.

That and the Phoenix comics.

He finds bookshops overwhelming and so ends up coming out with nothing. He absolutely is the kind of child who would respond better to a list - even if he didn’t read everything on it, it would give him something less huge to focus on. I mean grown ups love reading lists and prize shortlists and book club selections - why not for kids? Especially when at the moment I feel like the shelves are quite dominated by ghostwritten celeb titles.

I still read to them but I have a long list for that. He’s read Harry Potter, most of dark materials but got bored , the hobbit, some Percy Jackson and Alex Ryder, when Hitler stole pink rabbit, the silver sword, all of secret seven and famous five back in the day, wonder. A bit of David Williams but not obsessed with that.

Maybe i should have said, we are a big reading house, but he is in a weird place where kids books feel a bit too ‘kiddy’ for him. But is he ready for Agatha Christie? Lots of the Flies?

i guess what I am asking for is as he moves into secondary school, what is a list of classic books he can choose from? More like ‘fifty books to read for boys’. I would find that super easy to do with classics for girls, everything from the little white horse to boarding school books to gentle classics, but for some reason I find it harder to do for boys.