ideas for DS 13

[christywhisty]

He didn't start reading novels except Harry Potter until last august, when he suddenly turned into a bookworm

He likes series rather than stand alone stories
He has got through the following series

Percy Jackson
HIVE
Cherub
Artemis Fowl
Young James Bond
Alex Rider
Spooks Apprentice

Currently reading Inkdeath and has ordered Twilight from the library.
I thought of the Pendragon books and am trying to get him to read my old John Christopher books. He doesn't seem to keen to read adult books yet.

Any other ideas?

eragon by christopher paolini (?) is the first of a children's trilogy about dragon riders . Have not read it myself but dh recently enjoyed it!

Forgot that he listened to the tape of the eragon and read the second one, hasn't read Bresinger yet. I will see what the waiting list is at the library is.

My DS (13yrs also) really enjoyed the CS Lewis space trilogy -Perelandra, Out of the Silent Planet, That Hideous Strength. Also Food of the Gods by HG Wells. Anything by Darren Shan, though it looks a bit gory-vampires, demons etc.

Has he read any Tolkien? LOTR can be tough going but The Hobbit is fine.

The Wind on Fire Trilogy by William Nicholson is excellent.

Has he read any Phillip Pullman? (Dark Materials trilogy/ Sally Lockhart Quartet)

ds1 just read Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (sp?) and thoroughly enjoyed it - he's also currently devouring Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines quartet

My son adores the Wolf Brother series by Michelle Paver. He is eagerly awaiting the 6th (?) and final book to be released later this year.

Also likes Eragon/Eldest/Brisinger but they are REALLY long!

Has he read "Inkheart" and "Inkspell", prior to Inkdeath?

What about the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy? Or if that's a bit too "deep" his Sally Lockheart series.

Darren Shan is popular with boys but personally I don't think he's much good.

William Nicholson's "Windsinger" series is good, as is Philip Reeves' "Mortal Engines" series.

Lianne Hearn's "Across The Nightingale Floor" series are some of the best books I've read (and I read A LOT) in the last ten years.

Hey that's great Christywhisty.
It's really encouraged me to think of boys of that age becoming booklovers. He's certainly got through a lot since August!

I'm just going to have a look on the bookshelves for other series that might interest him. Back in a tick.

(PS I love Cornelia Funke, but found Inkheart tediously dull ... enjoyed the film though!)

I would second a few on here:
Wolf Brother
Windsinger (though the final one is a disappointment)
Mortal Enginges (I can't stand it myself but many children seem to love it!)

Also:
Chris d'Lacey: the Fire Within
Katherine Langrish: Troll Fell
Helen Dunmore: Ingo this is not a girly book, despite the cover!
Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising series This was a film recently
Colin Bateman: Titanic 2020 series of only 2 books atm.
Gordon & Williams: Tunnels series of only 2 books!
Charlie Fletcher: Stoneheart
Garth Nix: Mister Monday ds1 doesn't like these but I do!
Garth Nix: Sabriel
Emma Clayton: The Roar this isn't actually a series yet. It's the first book. But it was one of ds1's favourites this year (and he reads a lot). He was mesmerised by this.

I'm finding it hard to stop: keep thinking of more!
Katherine Langrish: Troll Fell0 won several prizes last year (Red House, Blue Peter I think) There are two books so far. I haven't read the second, so I don't know if it's heading for a series or not.

Those are the main series I can think of for this age group that are popular at the moment! That should keep him busy for a while.

Do come back if we can tempt him with some one-offs!

Roisin - I feel about Garth Nix the way you do about the "Mortal Engines" books!

Yes, yes to "The Dark Is Rising" - although I think they get worse as the series goes on.

Might he like Terry Pratchett Christy? "The Carpet People" is the first in a set of three iirc and is good fun.

Anthony Horowitz also has a series called "The Power Of Five" which I thought was pretty rubbish but a few of my Yr 9 boys enjoyed.

No
You don't like the Power of Five? We love them too. (The 2nd and subsequent ones are better than the first, but I did enjoy the first one.)

I just have very little literary discrimination, and read and enjoy just about anything!

OOPS Just seen a problem with my post above.
It wasn't Troll Fell that won prizes it was Derek Landy: Skulduggery pleasant

Now, I wonder what else I lost?!

Tbh I only read the first and second and really didn't enjoy them. I thought they were cliched. But I am hyper-fussy!

"Skullduggery Pleasant" was okay; I didn't bother with the second one.

"The Edge Chronicles" might be worth a look, although I must admit I've only read one. they are a bit Pratchett-esque. I think the same writer did "MuddleEarth" which is fun in a very silly sort of way.

Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" and "Neverwhere" aren't a series but are quite good fantasy novels.

Trudi Canavan's "Magician's Guild" books are being targetted at the teen market. They are okay - the plots are interesting and the characters are quite compelling but like a lot of fantasy, they are not desperately well-written.

Malorie Blackman's "Noughts And Crosses" series is very good (except the most recent 4th book, which I thought was really boring).

ds 14 has got into Robert Muchamore, as well as Andy McNabb if that's any help

ds 14 has got into Robert Muchamore, as well as Andy McNabb if that's any help

Although not series, could he try The Giver by Lois Lowry and Brother in the Land by Robert Swindells? Both excellent - bookworm DS1 read and enjoyed both when he was 12 or 13.

Oh Janeite I bought ds1 the 4th Malorie Blackman for Christmas (because I wanted it). Maybe I won't bother with it now.

It's such a shame, as the others are amazing. But this one is all teenagey "does he like me as much as I like him" / "does she like me as much as I like her" / "I wish I could tell him/her my true feelings" - very dull! It didn't help that I'd just read the third "Twilight" with Ms Bella I'm so bloody irritating Swan wittering on about lurve too.

I haven't looked at Twilight yet: none of my reading club are into it yet, and the blurb/reviews I've read haven't made me think either I or ds1 will like it!

Twilight makes you feel like a teenager again, not sure if that is good or bad! I don't think the books are particularly well written but I must admit i enjoyed them personally.

I rather enjoyed the fourth "Twilight" (forgotten name) but the first is silly and the third is really, really boring. I can't really remember the second at all!

Thanks for all the ideas, I will show him and see what takes his fancy

He finished Inkdeath today and we have had a note from the library that Twilight has arrived so will pick it up tomorrow, will proabably try reading it myself.

Update on Fridays they have to read to themselves in english and get called up to read and discuss their book with teacher. He finished Inkdeath on thursday so teacher sent him to school library to get a new book. He picked up the Skullduggery Pleasant and loved it and was finished by Sunday

Now reading something called Barnaby Grimes Curse of the Nightwolf. Hopefully the school library will give him some new choices.

Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books
Diana Wynne Jones' many books include a couple of series (quartets) and a pair of books about the same characters, and the Chrestomanci books are less of a series exactly but are connected - Chrestomanci is not the principal character but plays a main role in each of those books.