Attention please Roisin or mums of pre-teen boys please

[janeite]

Hello! I am looking for book recs that are boy friendly, for ages 11 and 12, some of which might also appeal to KS3 boys but with reading ages of 7-9 and others for boys with reading ages to match or be just above chronological. Not the obvious ones like Horrowitz, Young Bond, Artmeis Fowl, as I know those but ones that are maybe newer than that or older with lasting appeal.

Thanks ever so.

we couldnt get into noughts and crosses.

My good-reader ds is 8. He's really into non-fiction at the moment and is romping through Horrible History/Geography/Science.

He's been laughing out loud at the Wimpy Kid books, but says BeastQuest is "too easy" now - though is enjoying Astrosaurs.

Recently he read Stig Of The Dump and that was really good - he really setled down with it and we got into loads of chats about "cave-men". He also still likes Roald Dahl, as does dd1 (10), though films of the books tend to be upbeat, there is a lot of ghastly darkness in the books that seems to appeal.

Willard Price "Adventure" books? My 10yo dd also has started to read some more old-fashioned stuff - Robin Hood, King Arthur stories (Puffin Classics I think).

I still think one of the best sets of books for kids this age adn up are the Asterix books, but not sure if the comic strip format is allowable? So much in them and they are really quite funny - my ds giggles over them. But then, his favourite books of all time are Calvin and Hobbes!!

ta Soupy - I may well buy and have a quick read first.

Spy Dog look quite young I think - DD is 7 and is happily reading those.

It must be the historical aspect of it soupdragon! I found it less in-yer-face modern but I agree it is more gory!

H I V E series good too...

Have got Noughts And Crosses - it's too long and complex really for what I need.

Mr Tom is fabbo - but I'm looking mainly for ones that they are less likely to encounter in primary/English lessons. Reading as pure pleasure.

Keep em coming! What is Henderson Boys?

Sorry re any typos - am multi-tasking!

Definitely. I think they may be OK for older boys with a lower reading age too (perhaps those with an age of 9+?). I don't think they were complex - tough but not impossible. The print wasn't too small either.

Henderson Boys are the prequels to Cherub - how the unit was set up.

Think I may have HIVE on the list already. I want to read them all myself now!

Ds also likes the Clarice Bean novels but from what Janeite says they will need to be made over with new covers first...

C;arice Bean rocks - but they would so not appreciate her!

Charlie Bone has had good reviews from friends. Kind of Harry Potteresque insofar as he's at magic school (I think!). Also "Nightmare Academy" by Dean Lorey I've not read either to judge though.

Frank Cottrell Boyce! Millions especially
And what about Skulduggery Pleasant...

Have ordered Frank CB as well - forget which one. I didn't like Skullduggery Pleasant.

Ooh - what about The Graveyard Book?

DS1 was forced to read Varjak Paw last year (Y5) and loved it.

Oooh - DS got the Graveyard Book for Christmas. He's not read it yet I may have to swipe it and see what it's like as I am between books ATM.

Holes? (Louis Sachar)

Cliffhanger (Jacqueline Wilson) - maybe a little young?

Agree, Cherub books are a hit.

Would the Garth Nix Keys to the Kingdom suit? and Tanya Landman has proved popular here.

Dd1 is 15 and still keeps Varjack Paw as her 'comfort read'

You are all stars. I have to go for a while now to remind the girls where their bedrooms are etc but will try and pop back in a while. And whilst you're here, if any of you want to help me here too I would be an even happier bunny!

Thanks ever so - loads of wonderful ideas here.

Got 'Holes' - wonderful, wonderful book.

holes is good and cotterell boyce too but hard

HIVE is a great tip - haev ordered

i liked cliffhanger and the other one its paired with
rest of JW is shit

OK. There is lots of sex, drugs and violence in the Cherub books. We have had occasional parental complaints about them, when yr7s have read them. I think anything that gets boys reading is great, and would encourage the students to recommend them to each other, rather than me recommend them directly to them iyswim. From memory the first one is more tame, but as a member of staff I wouldn't be comfortable using them as a set text iyswim.

I don't censor books to my own boys at all, but even I raised a few eyebrows at these and have gently steered ds2 (yr6) away from them.

The Boy in the Dress by David Williams (of Little Britain fame), and illustrated by Quentin Blake - it's brilliant!

Are these to use in class as set texts, or to dish out to encourage reading? I find the major problem with much that has been recommended here is the length of the books, which is offputting for students for class books or private reading.

For the lower reading age students, I have a set of these: Deep Water It's great for teaching hooks as every chapter ends on one. There's a literal cliffhanger, when a boy is left clinging to a ledge on a cliff! All the students I have worked with have found the book to be gripping and a real page-turner. And it's short.

I came across it through the LPU Reading Between the Lines Unit. And there is some useful material in there about infer/deduce and prediction that you can tie in if you want to.