Recommend books for a boy that aren’t grim, gruesome or gross!

[thelegohooverer]

I would really like to find some books for ds that aren’t any of the above or dark and malevolent. Or if they are dark, that there is at least a strong moral direction. Basically, what my grandparents generation would have called “wholesome”

Ds has asd, and is more deeply influenced than most so I’m not being judgemental in the slightest about what anyone else’s dc are reading! It’s simply that he needs a bit of balance. His reading level at the moment is Percy Jackson/ His Dark Materials.

He’s read lots of books that would traditionally have been recommended for girls - we’re equal opportunity readers in this house. But in the last year or so, he’s seeking out more male protagonist books and I’d really like to find more heroes and less villains and anti heroes. He tends to be a bit literal, taking someone’s dialogue as advice for life and missing the context that qualifies or belies it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Have you tried the Bear Grylls/Beck Granger books? They’re Bear Grylls style survival wrapped up in a story.

It is so difficult to find stuff that’s upbeat... I’ll keep thinking...

How about Alex Rider, kind of James Bond for kids

Does he like animals? Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. First book is Wolf Brother. Main character is a boy.... there are some villains but lots of ‘goodies’ aswell.

Could you give us some more ideas of what level he's at, maybe in "girls'" books as it were? His Dark Materials are profound and I would put them a good few notches up from Percy Jackson. My daughter probably started Poirot and Sherlock Holmes at that sort of age. Neither are the most cheerful but they are moral and not about fighting.

My 12 year old has gone through Percy Jackson and is now really into the other Rick Riordans - Magnus Chase, Trials of Apollo and Kane Chronicles. We have never really managed variety! He also likes Skullduggery Pleasant.

The Stephen Fry books Mythos and ?Heroes might appeal if he is old enough.

Also, really left field, All Creatures Great and Small and possibly My Family and Other Animals. But all these I would put more on the His Dark Materials end than Percy Jackson. Presumably you have been through Michael Murpurgos.

(by the way, good point well made on the male protagonists.)

How about the Biggles books?

Have you had a look at katherine Rundell? She has written some great books. The jungle one (can't recall the name) was thoroughly enjoyed by my son who seems to read similar books to yours.

Katherine Rundell “the Explorer” - great suggestion.

Both my DD’s have ASD, dd1 loves maze runner, anything by Michael Morpurgo (war horse etc..), beast quest, sea quest and Warrior cats as well as Harry Potter etc...

Dd2 is 14 and more severely autistic and will only read books with humour in them such as David Walliams and Mr Gum.

My ds has enjoyed the how to train your dragon series and also George’s secret key to the universe.

The Katherine Rundell is great, and Charlie Fletcher’s Stone Heart trilogy is splendid; my son had similar tastes to yours at that age.

Another vote for Skullduggery Pleasant. DS is 13, he doesn't read very much anymore but read all of these about a year or so ago. He really liked them.

Dd is reading the Artemis fowl books and really enjoying them, an 11 year old criminal mastermind that discovers a world of faeries and dwarves etc. Really worth having a read of as I’m not doing them justice

More mainstream ones are obviously the David Walliams, David baddiel and the 13 storey treehouse ones, all thoroughly enjoyed.

Maybe eragon if he’s into a little bit ‘older’ reading style, or I’d also recommend Michael gant ‘gone’ series (but they are a little dark for my 10 year old so far). I have almost the exact reading preferences of a 14 year old boy so I feel I’m well placed to recommend

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
The Dark is Rising
Swallows and Amazons
Edge Chronicles
Mortal Engines

We loved "holes"

The Martian. Not strictly young adult but good male protagonist.

The Cogheart Series. My almost 11 yr old devours books and Cogheart is one of his all time faves. Sort of steam punk Victoriana mystery adventure with a strong female lead, plucky assistant and mechanical animal sidekick: www.peterbunzl.com/books/cogheart/

Another vote for Artemis Fowl. I recently read them all again. :)

The Harry Potter books?
I love JKR as a person, but I find her writing style a bit irritating at times.

How about Terry Pratchett?

Fablehaven
The beyonders
Chronicles of Prydain

The books by Ben Miller are great. My son absolutely loved them all.

What Not to do when you're invisible (or the title is similar to that; I dont remember but it was brilliant).

An "aimed at girls" series which my son, similar in temperament to yours by the sounds of it, loved is The Polar Bear Explorer's club. Might be a little young for him maybe (my son was 8 when he started them) but they're great.

I see someone has recommended The Martian above. It's a great book but it is adult science fiction, so teenage years and above really. There isnt anything strictly in it which would be bad for younger readers apart from some bad language but it might be a bit too complex for a child.

The treehouse book collection by Andy Griffiths

Katherine Rundell is amazing. The Explorer is such a fantastic book, and Rooftoppers was wonderful.

The FINTAN FEDORA books are great. Very lighthearted and humorous. My son is not an avid reader but he loved these.

The infernal devices series by Phillip Reeve is great.