Book suggestions for year 8 boy

[pollycazalet]

My DS is a good reader and has always read a fair bit but has been reading less recently. I've always found books for him - he's not very good at finding things in bookshops/ libraries and am a bit stumped about what to try next.

He's recently enjoyed the Patrick Ness series (knife of never letting go) , the cherub stuff, seemingly endless zombie and apocalyptic type books like Charlie Higson, Hunger Games. Tried him on Hound of the Baskervilles at Xmas but he wasn't enthused, similarly Lord of the Rings. He loves graphic novels but would like to keep a balance with text style books

Any suggestions? I wonder if he should be getting into more adult books - had thought of Fever Pitch, Catch 22, but read both so long ago I can't remember whether they'd be ok for him. Any suggestions?

What about some of the classic sci-fi books like Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) or 1984? Ray Bradbury is really easy to read and utterly brilliant.

Has he read the easy classics like Animal Farm, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies? Tom Sawyer? Huckleberry Finn? Call of the Wild? The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime? Sherlock Holmes? Father Brown?

Try telling him Frankenstein was written by a teenager (which it was - Mary Shelley was 19 I think, or younger, when she wrote it) and see if that makes him feel up to reading it.

Has he read all the Louis Sachar books? Maybe a bit young for him, but they are classics: Holes is brilliant, so is Small Steps. The Card Turner?

What about some Shakespeare in graphic novel form? There are some fantastic graphic versions of Macbeth, The Tempest and Midsummer Night's Dream.

What about some John Wyndham? Chocky and Day of the Triffids.

Re the shakespear graphic novels, I bougt Romeo and Juliette for a 30+ man, he loved it.

Huckleberry Finn is so warm and lovely, I'd definitely keep pressing it on him.

A Time of Gifts is the ultimate travel read, by Patrick Leigh Fermor. I don't know anyone who wouldn't enjoy this. He's written loads of other books about his travels too.

Finding Cassie Crazy and Feeling Sorry for Celia- v. funny, by Australian author Jacklyn Moriarty.

Crusade in Jeans, Thea Beckman.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok is about the friendship/trials of two teenage boys. Then once he's finished that he'll be hooked! so could discover the rest of his amazing books.

Would he be interested in diaries? like Etty Hillesum, Goncourts, the obvious ones like Anne Frank etc.

Also, there are loads of history books by popular historians out at the moment. Lots about 20th century events like the whole story of the Berlin Wall which is fascinating to any kid. I loved 'The Berlin Wall' by Frederick Taylor and read 'Revolution 1989' by Victor Sebestyen when I was on holiday.

Viragos? less explicit ones, obviously. But no seriously, why the hell not.....just cos he's a boy. They're brilliant most of them.

The Moon and Sixpence might be good. V. easy language, about an arty man, everyone's attracted to artists, wild and unpredictable people....

Maupassant? Boule de Suif etc. They're what everyone reads when first learning French (well, 20 years ago. Now, of course, they wouldn't dream of giving us anything so complicated).

Death in Venice, Thomas Mann. 60 page novella. Beautiful desperate story.

Perfume, Patrick Suskind, everyone has an opinion on this so a Y8 boy certainly will.

About a Boy, Nick Hornby and Adrian Mole

Has he read Flour Babies and Goggle Eyes etc?

Don Camillo's always funny. So is Jennings, it's a laugh a page. Definitely worth scouring the charity shops for or splashing out a bit on Amazon.

Feminist fairy tales?

E.M. Forster- Maurice? about gay clever-stupid/naive teenagers.

The Road, or is that a bit too dark? It's what you make of it I think.

Roald Dahl: Storyteller by Donald Sturrock (I think that's his name). Everyone loves Roald Dahl, here's a fab and well written biog of him.

The Montessori Method- might challenge his view of schooling, his own schooling etc?

If he likes fantasy the Septimus Heap books by Angie Sage are fab.