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Secondary education

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Original poster

Any recommendations of books for a 10/11 year old boy?

52 replies

LittleFluffyMoo · 09/05/2015 20:59

Just that really! DS1 loves reading and will read anything, but I'd love some recommendations for books for him.

We've done all the Harry Potter series, the Artemis Fowl books, all the Percy Jackson books and all the more recent ones by the same author. He also loved the Diamond Brothers series and some of the Michael Morpurgo books but didn't really get into the Narnia series, much to my dismay. Has read ridiculous numbers of minecraft books because he can get them on his kindle, and other bits and pieces I can't remember.

I guess he likes funny/adventure books, and all the better if they're part of a series because then he doesn't have to look around for any for a while!

Any ideas/suggestions would be very welcome :)

TIA

OP posts:
Scabetty · 09/05/2015 21:06

Ds is 12 yo and currently reading Moonboy. He has also recently enjoyed Wonder and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Miele72 · 09/05/2015 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

almapudden · 09/05/2015 21:11

The Giver by Lois Lowry

mellicauli · 09/05/2015 21:12

Anthony Horowitz - ravensgate series
Hunger Games (of questionable suitability but my son and friends seem to have been unscathed by the experience)

ShatnersBassoon · 09/05/2015 21:14

Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series is good. Has he tried The Hobbit?

htm123 · 09/05/2015 21:28

My DS loved The Thief Lord and recently just finished InkHeart. But he enjoyed Tom Gates collection by L. Pichon, David Walliams books too, Cornelia Funke's collection is not everybody's cup of tea but DS said that most of Malorie Blackman's books are good. Also Lord of the flies!

Pussycatbow · 09/05/2015 21:43

At that age my DS enjoyed The Hobbit. Read it very quickly--couldn't put it down.

TheBankOfMum · 09/05/2015 22:03

This is my 12 year old DC's list of favs and recommended essential reads:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
‘Gone’ series (6 books) by Michael Grant
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Art of War by Niccolo Machiavelli
‘Divergent’ series (3 books) by Veronica Roth
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
‘The Mortal Instruments’ series ((6 books) City of…) by Cassandra Clare
‘The Infernal Devices’ series ((3 books) Clockwork…) by Cassandra Clare
Why Forgive? By Johann Christoph Arnold
The Humans by Matt Haig
‘The Maze Runner’ series (3 books) by James Dasher
The Kill Order (Maze Runner prequel) by James Dasher
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Othello by William Shakespeare
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Gulliver’s Travels by Johnathan Swift
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

He pretty much enjoyed them all but read a few only because they were recommended.

Hope this helps!

TheBankOfMum · 09/05/2015 22:08

DS that is! Smile

TheoreticalOrder · 09/05/2015 22:22

Wonder by RJ Palacio

madwomanbackintheattic · 09/05/2015 22:30

Ds liked wonder, hunger games trilogy etc at that age.
Dd2 is almost 12 and is enjoying the Virals series (Kathy Reichs I think?) ds is reading them too now becasue dd just discovered them...

Bert2e · 09/05/2015 22:32

The Itch books by Simon Mayo
Jules Verne: 20000 leagues under the sea / around the world in 80 days

VivienneWestwood · 09/05/2015 22:54

Goblins series by Philip Reeve
Edge Chronicles
Terry Pratchett books
Mark Walden Earthfall and Hive series
Alex Scarrow Timeriders series
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner - a particular fave
Also non-fiction maths books eg by Alex Bellos

rabbitstew · 09/05/2015 22:56

Time Riders series of nine books? By Alex Scarrow
The Septimus Heap books - 7 of them, by Angie Sage?
The Dark is Rising?
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen? The Owl Service?
Inkheart trilogy?
All of those should appeal to a boy who likes magic, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy or slightly scary!

rabbitstew · 09/05/2015 23:10

Ps The Dark is Rising sequence is, I think, originally five books? By Susan Cooper. The Owl Service and The Weirdstone... are just two books by Alan Garner.
If your ds likes history-based stories, he might like The Eagle of the Ninth and subsequent novels? My ds also rather enjoyed The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier, and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbitt by Judith Kerr. He also loved the Sherlock Holmes stories, the complete works available on Kindle for less than a pound! Oh, and he giggled at My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

Original poster
LittleFluffyMoo · 09/05/2015 23:10

Wow, thanks everyone! Lots of really good recommendations there - he's read some of them, but I'll show him and see if there are any he hasn't (I'm sure he'll find loads from this list) Grin

OP posts:
rabbitstew · 09/05/2015 23:13

Oh, and I second Animal Farm. Provoked lots of interesting conversations with him!

sherbetlemonD · 09/05/2015 23:15

I enjoyed Lemony Snicket at about that age- in fact; thanks to him I found a love for reading. I second the ravensgate series- much better than Alex Rider IMO

itsveryyou · 09/05/2015 23:28

The I funny series by James Patterson are great fun, as are the 'I survived...' series, which are a mix of historical fact and fiction. My two love anything by Rick Riordan and recently have moved on to Norse and Greek mythology books by Edgar Parin D'aulaire. As easy, fun reads, they also love Tom Gates, Wimpy Kid, Barry Loser, anything by David Walliams and DS1 who is 11 the Alex Rider series. DS2 is 9 and a voracious reader, he loved the Fablehaven series. The Inkheart series is wonderful. How about 'Holes'? We really enjoyed the questions which arose from that one! DS1 has also read the Hunger Games which we were a little 'eek' about, but honestly, he really enjoyed them and again, we had really interesting discussions around them.

rabbitstew · 09/05/2015 23:46

Oh, and Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones - another great fantasy/magic story. He should enjoy that if he likes books like Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, Septimus Heap etc

rabbitstew · 09/05/2015 23:51

Ps if he likes Charmed Life, I think there are other Chrestomanci books which follow on from it.

TragicallyUnbeyachted · 09/05/2015 23:55

The Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins (author of the Hunger Games, but these are suitable for a slightly younger audience).

Guy Bass's Stitch Head series.

Michaelahpurple · 10/05/2015 21:38

Bank of mum's list is great but more year 7/8 (as is her son) so don't rush into them all too early - might spoil some of them

TheBlessedCheesemaker · 10/05/2015 21:51

At that age, DS loved skulduggery series and charlie higson the dead/the fear/etc series.

loopsngeorge · 11/05/2015 23:27

DS's future secondary school sent a reading list which introduced us to Frankie Cottrell Boyce. He's read The unforgotten coat and Cosmic which he loved. He says Millions is funny but very sad.
Other things he's liked are When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, all Louis Sachar books and The Pinballs by Betsy Byars. Also, often mentioned on here, but Jennings and Just William still appeal!