Book recommendation for 13 year old boy

[turtledovelove]

I am after some book recommendations for my teenage son who is a bit of a reluctant reader. He is expected to read for 30 minutes a day as part of his homework and I would like to get him some books that really appeal and that he can hopefully get his teeth into.

He's well and truly grown out of David Walliams/David Baddiel/Diary of a Wimpy Kid....

He loves humour/comedy/anything that is laugh out loud funny. He also likes action type stuff.

I've had a quick google which has thrown up a few suggestions. For instance the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the Maze Runner series. Has anyone got first hand experience of these books?

Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you 📚

My Ds did the maze runner series after watching the film. He was 12 and loved it

What about the Cherub series? They were popular in my house.

How about the Percy Jackson books? My DCs loved those

John Marsden - Tomorrow When The War Began series. Absolutely action packed. About a bunch of teenagers who are having a camping trip in the remote forest when war breaks out, all the adults are captured in their town and they have to survive by their wits and pull off some battles against the enemy. For an older audience.

Paul Jennings - any of his books. They are hilarious and weird. For a slightly younger audience but still great for a 13 yo.

DS1 loved the Hunger Games at that age. They are the only proper books he has ever voluntarily read

These are great! Thank you so much for all the suggestions.

Fingers crossed at least one of the books will capture his imagination.

Another vote for Percy Jackson. Very popular in our house. In fact pretty much any of the Rick Riordan series.

Thanks for this thread.

The only books my nearly 13 year old has read voluntarily and eagerly in recent years were the yo-gi-oh graphic novels! He read the first three three in one books then never started the fourth, just list interest.

At about ten he read the Fudge/ Tales of a fourth grade nothing series rather to my surprise, and if he's set a book for school he reads it dutifully, but he's never read all the way through anything else, not even wimpy kid! My 9 year old is diagnosed dyslexic but actually now enjoys reading - he's probably more accurately dysgraphic - and has read multiple times more books than his brother who has no specific problem reading, he just doesn't!

I still read to my boys at bedtime because the older one doesn't read to himself!

I've just ordered a book of Paul Jennings short stories and the first 'Tomorrow when the War Began', though we already have the maze runner and hunger games series (older DD read them several years ago) and he's not interested. In the worst case I can read the short stories to both boys at bedtime but maybe there's a chance he'll read one of the books himself!

Terry Pratchett might be a good start.

Agree with Cherub and Percy Jackson series. Also maybe Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, or Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness.

I would also suggest Percy Jackson (humour and action - double win), Cherub, Hunger Games, Alex Rider. Also Mortal Engines if he likes a bit of fantasy.

My reluctant reader has absolutely galloped through Chris Ryan's three teen series - Alpha Force, Special Forces Cadets and Agent 21. I've got the Maze Runner series lined up for him to start next. He also likes Alex Scarrow's Time Riders series, and is suddenly bankrupting me buying manga (currently Assasination Classroom).

My son readily enjoyed the Ravens Gate series and a selection of short horror stories by Anthony Horowitz.
He also likes Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.