Book suitable for adult level reading 14 year old

[TelephoneTree]

Need a genuinely great book that's not riske or dark etc.

I know a lot of adults who have found 'Sophie's World' quite a challenge. I don't think I would recommend it without knowing the person. I liked it, but it didn't go down well with my book group.

I agree delph,I wouldn't suggest Sophie's world at all.

I found Sophie's World challenging also.

What about biographies?

Of course many, many 14 year olds have a reading age of an adult...i would say at least a third of them.

And whilst we all read adult books from the age of 11 (there was no teen fiction), it doesn't mean one should necessarily. See my thread in Adult Fiction about books we read too early (not because they scared or bored us, but because we might have got more out of them later on).

I love and heartily recommend Patrick Ness, too, as well as Siobhan Dowd, John Green...

I agree with just letting them loose in a bookshop, but if it's a one off purchase as a gift, we'll need more details to help.

That was why I asked- a one off for a present would get different answers.
For generally choosing books the reading age is not as important as the emotional age, level of maturity, sensitivity etc.
More information is needed for a present .
If it is generally - just let loose in the library.

Dame - not all Stephen King is horror

Thank you everyone. Last time I got harold fry + book token as she loves reading so i wanted to do the same again this year. It's nice to open something rather than just get a voucher - or is that just me??

Generally I think it is nicer to open something but with books I prefer a voucher- there is nothing nicer than having the full choice in a book shop.

TelephoneTree I was a pretty advanced reader fr

Let me try that again

I was a pretty advanced reader from quite a young age - my Mum had to start hiding her more adult books as I was just picking everything up, suitable or not. I was also a very fast reader. Mum used to like to do what you are doing, book + book token, especially at Christmas.

One year she gave me "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth, simply because she had gone into the bookshop and asked for the thickest book they had in the literary fiction section .

But she hit the mark dead on, and I'd recommend it. There's some bits of Indian politics in it that are a bit heavy but I may have skimmed them the first time I read it because the plot of the rest is great

I've just remembered that my daughter loved Gone with the Wind at around this age.

I am David by Ann Holm is a gem of a book that really stays with you.

I found it quite a challenge too. My son was very advanced in terms of his understanding of language, and was able to read adult books, but so often the suject and content was not appropriate for a youngster.
Descriptions of sex scenes, graphic violence etc.

I turned to classiscs too- he loved Jules Verne, Bram Stoker's Dracula, H G Wells etc. He really enjoyed them.

Sophie's World is one of my favourite books- I didn't realise it was a kid's book!!!

I was gripped by the story of Gone With The Wind when I was a teenager, thought it was wonderful. But I don't think I would think that now, so maybe it is one best read at that age. I'm pretty sure I'd find Scarlett very irritating now and I wouldn't care that Rhett left her.

I would definitely get a voucher.

deepinthewoods I read Dracula and Frankenstein one after another at the age of about 15, and the scared the life out of me!

Don't know why, as I'd read an awful lot of scary fiction by then and they didn't scare me as much as those two did.

They were only outpaced by Stephen King's It about 6 years later, which scared me so much that when I read his recent book about JFK that referenced "It" vaguely I had to put the book away until I could read it in the sunshine

Agatha Christie and PD James ? Loved them both at that age. There's some plot-related gore and mentions of sex in the latter, but beautifully written and good introduction to adult novels. PG Wodehouse might be funny?

I was 14 when I finished all of Virginia Andrews, lots of Sidney Sheldon and then Danielle Steel, who was so badly written and boring I vowed to read whatever new author was next on the shelf. Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward was gripping.

The stories I still have nightmares about from that age are John Wyndham.

My 15 yo DS has recently enjoyed Schindlers List, the Life of Pi, Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Currently not reading anything but GCSE revision guides........poor love!

My 13yo DD is reading Michael Moorcock - Elric, Hawkmoon, all that stuff. Jane Eyre is on her wish list, she has read LOTR. At this age your bookcase/the library is your friend, there is so much good stuff available that isn't all teenage angst and vampires.

At 14/15 I was reading Danielle Steel. Started off with one or two of the ones my Nanny had and then went from there. It scares me slightly to realise that was 18 years ago! She feels like she might be a bit dated now? Not sure, I've not read any of her recent ones.

Danielle Steele!! I remember her well! I was also reading other questionable literature such as Virginia Andrews, Jackie Collins, Judith Krantz.

What a strange phase! One I hope my DD will avoid

When I was 14 I was reading the complete works of Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Dick Francis and Jack Vance. My parents have thousands of books, there was plenty to choose from and they let me have the run of what they had.

Didn't get into chick lit until I was at uni, I remember devouring Shirley Conran when I was studying for exams, a great stress reliever.