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What Stephen King books are appropriate for a 12 year old

71 replies

ConnorFett · 30/05/2021 15:21

My son loves horror and has been asking me for a while if he could read Stephen king's books but I've never read one myself so I don't know how appropriate his books are. Do you know of any that might be appropriate for him to read. I'm not as worried about the violence or gore as I am the sexual content and language.

OP posts:
Hardertobreathe · 30/05/2021 16:23

I used to love horror, I spent my mid teens watching (underage) the Freddie Krueger films but I still have nightmares about a character in one of Stephen Kings books I read as a 20-something year old, I’m now nearly 50. I had read several of his books by then but have never picked up another one since.

This suggests The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon might be good as there is no sex.
www.readbrightly.com/17-grown-books-tweens-can-read/

Faircastle · 30/05/2021 21:21

The first ones I read (aged 13) were The Body and The Long Walk.

Faircastle · 30/05/2021 21:32

Both have brief scenes where (consensual & vanilla) sex is mentioned, but my memory is that Judy Blume's Forever (which was being passed around our class at the time) was more explicit.

glasshalfsomething · 30/05/2021 21:37

My first was Carrie and the second was the Long Walk.

Paranoidandroidmarvin1350 · 30/05/2021 21:38

@Hardertobreathe I was coming to into say the girl who loves Tom Gordon. I loved that and read it in one night as it is one of his smaller ones.

Ineedideas · 30/05/2021 21:39

Just asked DH next to me, as he is a big Stephen King fan, and he recommends The Shining and Pet Sematry!

Faircastle · 30/05/2021 21:40

Having said that, I last read them sometime last century. If you want to be certain, I think the only way would be to read them yourself first.

CassTheFox · 30/05/2021 21:46

Some of his books are very very long and descriptive may not hold the attention of a 12 year old. I would start with his short stories.. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption or The Body (which is the book the film Stand By Me is based on) are excellent. I was an avid King reader when I was younger, don’t remember much bad language or sex in them, apart from a horribly graphic sex scene in “It”.

NerrSnerr · 30/05/2021 21:49

I started reading Stephen King about that age. The first one I read, that got me hooked was Misery. Carrie may be a good one as well.

I agree The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and the Long Walk.

I read Pet Semetary when about 14. I loved it but it really scared me and I can still smell the final scene! I also read Gerald's Game as a teen- definitely not for a child!

Followtheyellowsicktoad · 30/05/2021 21:52

The Eyes of the Dragon, bit more gothic fairytale than pure dread horror. For sheer scaryness The Cycle of the Warewolf is terrifying (when I was 16 I thought it was) but off the top of my head I can’t remember if there was any gruesome sex.

It might be worth finding a detailed synopsis!

Coffeeandcake36 · 30/05/2021 21:54

None, I used to read a lot of Stephen king and can honestly say the content is not suitable for a 12 year old!

Wegobshite · 30/05/2021 22:03

Carrie and I think he wrote the book Total Recall but under a different name which was a big film with Arnold Swazenger

PinkBuffalo · 30/05/2021 22:05

I going to go against the grain and say I would not let a 12 year old read Stephen king. Even the more mild ones are very graphic.
I have a read a lot of king books, but I am not sure if I started at 13 and I would say I was too young then. I would say maybe 15
I did read point horror before king, I would start on that first but that just my opinion

Wegobshite · 30/05/2021 22:06

But if he is really into horror then Richard laymon books are the scariest books I’ve ever read
I read one book called One long night and I actually got up and made sure the doors were shut in my house 😂
There isn’t any sex stuff in it but I don’t think I’ve ever read a more violent book for horror - murder
I really wonder about this guys childhood as his books are really scary 😂

CoffeeDay · 30/05/2021 22:06

The Eyes of the Dragon - More fantasy than horror but an amazingly gripping story. I believe Stephen King wrote it for his own daughter after she challenged him to write something for young adults.

The Long Walk - One of my all time favourites due to how descriptive and drawn out the horror element is. 100 boys compete in a walking race and 99 will die on the way. There are 2-3 mildly sexual scenes/memories but told from a boy's pubescent perspective.

The Body - The film Stand By Me was based on this. A great coming of age film, and probably quite relevant for teenage boys.

I also agree with many here that I started reading King around 13 yrs old (our school library had them all) and I wasn't fazed at all by the horror or sexual content. It actually planted a lifelong love of reading in my mind because I loved the feeling of being 100% pulled into a fictional story.

For a YA version of Stephen King, you can look for books by Christopher Pike. They were extremely popular in the late 90s and basically horror mixed with esoterica and coming of age themes.

Wegobshite · 30/05/2021 22:07

Apologies it’s called Endless night

Sunshinesusan67 · 30/05/2021 22:07

I didn't start reading SK until I was in my twenties and even then they scared the shit out of me! I wouldn't let a 12 year old read them. They all have quite adult themes in even if they're not massively graphic on the horror and gore side of things.

Wegobshite · 30/05/2021 22:09

Actually I’ve just did a quick recall of it and it’s way way to violent for a 12 year old I was in my twenties when I read it and it gave me nightmares 😂

ILiveInSalemsLot · 30/05/2021 22:13

I’m a Stephen King fan (as if my user name didn’t give it away) and Ds1 used to ask me if he could read SK from the age of 12 too but I asked him to wait til 14 as I think 12 is too young.
He started off on The GIrl Who Loved Tom Gordon, then Cujo and now at 16, he’s ready quite a few.

brogo · 30/05/2021 22:14

Agree with pp the girl who loved tom Gordon was a really good read.
If he likes horror I remember when I was young I liked books by Dean Koontz , I can't remember if they were appropriate or not but they were definitely easy enough for a young teen to read.

CoffeeDay · 30/05/2021 22:17

@Sunshinesusan67

I didn't start reading SK until I was in my twenties and even then they scared the shit out of me! I wouldn't let a 12 year old read them. They all have quite adult themes in even if they're not massively graphic on the horror and gore side of things.
Agree, the problem is once you allow an author, it's hard to ban some titles and allow others. Some King books which are definitely not suitable for a 12 year old are Full Dark, No Stars (second novella is built on the theme of rape and extremely graphic at parts), Apt Pupil (teen protagonist turns evil after hearing stories from an elderly neighbour, a former Nazi officer in hiding), The Running Man (extremely good story, far better than the movie but very graphic on violence and gore).
MegBusset · 30/05/2021 22:20

I would suggest The Talisman (co-written with Peter Straub), it's one of his best novels imo and kind of crosses fantasy / horror, but isn't really gory and no sexy bits. The protagonist is a 12-year-old boy.

ZeusandClio · 30/05/2021 22:21

Misery and Dolores Claiborne.

HasaDigaEebowai · 30/05/2021 22:27

Total recall isn’t Stephen king, it’s a Philip K Dick story. He also wrote blade runner, the man in the high castle, minority report, the adjustment bureau etc.

I think 12 is too young for Stephen king (and too young to appreciate the genius of Philip K Dick properly)

NatashaAlianovaRomanova · 30/05/2021 22:34

I agree with PP's that King isn't suitable for a 12yo & I say this as an avid King reader who first read IT around that age (the sex thing went over my head back then but having recently listened to the full version audiobook I was horrified by it).

I'd definitely avoid Richard Laymon suggested by a PP - although I love his books it's very graphic horror & in many graphic descriptions of sex/rape.

Dean Koontz is probably a safer option in terms of content, a favourite is The Taking but that's more sci-fi than horror.

If you