My teen son read a book over the weekend!! If you / your teen enjoyed “The Bunker Diaries” please recommend another as desperate to keep up the momentum!

[thanksicloud]

It was a joy to behold this weekend…. my 15 year old teen son reading. In fact, utterly absorbed. Phone was no where in sight, no gaming, every time i strolled past him he had his nose in the book and finished it in one weekend!
He said it was “a one off mum, don’t get excited”.
but i want to have some follow up books just lying around on the chance he picks up as he did this one!
if you liked the Bunker Diaries or your teen… what else did you / they enjoy?
Thank you

I suppose in my opinion, it's always good to try to find out what someone likes or dislikes, which helps you to steer useful things to them - whether it's a matter of buying a gift for a friend or sending an article to a colleague. If a mother is desperately asking for suggestions of what next book would appeal to her child, wouldn't it help to know what was the appeal of the last book?

To me, that seems so obvious that it shouldn't need explaining.

Not grim but very sci fi - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

DD really enjoyed the bunker diaries too.

My suggestion is The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks ( also the crow road by the same author) I read it as an older teen and it has stuck with me to this day.

Someone recommended Michelle Paver upthread

My 14 year old son who is not much of a reader made an exception for her Wolf Brother series but that was at least a year ago so might be too young

I enjoy her adult fiction and in particular Dark Matter I found fascinating, terrifying and haunting. It has some commonalities with The Bunker Diaries ie being trapped and people dying one by one.

but oddly you come to the thread and don’t answer what the OP is asking

@MsAmerica
when you say in your family you’d gently push for answers… do you have children? if so, teens?

I would wager… No and No

In any thing, with anyone, don't you think it's preferably to try to understand someone's tastes?

@MsAmerica but as a teen I would have been
"God I don't know, stop asking me questions, I'm never reading a book again if you keep quizzing me about it. UGH"
< slams door >

and there’s my answer
You don’t

I was going to suggest The Wasp Factory - the bit about toenail cheese pops into my head uninvited every so often. Not many books do that.
Also, thanks OP - The Bunker Diaries is being purchased for my teen, who I'm desperately trying to get reading again.

Oh, okay. In my family, we conversed.

Has he read the scythe trilogy? They might be a little too young for him (think my son was 13) but they did grip him. I might try the bunker diary if it’s as good as you say.

oh and just ignore the insufferable one who clearly has no knowledge of teens!

The Humans - Matt Haig
The Martian - Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
Ready Player One
Station Eleven
i am pilgrim
The Year of the Locust

Do you have a 15-year-old boy in your life @MsAmerica ? Mine is just starting to emerge from two years of grunting and 'I dunno'. It's like watching a dragonfly emerge from the larval phase. I believe he speaks to his friends 😉

As I said, in my family, we converse.

You didn't answer my question. Perhaps you could reflect on the value of your contribution to the thread if you don't have anything positive to say about book recommendations for 15-year-old boys.

Road of the Dead, also by Kevin Brooks.

Fabulous book

I hope you're not saying that no one has a right to reply unless they fit into this very, very narrow category - for instance, not the mother of a 15 year-old daughter or a 14 year-old boy, or even a librarian.

I think the pp was referring to your condescending tone.

I remember reading the Bunker diaries when I was a school librarian - it was grim but if it got teens reading....
Alot of dystopian YA fiction (and there is a lot of it!) was popular with reluctant readers
Michael Grant - Gone series
Patrick Ness - the knife of never letting go series
Noughts and Crosses series

But I would also say don't push him!

Thanks for the thread OP. Have ordered a copy for teenage son for Christmas!

The Book of Koli