Book recommendation for my 12-year-old son

  • Thread starter Thread starter PaulGH
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

PaulGH

Guest
I am looking for a book to recommend to my 12-year-old son. He is receptive to suggestions that I make, and I try to steer him toward classics for some of his reading choices. (For example, he has read A Christmas Carol, The Red Badge of Courage, Treasure Island, and some of the Narnia books.)

Right now, my son is interested in finding a novel that has something to do with war or battles. It could be modern warfare, or medieval warfare, or whatever.

Can anyone recommend a good book along those lines? It would be nice if it could be a classic, but it doesn’t have to be. Mainly, I’m looking for a good book that would be worthwhile for him to read, and that he would be likely to enjoy.
 
Does he like Science Fiction? “Starship Troopers” is pretty good, the book, not the gross, stupid movie.
 
There’s Fablehaven. It’s more of a fantasy novel along the lines of Harry Potter, except Fablehaven’s way better than Harry Potter.
 
PaulGH said:
I am looking for a book to recommend to my 12-year-old son. He is receptive to suggestions that I make, and I try to steer him toward classics for some of his reading choices. (For example, he has read A Christmas Carol, The Red Badge of Courage, Treasure Island, and some of the Narnia books.)

Right now, my son is interested in finding a novel that has something to do with war or battles. It could be modern warfare, or medieval warfare, or whatever.

Can anyone recommend a good book along those lines? It would be nice if it could be a classic, but it doesn’t have to be. Mainly, I’m looking for a good book that would be worthwhile for him to read, and that he would be likely to enjoy.
Click to expand...
The Hobbit Graphic Novel illustrated by David Wenzel (a massive comic book of the Hobbit by jrr Tolkien) amazing
 
The Space Trilogy by CS Lewis (is supposed to be really good, maybe someone here has read it?)

Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
 
Oscars Wilde has some fairy tales that are very catholic,
Such as the Happy Prince, the Selfish Giant, etc…

Hans Christian Anderson’s fables?
 
My son (also 12) says he might like So Far from the Bamboo Grove.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Far_from_the_Bamboo_Grove

He also recommends a biography of St. Maximilian Kolbe

There is a recommended reading list from EWTN that might be helpful

ewtn.com/library/HOMESCHL/READLIST.HTM

My boys also liked The Last Mission, Watership Down and just about any historical/documentary type book. They seem to prefer historical, almost textbook types books but they do read some fiction as well.

goodreads.com/book/show/863625.The_Last_Mission

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down

If none of these work for your son, let me know. We’ve got a huge list of other boy friendly books.
 
PaulGH said:
Right now, my son is interested in finding a novel that has something to do with war or battles. It could be modern warfare, or medieval warfare, or whatever.

Can anyone recommend a good book along those lines? It would be nice if it could be a classic, but it doesn’t have to be. Mainly, I’m looking for a good book that would be worthwhile for him to read, and that he would be likely to enjoy.
Click to expand...
The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. It’s even assigned for the students in the all boys school The Heights in MD.
 
PaulGH said:
Right now, my son is interested in finding a novel that has something to do with war or battles. It could be modern warfare, or medieval warfare, or whatever.
Click to expand...
Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain series is a good set of books for boys. Fantasy medieval warfare, not quite as brilliant as JRR Tolkien or CS Lewis, but with an enduring appeal.
 
PaulGH said:
I am looking for a book to recommend to my 12-year-old son. He is receptive to suggestions that I make, and I try to steer him toward classics for some of his reading choices. (For example, he has read A Christmas Carol, The Red Badge of Courage, Treasure Island, and some of the Narnia books.)

Right now, my son is interested in finding a novel that has something to do with war or battles. It could be modern warfare, or medieval warfare, or whatever.

Can anyone recommend a good book along those lines? It would be nice if it could be a classic, but it doesn’t have to be. Mainly, I’m looking for a good book that would be worthwhile for him to read, and that he would be likely to enjoy.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking of Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott.
 
Lord of the Rings, of course, if he hasn’t read it.
I might also recommend, as far as modern books go, The Fog Diver; good dystopic sci-fi adventure story. If he liked Treasure Island, he might also like The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs, though it may skew a little young for him.
 
It doesn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned, but I like Gary Paulsen’s book “Hatchet” if he hasn’t already read it. (Actually I think every boy should read this book, but that’s just me.)
 
JimG said:
It doesn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned, but I like Gary Paulsen’s book “Hatchet” if he hasn’t already read it. (Actually I think every boy should read this book, but that’s just me.)
Click to expand...
Yes!!! My boys all loved Hatchet, even the ones that don’t tend to like reading. Excellent recommendation. It is hard to find here, though. All seven copies are usually checked out of the local library, and when my kids were still in school, the school library had a wait list for it. I’m planning to order it online to add to the family library because the younger boys haven’t had the chance to read it yet. My girls read everything, but most of my boys are picky.
 
Rush Limbaugh has won awards for his “Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims” series. I read one and it makes history interesting and fun.
Great for kids!. I heard kids on his program from 8 to 14 say how much they liked the books.
 
Have him start reading about the great battles of the classical world! In addition to learning about the development of different tactical strategies, there’s also really interesting tales of heroism and romance 🙂 I’m not sure of any specific texts to recommend, but I bet he would enjoy reading about the Punic Wars.

The Aeneid, The Iliad, The Odyssey are all great. If he finds the language too abstruse, there are plenty of abridged versions for kids. The Bronze Bow, Legends of King Arthur, The Door in the Wall, Shakespeare’s histories (like Henry V), Johnny Tremain, All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Art of War should all fit the bill. Around his age I read and absolutely loved Moonshot, which is about the space race during the cold war - might be something he’s interested in!
 
An oldie , and one of my several all time Favorites ,the Spirit of Saint Louis ,

Anything by Charles Lindburgh , a great storyteller that brings you on his journey ,

Plus has great historical history
 
JimG said:
It doesn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned, but I like Gary Paulsen’s book “Hatchet” if he hasn’t already read it. (Actually I think every boy should read this book, but that’s just me.)
Click to expand...
👍 awesome book.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top