Book recommendation for my 12-year-old son

[CradleJourney]

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.

Look at the historical fiction novels by Jeff Shaara - I enjoy his writing and he tries to use first-person sources for his research.

I also just finished Salt to the Sea which would be an excellent historic novel of WW2 for any teen.

You may need to preview them to ensure age appropriateness regarding realistic violence / scenarios but overall, I would have no objection to my 12 yr old reading these assuming they were interested.

 

[Exiled_Child]

Paul, I recommend giving him this exact edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s annotated only in the slightest, most insignificant way, by only a few pages, and it’s the best translation. Any twelve year old boy will be swept away and captivated by it, plus, it’s such a mammoth novel that he’ll have a ton a self-confidence after he finishes it. And I guarantee you, he will finish it. There’s probably no cooler adventure story that’s ever been written, and it’s definitely within the grasp of a twelve year old’s reading skills.

 

[Exiled_Child]

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.

Those were my favorite books when I was a kid! Lloyd Alexander instilled a lifelong love of reading in me.

 

[didymus]

Does he like Science Fiction? “Starship Troopers” is pretty good, the book, not the gross, stupid movie.

I would recommend any of the Heinlein “juveniles” or short story collections.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

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…

I recommend Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

 

[PaulGH]

Thank you to everyone for the long list of great book recommendations for my son. I apologize for taking many months to get back here and reply. My replies regarding a few of the recommendations:

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings: I have read The Hobbit aloud to my kids already, and they enjoyed it. I will keep The Lord of the Rings trilogy in mind, though I remember I had trouble staying interested in these books when I tried to read them years ago. (But I liked The Hobbit a lot.)

Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three, etc.): My son has already read these on his own, and I have also read them aloud to all of my kids. (I read these when I was young and really enjoyed them.)

Rush Revere series: I read the first book in the series aloud to my kids. They thought it was OK, but I thought it was terrible. I thought that the quality of the writing was very bad. But I understand that others will disagree, and clearly the books are popular. (For the record, I am a fan of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, so my opinion is not colored by any animosity toward the author.)

The Bronze Bow: This is one I need to consider. I know that it is part of the curriculum at a classical school that I admire, but other than that, I know little about it.

Ender’s Game: This is one that I have been meaning to read myself. Maybe my son and I could read it together. I’m glad to be reminded about this one. (I remember reading a post on Jimmy Akin’s blog several years ago where he mentioned liking this book.)

The Count of Monte Cristo: I need to look at this one in more detail. It sounds like it might be a good choice, but I see that that it’s very long. I may see if I can find time to read this one myself first, before recommending it to my son.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

How about Howard Pyle’s illustrated Robin Hood? (there are a couple of editions. For your son at 12, go for one of the longer more ‘adult’, but still not terribly long or difficult, versions. You can usually read a couple of pages of each edition on Amazon, so you can get an idea).