Lazy Mom's Book Request

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Shea96

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I’m being a little lazy here, so please forgive me!

My 14 year old is an avid reader, but his reading level is gifted. He has tested out at above college level.

He reads constantly and I cannot keep up. We have plenty of books on the lives of saints, etc, but he, quite frankly, does not want to read that. He likes fiction. I simply do not have the time to read a ton of books and go through them all to make sure they are fit for his age and skill level. Can anyone recommend some clean, healthy books that he can read? That will at least give me a starting point and I won’t be reading bundles of random books leading me back to nothing!

He particularly enjoys mythology, WW2 books, and some science fiction. Oddly enough, he did not like the LOTR! :confused: But he did love the Harry Potter books. I have purchased The Giver Quartet in hopes that it will be a good fit…we’ll see.

Thanks for any help!
 
Shea96 said:
I’m being a little lazy here, so please forgive me!

My 14 year old is an avid reader, but his reading level is gifted. He has tested out at above college level.

He reads constantly and I cannot keep up. We have plenty of books on the lives of saints, etc, but he, quite frankly, does not want to read that. He likes fiction. I simply do not have the time to read a ton of books and go through them all to make sure they are fit for his age and skill level. Can anyone recommend some clean, healthy books that he can read? That will at least give me a starting point and I won’t be reading bundles of random books leading me back to nothing!

He particularly enjoys mythology, WW2 books, and some science fiction. Oddly enough, he did not like the LOTR! :confused: But he did love the Harry Potter books. I have purchased The Giver Quartet in hopes that it will be a good fit…we’ll see.

Thanks for any help!
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This is very fluffy, but P.G. Wodehouse is an option. His stuff is reasonably wholesome and he wrote dozens and dozens of books.
 
If he likes mythology, then the Percy Jackson books should be right up his alley. I was around his age when I read them, and found them to be very entertaining.
 
Lady_Tanzanite said:
If he likes mythology, then the Percy Jackson books should be right up his alley. I was around his age when I read them, and found them to be very entertaining.
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That was the series that got him interested in mythology 🙂 But, he read them when he was…9 maybe. Looking for something a little more advanced at this point. Thanks for the suggestion, though! I rather enjoyed reading Percy Jackson, myself! LOL
 
Shea96 said:
That was the series that got him interested in mythology 🙂 But, he read them when he was…9 maybe. Looking for something a little more advanced at this point. Thanks for the suggestion, though! I rather enjoyed reading Percy Jackson, myself! LOL
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I thought that might be the case. 😛 Has he read anything else by the author? Rick Riordan has several books, all of which deal with mythology. They’re also supposedly more mature than the Percy Jackson books.

As for him not liking LotR, I can’t really blame him. They’re quite dry. The Hobbit, on the other hand, is actually very good. Maybe he’d like that. 🙂
 
In the sci-fi genre, perhaps your son would enjoy some books by Mike Flynn. He writes hard science fiction, which is to say that the science part gets a pretty strong emphasis. I have heard good things about his book Eifelheim, though I have yet to read it.

Also, regarding fantasy, I enjoyed the Inheritance (Eragon) series, though given its popularity, there is probably a good chance your son has read it already.
 
Shea96.

May I recommend you read (as this book not only **has a long age-appropriate book reading list **but some other good suggestions for us as parents for our young reader children) . . .

**A Landscape with Dragons: The Battle for Your Child’s Mind **
Paperback – January 1, 1998
by Michael O’Brien (Author)​

here: amazon.com/Landscape-Dragons-Battle-Your-Childs/dp/0898706785

God bless.

Cathoholic
 
heidi_storage said:
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is marvelous.
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Yes–and occasionally a wee bit inappropriate for younger children.

We like Going Postal and The Color of Magic (and whatever book comes next). Color of Magic has a very good movie. Going Postal has a good movie, too, although the beginning is stronger than the ending. It’s about repentance and restoration (although don’t tell your kid that!).
 
The Redwall series of 22 books should keep him busy for a while. I am in my 50’s and still retreat to these books when I need a break from reality.
 
The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

The Chronicles of Narnia
 
The Goodreads website is good for this, they have reader submitted lists, reviews and also groups to talk about books. A search for teen appropriate sci fi will likely turn up a list of things. The beauty in this site is that in addition to the suggestions there will be plenty of reviews so instead of reading a whole book you can scroll through and get an idea of if the book is something you would approve of. Best of Luck.
 
He may enjoy “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis. It is a fantasy look at heaven and hell ; an easy and enjoyable read…
 
oh my goodness - what a lot of suggestions - THANK YOU!!! I have lots to look through and really appreciate the (name removed by moderator)ut!

I didn’t know Goodreads had forums! I’ll look into that. He is subscribed to Goodreads, and is where I get a lot of his requests and then try to read too many random books :whacky:
I tend to stay away from standard “Teen Lists” as the appropriateness is sometimes not in line with what I think he should read. And of course, the bigger challenge is keeping him challenged, as he is 14, but intellectually much older. Trying to fit that mental age with a maturity and appropriateness level of a 14 year old is complicated.

Has anyone read 1776? He asked about it at one time.

But, I have a really good working list here, so this gives me a great guide, and hopefully I can find him some things to keep him busy for a little while!

Thanks again!!! :thankyou:
 
57classic said:
The Redwall series of 22 books should keep him busy for a while. I am in my 50’s and still retreat to these books when I need a break from reality.
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I was going to suggest those. I loved them when I was about his age.
 
ccmnxc said:
In the sci-fi genre, perhaps your son would enjoy some books by Mike Flynn. He writes hard science fiction, which is to say that the science part gets a pretty strong emphasis. I have heard good things about his book Eifelheim, though I have yet to read it.

Also, regarding fantasy, I enjoyed the Inheritance (Eragon) series, though given its popularity, there is probably a good chance your son has read it already.
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The Eragon second.book has.one or more scene against catholic modesty, Fornication, mentioned, not a Catholic book
 
heidi_storage said:
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is marvelous.
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Terry pratchetts books sometimes have curse.and swear words, language completely against catholic chastity / modesty, and also, no judgement on Terry Pratchetts, but he was an aetheist, and sometimes he puts aetheist comments into his sentences, (there are occasions he doesn’t)

But all the above is reason not to read Terry Pratchett, (as good as the writer is in general, there are weeds in the wheat, and they could prove poisonous for a young catholic to read,

I know because I gave up reading the Discord because of the vulgar curse language in places and sentence comments against chastity, and occasional aetheist comments in some sentences.
 
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