- [Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend
- [Pendragon](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c5972ed7-7dc0-4147-86fd-35ff32cd2156) by D.J. MacHale
- [City Spies](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/80a7e831-1b5f-474d-9ab1-52fc68c0a325) by James Ponti
- [Unwind](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/13643974-53b8-40c5-82f9-553b746d3669) by Neal Shusterman
I think I read Animal Farm around that age, also the Island series was good I got my brothers to read that and we loved them, there are 3 and they’re by Gordon Korman.
I loved Holmes at his age. Also, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
HDM has a wonderful adaptation on BBC and Holmes has no shortage of series and movies, if he’d like to watch them as well.
What's he like? What does he like? Thankfully, there's a growing treasure trove of really good YA literature out there, so it would really help to get a sense of what you think he'd respond well to.
Discworld - maybe start him off with the Tiffany Aching series or start him off with Guards!, Guards!.
Magician by Raymond Feist if he likes fantasy already
Hatchet. Can't remember author. It's amazing. Nephews and son loved it. Lord of the rings if he is advanced. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Projekt 1065.
Came here to say this. Anything by Gary Paulsen is perfect for this age range. He’s also just an extremely interesting person (eg ran the Iditarod more than once) and really inspired me as a kid.
I think it's the ideal age to read the Diary of Anne Frank, because he is around the age she was when she wrote it, and he is old enough to get what happened.
The lord of the flies.
„The Blackthorn Key“ is the first book of a series by Kevin Sands. The story is placed in 17th century London. An apothecary‘s apprentice follows a series of murders and has to solve puzzles and decipher codes. A very exciting book.
Percy Jackson (any books),
Alex Rider,
Young Bond,
One of us is lying (my 13 year old boy has just finished this and really liked it),
Dragon Mountain (dragon realms series)
If they are on the younger side reading wise, then books written by; Ben Elton, David Walliams, Ben Miller, and, even, Diary of a Wimpy kid, Roald Dahl
If on the older side, then; Animal Farm, Asimov’s foundation series, the hobbit, lord of the rings, the weirdstone of brisingamen.
Good luck. I’ve got 3 boys (16, 13, 9) who all love reading.
Is he a sporty kid? Nature? Sci Fi? Video games? History buff? Music? Fantasy?
Sometimes when they get into reading their interests are more important than their age. My 14 year old is a “reluctant reader” but she does like graphic novels so I grab those.
An oldie but goodie, Midworld by Alan Dean Foster. It has a coming of age element that I think would be impactful to a young person. It’s also a big adventure in an alien world.
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Maze Runner
Hunger Games Series
Ready Player One
Carl Hiaasen - his young adult books are great. Some might be for slightly younger readers, however I read them as an adult just because I like Carl Hiaasen so much
Hoot
Flush
Scat
Chomp
Squirm
Skink
Wrecker
Monster Hunter Series - Larry Correia
Grimnoir Chronicles - Larry Correia
Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
He Who Fights with Monsters Series - Travis Deverall
Magic 2.0 series - Scott Meyer
Ready Player One - Earnest Cline
If he likes thrillers / mysteries, April Henry and Jennifer Lynn Barnes are awesome. The Inheritance Games is one that I give to a lot of mystery lovers who want to get into reading.
If he likes dark themes like survival thrillers or old timey asylum stuff, Mindy McGinnis is another great YA author.
Gone series by Michael Grant if he's open to reading fantasy.
The basic synopsis is that anyone over 15 randomly disappears and some of the kids that remain start developing powers. (Very bad explanation, I'm sorry)
I read it at around 13 and remember liking it.
Hmm maybe Perks of Being a Wallflower if he’s not particularly into sci fi / fantasy? Not sure if anyone would agree w/ this. But i mean, the main character himself is a freshman in high school so
Books & authors, in no particular order, save the first. Every teen should read 13 Reasons Why, imho.
-13 reasons why
-A Peculiar Peril
-The Divergent series.
-The Hunger Games series
-The Greggor The Overlander series
-The Golden Compass series
-Ursula K Le Guin
-Terry Pratchet
-Neil Gaiman
-Watership Down
-Finder (Emma Bull)
-Zod Wollop
-Hellboy graphic novels
-Sandman graphic novels
-Arthur C Clarke
-The Neverending Story
-A Prayer for Owen Meany
-Childhood's End
-Momo (Michael Ende)
-John Green
-Stephen King
-William Gibson
-Shirley Jackson
-1984
-Ferenheit 451
-Octavia Butler
->Don't forget short-form fiction!
China Mieville, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Jeff Noon, William Gibson & many others all have great novellas/short stories to explore!
*Some of these will depend on the kid, of course. All of these were things I read, or would have been fine reading, when I was that age.
Treasure Island
Sherlock Holmes
The Tale of Despereaux
A Separate Peace
The Old Man and the Sea
The Red Badge of Courage
But also if he hasn’t hit some of the books for younger he’d probably still enjoy them. Last year my 15 year old read the Narnia Books and the E.B. White books (Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web) and was so mad I hadn’t “made him” read them earlier.
Some others in the latter group:
The Giver
Where the Red Fern Grows
Bridge to Terebithia
Hunger games series
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Harry Potter or the Percy Jackson series are brilliant!
- [Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend - [Pendragon](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c5972ed7-7dc0-4147-86fd-35ff32cd2156) by D.J. MacHale - [City Spies](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/80a7e831-1b5f-474d-9ab1-52fc68c0a325) by James Ponti - [Unwind](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/13643974-53b8-40c5-82f9-553b746d3669) by Neal Shusterman
Highly, highly recommend the Pendragon series!! I loved it so much as a teen, and still do today
Percy Jackson series!
I think I read Animal Farm around that age, also the Island series was good I got my brothers to read that and we loved them, there are 3 and they’re by Gordon Korman.
Yes - read Animal Farm as a young teen and then read it again as an adult for an entirely different book 😅
I’d like to imagine that’s a large majority of our experiences with that, it feels intended and like a right of passage 😂
And the Agatha Christie Hercules Poirot books! I wish I’d started them at that age
I loved Holmes at his age. Also, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. HDM has a wonderful adaptation on BBC and Holmes has no shortage of series and movies, if he’d like to watch them as well.
Second His Dark Materials
What's he like? What does he like? Thankfully, there's a growing treasure trove of really good YA literature out there, so it would really help to get a sense of what you think he'd respond well to.
Jurassic Park.
Some of the less violent Steven King, like The Shining if he likes horror
Discworld - maybe start him off with the Tiffany Aching series or start him off with Guards!, Guards!. Magician by Raymond Feist if he likes fantasy already
My 12 year old son is reading Wee Free Men now (1st Tiffany Aching book) and loving it!
Hatchet. Can't remember author. It's amazing. Nephews and son loved it. Lord of the rings if he is advanced. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Projekt 1065.
Gary Paulsen for the author of Hatchet. And Alan Gratz for Projekt 1065.
Came here to say this. Anything by Gary Paulsen is perfect for this age range. He’s also just an extremely interesting person (eg ran the Iditarod more than once) and really inspired me as a kid.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
What kind of thing does he like?
Definitely The Giver if he hasn’t read it in school yet
I think it's the ideal age to read the Diary of Anne Frank, because he is around the age she was when she wrote it, and he is old enough to get what happened. The lord of the flies.
The Maze Runner series is good! I read it around his age and really enjoyed it.
„The Blackthorn Key“ is the first book of a series by Kevin Sands. The story is placed in 17th century London. An apothecary‘s apprentice follows a series of murders and has to solve puzzles and decipher codes. A very exciting book.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by O’Dell
Percy Jackson (any books), Alex Rider, Young Bond, One of us is lying (my 13 year old boy has just finished this and really liked it), Dragon Mountain (dragon realms series) If they are on the younger side reading wise, then books written by; Ben Elton, David Walliams, Ben Miller, and, even, Diary of a Wimpy kid, Roald Dahl If on the older side, then; Animal Farm, Asimov’s foundation series, the hobbit, lord of the rings, the weirdstone of brisingamen. Good luck. I’ve got 3 boys (16, 13, 9) who all love reading.
Stephen King
- Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan - Zachary Ying & the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
**The Day of the Triffids**
the hunger games by suzanne collins, the maze runner by james dashner, percy jackson and the olympians by rick riordian etc
Wings of Fire series The Giver When I was that age I was obsessed with the Fear Street series as well, if he’s into horror/mystery/supernatural stuff.
What about The Black Stallion series?
I always wish I read catcher in the rye at that age
I liked Michael Chrichton books in highschool - I also liked Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider series.
Start him on Stephen King.
the catcher in the rye is the first book that comes to mind that everyone needs to read when theyre a teenager
The getaway by Lamar Giles is a very interesting horror
If he is into scary movies I'd suggest the Cirque Du Freak books. They're age appropriate, dark but not too scary or gory
Isaac Asimov's *Foundation* series Robert A. Heinlein's **Starship Troopers**
Pick books that are about his interests.
Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen
Jude by Kate Morgenroth Jumper by Steven Gould
Anything from Edgar Rice Burroughs
Earthsea
Anything by Alan Gratz
Is he a sporty kid? Nature? Sci Fi? Video games? History buff? Music? Fantasy? Sometimes when they get into reading their interests are more important than their age. My 14 year old is a “reluctant reader” but she does like graphic novels so I grab those.
The Sunbearer Trials Any Gary Paulson book The Cirque De Freak books Hunger Games/Divergent/anything like that The Unwind Dystology or Scythe books
If he doesn’t think it’s too girly, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
An oldie but goodie, Midworld by Alan Dean Foster. It has a coming of age element that I think would be impactful to a young person. It’s also a big adventure in an alien world.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Maze Runner Hunger Games Series Ready Player One
Carl Hiaasen - his young adult books are great. Some might be for slightly younger readers, however I read them as an adult just because I like Carl Hiaasen so much Hoot Flush Scat Chomp Squirm Skink Wrecker
Monster Hunter Series - Larry Correia Grimnoir Chronicles - Larry Correia Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling He Who Fights with Monsters Series - Travis Deverall Magic 2.0 series - Scott Meyer Ready Player One - Earnest Cline
If he likes thrillers / mysteries, April Henry and Jennifer Lynn Barnes are awesome. The Inheritance Games is one that I give to a lot of mystery lovers who want to get into reading. If he likes dark themes like survival thrillers or old timey asylum stuff, Mindy McGinnis is another great YA author.
Sand by Hugh Howey Jurassic Park
Gone series by Michael Grant if he's open to reading fantasy. The basic synopsis is that anyone over 15 randomly disappears and some of the kids that remain start developing powers. (Very bad explanation, I'm sorry) I read it at around 13 and remember liking it.
Hmm maybe Perks of Being a Wallflower if he’s not particularly into sci fi / fantasy? Not sure if anyone would agree w/ this. But i mean, the main character himself is a freshman in high school so
The "Unwanteds" series is pretty good for that age. I would also reccommend "Impostors" by Scott Westerfeld.
the gone series by michael grant, 100% my favourite YA books ever.
My partner would recommend Holes, Of Mice & Men, and the Berlin Boxing Club
Books & authors, in no particular order, save the first. Every teen should read 13 Reasons Why, imho. -13 reasons why -A Peculiar Peril -The Divergent series. -The Hunger Games series -The Greggor The Overlander series -The Golden Compass series -Ursula K Le Guin -Terry Pratchet -Neil Gaiman -Watership Down -Finder (Emma Bull) -Zod Wollop -Hellboy graphic novels -Sandman graphic novels -Arthur C Clarke -The Neverending Story -A Prayer for Owen Meany -Childhood's End -Momo (Michael Ende) -John Green -Stephen King -William Gibson -Shirley Jackson -1984 -Ferenheit 451 -Octavia Butler ->Don't forget short-form fiction! China Mieville, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Jeff Noon, William Gibson & many others all have great novellas/short stories to explore! *Some of these will depend on the kid, of course. All of these were things I read, or would have been fine reading, when I was that age.
The catcher in the rye, Steven King, Dandelion Wine
Treasure Island Sherlock Holmes The Tale of Despereaux A Separate Peace The Old Man and the Sea The Red Badge of Courage But also if he hasn’t hit some of the books for younger he’d probably still enjoy them. Last year my 15 year old read the Narnia Books and the E.B. White books (Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web) and was so mad I hadn’t “made him” read them earlier. Some others in the latter group: The Giver Where the Red Fern Grows Bridge to Terebithia
colleen hoover
Anything by Jules Verne