Book recommendations for 13-yo HS freshman (male)?

Parent Cafe
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<p>A near-perfect book for reluctant boy readers of any age: World War Z by Max Brooks (Mel Brooks’ son). A fictional “nonfiction” account of the zombie war. Not only incredibly entertaining but also has some interesting things to say about geopolitical unrest, global politics, and of course, survival tips for the zombie apocalypse! AND… Brad Pitt is going to be in the movie version.</p>

<p>Really, a terrific book, and great for young teens (obviously, there is some zombie violence) to adults.</p>

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<p>^^^ Son read and enjoyed World War Z.</p>

<p>intparent: Cool story about author Sylvia Engdahl.</p>

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<p>S2 loved the books I got him from this thread. He’s finished those, as well as a couple of books that were assigned by the school, and now he needs something to read. I found this thread again and I just went to the library and checked out Code Talker, Incarceron, and The Good Earth. This thread is a great resource.</p>

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<p>I just read Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants and Winter of Worlds. They are fiction but fairly historically accurate. They follow the lives of several families through WWI and WWII. If he likes non-fiction, he will probably like these. There will be a 3rd book in the trilogy as well.</p>

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<p>I emailed Garth Stein ( Racing in the Rain) a long time ago after I read Raven stole the Moon. ( & because I thought he was cute).
He was very nice & responded right away.
Actually either book would be appropriate for a young teen, depending.
Raven stole the Moon is about a native american shaman who was hired to " bless" the construction site of a new resort, but finds that the spirits will do everything possible to stop it.
[Raven</a> Stole the Moon](<a href=“http://www.caribousmom.com/2010/03/05/raven-stole-the-moon-book-review/]Raven”>http://www.caribousmom.com/2010/03/05/raven-stole-the-moon-book-review/)</p>

<p>If you haven’t read Racing in the Rain, it is the tale of a man who married " up" and the struggles of a young family told through the eyes of his dog who is looking back on that life.
It’s very sweet and after our own dog died two years ago, we all reread it.
[The</a> Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists](<a href=“The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein | Goodreads”>The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein | Goodreads)</p>

<p>I also liked his book How Evan broke his head and other secrets.</p>

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<p>I like Ken Follett; I haven’t read the WWII books. Are they as incredibly long as his others? I’m not sure S2 could cope with a huge tome.</p>

<p>I haven’t heard of Garth Stein, emeraldkity. His books sound great. Thanks for the recommendations.</p>

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<p>They are in the 800 page range. I read them on my Nook so you don’t notice how big the books are :D.</p>

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<p>Bought my S a kindle fire when they were on sale at Wal Mart. We let him use our credit card to buy books …and he just keeps reading and reading. Best investment ever … he literally has read about 50 books over the last year. And I would not call him a book worm. He likes the device, likes reading books, amazon recommends others and he just keeps going. Good Christmas gift idea.</p>

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<p>I’ve known of adolescent boys who read books close to or exceeding that length. I read Red Storm Rising at 650+ pages as an 11 year old in 7th grade. </p>

<p>A neighborhood friend with a strong interest in antebellum/Civil War history read the Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind…which is 1000+ pages at around the same age.</p>

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<p>cobrat–I know plenty of kids that read longer books too but the OP was concerned about the length of his books…</p>

<p>MaterMia–I TOTALLY agree that the e-readers are wonderful for kids. I think all kids should get one. Too many kids are intimidated by small type or thick books, both of which are erased by using an e-reader!! I think they would be especially useful for kids with reading disabilities.</p>

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<p>S1 would have had no problem with a 1000-page book, or even a 3000-page book, at that or any age. I was the same way. S2 is different, and a huge book would put him off. He is improving, though. When he finished his books he immediately starts looking for something else to read. </p>

<p>I have a Kindle and I agree that it’s a great invention.</p>

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<p>I did not read the previous pages of this thread …. sorry if this book/series has already been suggested. Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander </p>

<p>From Publishers Weekly:

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<p>^^^ My husband would so second that suggestion!</p>

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<p>Blind Justice has not been suggested yet, TutuTaxi, and it sounds like something S2 would love. Thanks!</p>

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<p>I hope he enjoys the book/series. :)</p>

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<p>A book by Carl Deuker has already been suggested but not “Heart of a Champion.” All three of mine said it was the best book they had read. I also read it and would heartily recommend it</p>

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<p>Thanks, 3bm. I’ll put it on the list! It will take at least a month for S2 to read the 3 books he has, plus the book he is reading for school (suggested here, Diary of a Part-time Indian). When I gave him the 3 books the other day, I realized that he has gone through a change. I thought that he’d pick one of the books, but I realized that his intention was to read all of them. Thanks to this thread, I’ve been giving him books that have drawn him in. He will never be a kid who reads hours a day, but he has gotten to the point where he needs to always have a book and he does read every day.</p>