suggestions please!

Parent Cafe
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<p>My son (senior) dislikes reading, he always has. He has both a visual problem and mild ADD which contribute to making comprehension a huge chore. Combine these problems with an extremely analytical and literal personality (his favorite subjects are math and science) and good like finding much in the way of literature that ever interests him. He has a senior English project where he must read three books, (same author) create a book report and give an oral presentation on them. He needs to choose an author soon. I’m looking for suggestions. I’m hoping this assignment might turn him on to reading more. He plans to major in engineering. Just to help a little here are some books he has actually liked. </p>

<p>A Separate Peace
The Lord of the Rings (all)
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
The Once and Future King
The sports page of the newspaper (daily) LOL not a book I know but at least he is reading…</p>

<p>I have never read Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but a friend suggested it to me. Are there other good books by this author? Would this author appeal to my son or would his works be too esoteric?</p>

<p>Your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated. :)</p>

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<p>nmy D LOVED the Power of One…great story, great writing, engaging and it sticks with you</p>

<p>I didn’t want to read it, but did and it was amazing, and looking at his list, it I really think your son would like it alot</p>

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<p>Thanks CGM does the author have 3 books? He needs 3 books by the same author.</p>

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<p>yes- he is an australian writer Bryce Courtenay</p>

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<p>my D read Tandia, and really like it</p>

<p>his other books are in a similar feel with huck finn, about boys, and struggles, etc</p>

<p>I think your son can find 3 books he would really enjoy by Bryce Courtenay</p>

<p>the books are long, but if he can get through the Lord of the Rings books, these will be no problem</p>

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<p>Thanks so much I will look into this author!</p>

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<p>there was another thread on getting boys to read some time ago… do a search</p>

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<p>Thanks SBmom I will, but he really needs to find an author with 3 books with a similar flavor. I think they need to be in the 300 page range. Thanks for suggestions. :)</p>

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<p>Among my kid’s favorite authors are Terry Prachett and Tamora Pierce. They have both written a lot of books to choose from.</p>

<p>I would suggest ‘Eragorn’ and ‘Eldest’, but the author has yet to write the third in the trilogy.</p>

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<p>You might try Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five for starters. Easy reads, funny, but you can take them as deeply as you like.</p>

<p>My son also liked reading Michael Crichton, who’s written a pile of books, from Jurassic Park and beyond. Not great literature, but gripping.</p>

<p>Another author that has appealed to him is Don Delilo: White Noise especially.</p>

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<p>Orson Scott Card, the Endor series.</p>

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<p>How about C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia series?</p>

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<p>The Redwall series, by Brian Jacques?</p>

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<p>I second the Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card. My kids love Lord of the Rings, and they also love this series.</p>

<p>I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I was in college (choice reading, not assigned) and really found it tough going. I don’t think it’s a good choice for a kid who doesn’t like to read. (I love to read.)</p>

<p>Is there a rule against using something you’ve already read? If not, why not use the Ring series or Mark Twain? That would be the easy way out for a kid who hates to read.</p>

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<p>I agree that Michael Crichton would be a great choice for a Science minded kid. Do they have to be fiction? John McPhee has written some great non-fiction books that I think would appeal to a non-reader. <a href=“http://www.johnmcphee.com/[/url]”>http://www.johnmcphee.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My oldest son loves Orson Scott Card. I think we own at least 20 of his books and many have been read more then once.</p>

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<p>What about Patrick O’Brian (Master and Commander series)?</p>

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<p>CMom - Speaking as a former boy myself (ahem), I can recommend Tom Wolf (The Right Stuff, The Pumphouse Gang, The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test, The Bonfire of the Vanities, etc.). If he likes history and/or stategic planning he would probably enjoy the books by Cornelius Ryan (The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, The Last Battle). I also enjoyed reading Studs Terkel (Hard Times, Working, The Good War, etc.) but his writing is definitely a personal choice.</p>

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<p>Everybody had good suggestions, the following might appeal to your young scientist. For some reason, a lot of ‘science geeks’ (and believe me, I say that with the greatest respect) really like fantasy authors, like Tolkien.</p>

<p>I would suggest also that you check into audio books, either borrowed on CD at the library or downloaded from Project Gutenberg onto iPod or computer. He can follow along with a written text if he wants. My kids always liked audio books, especially when they are acted with accents and sound effects.</p>

<p>So,
Tolkien again.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
Any 3 selected Ray Bradbury
Douglas Adams anthology – “Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, etc.
Another vote for “Ender’s Game” and other OS Card
Ditto on the Brian Jacques, but may be too elementary
Any 3 Sherlock Holmes
and Harry Potter, why not</p>

<p>Does it have to be fiction? If not, I recommend books by Oliver Sacks (“Awakenings” and “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” among other books)
History books by Barbara Tuchman
or revisionist history by Gillian Bradshaw</p>

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<p>Garth Nix has some incredible books that he might love: Sabriel for one and Shades Children is another (quick read about a world in which aliens have taken over the earth and there are no adults). There are 2 other books in the Sabriel series. Another idea is Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass series. My son’s favorite (beats out Harry Potter any day). Philip Pullman has also written some mysteries so if your S needs a variety of books by the same author rather than a series, Philip Pullman would work.</p>

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<p>I didn’t like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance myself. Just didn’t like the narrator much. I read it during a year I spent on the road, and my partner thought it would be appropriate. If non-fiction is okay, I’d suggest three books by Oliver Sachs (crossposted!) or Feynman’s very funny autobiography (two volumes anyway not sure what you’d read for the third book.) If he likes sci fi, I highly recommend Orson Scott Card too - particularly Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow which tell the same story from two different character’s point of view, that might be fun to write about. Card writes pageturner’s with a lot of food for thought as well. There are other sci-fi authors as well Asimov’s Robot books or Foundation series. Niven’s Ringworld books. Lois McMaster’s Bujold’s Vorkosigan books are all fun. I second the idea of Garth Nix and Philip Pullman. Ray Bradbury. Philip K. Dick. Ursula Le Guin. I could go on and on…</p>