Suggestion for a 7th-grader's summer reading

[freckafree]

My son has just finished 6th grade. Looking for recommendations of books for him for summer reading.

He's already read:
A lot of the Redwall books, and they haven't really captured his interest

The Young Merlin series, which he loved so much he cried when he finished the last one, because there weren't any more

Animal Farm

Red Badge of Courage

Lord of the Flies

Holes

The entire Charlie Bone series (Harry Potter rip-off if ever there was one)

The Black Stallion books

He's dabbled in Artemis Fowl, and that doesn't seem to have gripped him either.

We read Heinlein's Have Space Suit Will Travel together, and he really enjoyed that. We've been reading Dave Barry's Peter Pan interpretation (Peter and the Star Catchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves).

So, what would Dopers suggest for a soon-to-be-12-year-old?

Brief synopses would be most helpful.

[Joey P]

I think I remember reading Cynthia Voigt around that time.
Sons From Afar and Homecoming sound familiar. I'm pretty sure there was another one, but I don't remember what it was. I do remember liking them.

[Sattua]

How about the whole Chronicles of Narnia series? Or has he gotten through that already?

You might try him on the good-old-fashioned science fiction, like H. G. Wells etc. I read those when I was about that age. The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

There are also the good-old-fashioned boys' adventure novels, like Kidnapped, Treasure Island, Around the World in 80 Days, and King Solomon's Mines.

Also, if he is ever going to be able to read and tolerate Ivanhoe, this is the time he should try it.

These are all lofty suggestions, but to be honest, the summer I was twelve was the summer that I read half of Steven King's books.

[freckafree]

Great suggestions, Sattua!

He'd done the Narnia thing (and we've read LOTR together), but H.G Wells and adventure suggestions are good! He liked Treasure Island -- which he read before the whole Pirates of the Caribbean phenom.

He absolutely couldn't handle Stephen King's themes, bless his heart.They would scare the bejesus out of him.

[Nic2004]

I don't know if he may be too advanced for it or not but about that age I read and enjoyed The Phantom Tollbooth. If he was able to read and enjoy Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies, he may be able to gain something from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
For some old light just-for-fun reading I always liked the old Tom Swift series. A bit camp and dated but always fun.

ETA: The original Frankenstein, Invisible Man, First Men In The Moon were also great.

[DeadlyAccurate]

The Amulet of Samarkand (book 1 of The Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud.

Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, possesses abilities far beyond those of an extraordinarily talented magician. Simon Jones excels at projecting the personality characteristics of someone who has seen and done it all: sarcasm, facetiousness, and dry wit. Jones's narration easily balances this cynicism against his portrayal of Nathaniel, an 11-year-old apprentice magician who has called up Bartimaeus to avenge himself against a brutal magician, Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel can summon Bartimaeus, but can he control him? The story is the told from a fresh viewpoint that will attract any listener with a yen for intelligent and humorous fantasy.

Bartimaeus is an awesome character, one of the funniest I've ever read. He'd be a Doper if he were real. The books alternate between 3rd person narration of the other characters and Bartimaeus's 1st person POV. He even has footnotes, which are absolutely worth reading.

[Joey P]

What about Michael Crichton, I never read any of his books, but I remember friends of mine were reading them at middle school age.
How about Rasin in the Sun
Native Son
Ferhenheit 451
Brave New World
Hatchet (maybe we read that earlier, I dont' remember)

[Sattua]

For pete's sake don't give the kid Native Son until he's 21!

[dangermom]

Diana Wynne Jones writes really good fantasy. You could try any one of several of her books--these are good starter volumes.

Archer's Goon
Dark Lord of Derkholm (skewers sword-and-sorcery fantasy)
Hexwood
Howl's Moving Castle

[Thudlow Boink]

Not too long ago we had a thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=421051) discussing a list of top books for boys.

Either the list itself, or some of the books we named that should have been on it, ought to provide you with some ideas. I'm sure we can provide you with synopses if you want further info on anything any of us recommended.

[Queen Bruin]

Maybe some good old fashioned ancient epic (gotta pull for my major, you know). Try the Lombardo translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Beowulf could go over well but I can't recommend a specific translation. That was a particularly loved piece of mine as a pre-teen.

I also enjoyed Catcher in the Rye at that age. Steinbeck might be a good choice. Maybe Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, or Tortilla Flat. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are of course standard classics (or used to be).

I will second Hatchet (kid must hack it himself in the wilderness after his chartered plane crash lands) although I read it a little younger. I think it would sit well with a 12 y.o. though.

In that line of survival-type books I can recommend My Side of the Mountain (teenager runs away to the family plot in the Catskills, becomes self-sufficient and even raises a baby falcon) and Island of the Blue Dolphins (based on the story of an Indian woman marooned on an island off the California coast; she is buried at the Santa Barbara Mission). We had a core of survival-themed literature I think in fifth or sixth grade which is where I picked all those up. Good stuff.

[NicePete]

That's about when I first read Lord of the Rings.

Also Breakfast of Champions.

How about the Stainless Steel Rat books? Fun reads with some intellectually challenging ideas included.

[Krokodil]

A Day No Pigs Would Die (Coming-of-age story from a kid raised as a Shaker)

In the Suicide Mountains by John Gardner; kind of a conscious homage to The Canterbury Tales with a 1970s sensibility

Amphigorey by Edward Gorey. Black, black humor, heavily illustrated. An inspiration for Lemony Snicket.

The Destroyer by Warren Murphy (series). Sly satire disguised as "men's sweat" novels.

Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser (series). Funnier and less-salacious than reputed. Plus, a lot of the 19th Century locales are fresh in the news again.

[AuntiePam]

The Amulet of Samarkand (book 1 of The Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud.


I'm reading these now -- wouldn't it be fun to read them as a 7th grade boy? :D

Has he read Watership Down? How about some Ray Bradbury?

[Einmon]

Oh, yeah, I third the Bartimaeus Trilogy, those were great. I also recommend the Keys to the Kingdom (http://www.amazon.com/Mister-Monday-Keys-Kingdom-Book/dp/0439856264/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-8968328-8906553?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180693040&sr=8-1) series by Garth Nix. It's fantasy, of the somewhat surreal type - a bit like Brazil for kids.

[Walloon]

Ray Bradbury's Green Town novels: Dandelion Wine (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/dandelion/) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/wicked/). The protagonist in the first is a 12-year-old boy, who observes a wondrous summer. The autumnal Something Wicked features two 13-year-old boys who encounter a mysterious carnival.

[FisherQueen]

Has he read the Lemony Snicket books yet? Quite a few of my seventh graders really like them.

[Dung Beetle]

These suggestions plus the thread Thudlow linked ought to get you off to a flying start, but I'll add a few more:

Top of my list is A House With a Clock in Its Walls (http://www.amazon.com/House-Clock-Walls-Lewis-Barnavelt/dp/0142402575/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9638682-3338856?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180700732&sr=8-1), by John Bellairs. If he likes this one, there are maybe ten or fifteen more books with the Lewis Barnavelt character, and he'll love those too. From the Amazon review:

Lewis always dreamed of living in an old house full of secret passageways, hidden rooms, and big marble fireplaces. And suddenly, after the death of his parents, he finds himself in just such a mansion--his Uncle Jonathan's. When he discovers that his big friendly uncle is also a wizard, Lewis has a hard time keeping himself from jumping up and down in his seat. Unfortunately, what Lewis doesn't bank on is the fact that the previous owner of the mansion was also a wizard--but an evil one who has placed a tick-tocking clock somewhere in the bowels of the house, marking off the minutes until the end of the world. And when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead on Halloween night, the clock only ticks louder and faster. Doomsday draws near--unless Lewis can stop the clock!

Next, I'd recommend almost anything by William Sleator, a YA sci-fi author. My favorites are House of Stairs and Singularity. Again with the reviews:

House of Stairs (http://www.amazon.com/House-Stairs-William-Sleator/dp/0140345809/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9638682-3338856?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180701078&sr=1-1)- One by one, five sixteen-year-old orphans are brought to a strange building. It is not a prison, not a hospital; it has no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing but endless flights of stairs leading nowhere —except back to a strange red machine. The five must learn to love the machine and let it rule their lives. But will they let it kill their souls? This chilling, suspenseful indictment of mind control is a classic of science fiction and will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.

Singularity (http://www.amazon.com/Singularity-William-Sleator/dp/0844669032/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-9638682-3338856?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180701193&sr=1-3)-Sixteen-year-old twins Harry and Barry stumble across a gateway to another universe, where a distortion in time and space causes a dramatic change in their competitive relationship.

My son and I are currently enjoying Maniac Magee (http://www.amazon.com/Maniac-Magee-Jerry-Spinelli/dp/0590452037/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9638682-3338856?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180701347&sr=8-1), by Jerry Spinelli. It's a great bedtime book because it has very short chapters.

Amazon review: Maniac Magee is a folk story about a boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. "Kid's gotta be a maniac," is what the folks in Two Mills say. It's also the story of how this boy, Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, confronts racism in a small town, tries to find a home where there is none and attempts to soothe tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town. Presented as a folk tale, it's the stuff of storytelling. "The history of a kid," says Jerry Spinelli, "is one part fact, two parts legend, and three parts snowball." And for this kid, four parts of fun. Maniac Magee won the 1991 Newbery Medal.

[Bridget Burke]

Apparently Jane Yolen wrote the Young Merlin books--I've read some of her "adult" stuff. She's also written this trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Dragon-Chronicles-Volumes-1-3/dp/0152057676/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-6060729-8091140?ie=UTF8&qid=1180702927&sr=8-1). (Amazon is really good at making suggestions.)

Has he read the other Heinlein "juveniles"? Citizen of the Galaxy was a favorite--but I loved all of them.

Speaking of "juveniles" that adults still read--what about Kipling? Kim is the story of an Irish boy raised in India who went on the road with a Tibetan lama & learned to play The Great Game. Kipling also created Mowgli---the boy raised by wolves. As a kid, I had All The Mowgli Stories; now, I'm looking for another copy. (They're out there.)

[Leaffan]

I was that age when I read "Mutiny on the Bounty." I'm still fascinated with the story.

[manx]

I haven't read the Young Merlin books, but if he's keen on Arthurian legends, you might want to try Gerald Morris' Squire's Tale series. They're very funny and fit nicely into the established myths. He won't find them much of a challenge, based on the other books he's read, but they're a lot of fun. Same theme but in a totally different style is Susan Cooper's classic Dark is Rising series. They're eerie books about the last great battle between the Light and the Dark, set in Wales and Cornwall (Dopers, am I right?) featuring a set of clever siblings and one Chosen boy.

Otherwise you could try John Boyne's Boy in Striped Pyjamas. Buy it for him, and once he's done, read it yourself. It's set in WW2, about a boy, Bruno, whose father is in charge of Auschwitz. Bruno is only nine, and completely fails to understand the wider implications of everything he sees, which sets the stage for a tragic, but powerful ending.

I don't know how popular they are in the States, but there's an Australian author called John Marsden who's written (among other things) a series of books called the Tomorrow series. The first book is Tomorrow When the War Began. Basically, small group of teenagers from a small rural town go tramping into a wild bit of bush for a week, and emerge to discover that Australia has been invaded by an unnamed enemy. DUN DUN DUUUNNN! The series is brilliant, with thumping action sequences, pitch-perfect characterisation and a fair bit of humour. For my money, the series declines in quality after the third book, but I was 11 when I read the first three and 21 when I finished the series, so your son may love the whole shebang. (Also, from the fourth book onwards the NZ army start saving the day, and while that's neat, I can't quite suspend belief so much)

Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy is always worth reading. It's a childhood memoir, about a family in the forties(I think. Or possibly late thirties) who relocate from damp and deary England to the Greek island of Corfu. The first book is called My Family and Other Animals and that, more or less, is what it's about. He's got about half a dozen other books, three about Corfu and the rest about his adult work as a conservationist and collector for zoos. He was a fascinating man who did a huge amount to change the role that zoos today have in the conservation and protection of rare and endangered animals.

I've always struggled with 'classics', but I devoured my parent's Sherlock Holmes collection when I was about your son's age. I also read the Clan of the Cave Bear series (but don't give those to your son - they're god-awful!), got really into the John Grisham books that were available - The Runaway Jury was a particular favourite, and I read Dragonrider books by the kilo. None of which re grreat literature, but I'm glad I got to enjoy them before I became a critical reader.

Okay, that's enough for now.

[manx]

Apparently Jane Yolen wrote the Young Merlin books--I've read some of her "adult" stuff. She's also written this trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Dragon-Chronicles-Volumes-1-3/dp/0152057676/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-6060729-8091140?ie=UTF8&qid=1180702927&sr=8-1). (Amazon is really good at making suggestions.)


Oooh, second that! I read these in Intermediate when I read everything in the library that had "dragon" in the title or on the cover. They were great! I picked up a remainder copy of Dragon's Blood a while ago, and I was amazed at how much had stuck in my head. Jane Yolen is a very prolific writer- I don't know how much of her stuff is in print but if you hit up your local library you should walk away with armfuls of books. Ditto Diana Wynne Jones.

One last suggestion: Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy (actually I think she's added a couple more books to the series by now.) It's really classic fantasy - if your son's read Eragon (and if he hasn't, it wouldn't hurt - it's not the best thing I've ever read (a long way off from that, actually) but if I'd read it when I was the target age (10-14) I probably would have loved it.) he'll find some of the concepts of magic familiar, but the world that she creates is amazing. I found them quite dark the first time I read them, and can't honestly say I love them even now, but I think I'm in a minority.

[Shirley Ujest]

I am currently reading Faerie Wars (http://www.amazon.com/Faerie-Wars-Fantasy-Herbie-Brennan/dp/0765356740/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-8810315-7156453?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180705422&sr=8-3) by Herbie Brennen

It is very good, but does have a mature sub-story line so far regarding:

Mom is having a lesbian affair. Parents relationship is stretched. Parents are worried that son might be gay.

[Shirley Ujest]

Warrior Series (http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Box-Set-Volumes/dp/0060891904/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5/105-8810315-7156453?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180706246&sr=8-5) is something my 9 year old son is just eating up right now. These are the first three. If he likes cats, this might be the ticket.

[E. Thorp]

At that age (and for awhile after) I was still enjoying Madeleine L'Engle's books A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet. I added The Arm of the Starfish and The Young Unicorns about a year later.

[Beadalin]

I think he'd REALLY enjoy The Dark is Rising sequence (http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Rising-Sequence-Silver-Greenwitch/dp/0020425651/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-0244184-9042361?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180715426&sr=1-2), by Susan Cooper. Blends the modern day with the Arthurian legend, centering on a boy who is 11 at the beginning of the series and is just coming into his own as an Old One, a human representative of the Light (and enemy of the Dark, needless to say).

It's beautifully written, with tons of adventure and a perfectly paced build to an ultimate showdown between good and evil in the last book -- with lots of great conflict and resolution along the way. Fantastic series.

[Missy2U]

What about the Chris Paolini books - Eragon and Eldest (Here's a link to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Eldest-Inheritance-Book-Christopher-Paolini/dp/0375840400/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-6680989-1845624?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180722784&sr=1-3)) - my son loves them. He's a bit older, but he's been reading them for some time. He's also reading another series this summer that a teacher recommended to him - I'll ask him tonight what it's called.

[Helena]

How about Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad series? (gnomes in a department store, and then outside.)

ETA: that's Truckers, Diggers, and Wings.

[Chronos]

There are also the good-old-fashioned boys' adventure novels, like Kidnapped, Treasure Island, Around the World in 80 Days, and King Solomon's Mines.It's been said that the quickest way to teach an English boy French is to give him a copy of Around the World in 80 Days, with only the first half of the book translated. Believe it. That book is un-put-downable.

[freckafree]

I screwed up when I said the Young Merlin series. What he read and loved was The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron. So we'll have to look into Jane Yolen!

Great suggestions, everyone. Thanks so much.

James Herriot's books also just occured to me.

[dalej42]

I'll suggest two books I read that summer many years ago. Herman Wouk's Winds of War (http://www.amazon.com/Winds-War-Herman-Wouk/dp/0316952664/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-6603105-6665657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180750368&sr=8-2) and War and Remembrance (http://www.amazon.com/War-Remembrance-Herman-Wouk/dp/0316954993/ref=pd_bbs_5/002-6603105-6665657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180750368&sr=8-5) . They're not easy reads as each book is over 1000 pages. Still, these are great works of historical fiction. The knowledge of World War II and the events leading up to it will give him a mastery of that era. The characters are memorable and he should be able to relate to some of them, especially Bryan Henry.

I'd follow by renting the excellent DVDs of the TV miniseries.

How I miss those summers of reading.

[jsgoddess]

If he liked Charlie Bone and Harry Potter, try the Septimus Heap books by Angie Sage.

Also the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan and the Young Wizards books by Diane Duane.

Edited: Oops, you wanted synopses.

Septimus Heap books are about a seventh son of a seventh son. The tone is more comical than Harry Potter, but it's a little bit similar in feel. Not as epic-y.

Percy Jackson is very mythologically oriented, quite Harry Potter-like but a bit older than the early HP.

The Young Wizards books are a little more serious and real, about two kids who decide to become wizards in the modern world.

[Hello Again]

If you are looking for non-fiction, I would suggest West With the Night by Beryl Markham. Markham was a horse trainer and a bush pilot in Britsh East Africa -- the time period is contemporaneous with Out of Africa but its not all girlie and depressing.

I read it at about that age, and I still have my copy.

[Hilarity N. Suze]

My kid (7th-grader) and I are reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Out loud. I read a chapter, he reads a chapter. We ought to be about a fourth of the way through when the last Harry Potter comes out and ends our streak. I think he's interested enough in Edmond Dantes' plight, though, that he will finish Count. (Edmond is in with the mad Abbe now, but the Abbe's health doesn't look great.)

[Mama Zappa]

Dweezil *loves* the Guardians of Ga'hoole series (about owls). I think the author is named Laskey. He read most of them at or before 7th grade.

[Guinastasia]

To Kill a Mockingbird

MAYBE some of Mercedes Lackey's books. Take a Thief might be a good introduction. If he likes fantasy, he might like these.

Does he like Star Wars? There are tons of SW books out there-I highly reccomend the X-Wing series. Can't reccomend it too highly, in fact.