My son LOVES to read and has made his way through several book series over the last year or so. He’s had a hard time lately finding new reading material and I hoped that a fellow doper might have some suggestions. Some of his favorite series and authors are:
The Ranger’s Apprentice Series - Flanagan
The Last Apprentice Series - Delaney
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Series
The Grey Griffins Series - Benz & Lewis
The Alex Rider Series - Anthony Horowitz
The Dragons Series - Chris D’Lacey
Some of the above have new books coming out in the next few months, but I’d like to get him started on something before then.
He’s read some of the other Anthony Horowitz series and didn’t enjoy them as much as he does the Alex Rider books. He has also read a couple of other Tom Clancy books, but really enjoys the Splinter Cell series the most.
I’m not familiar with the series you mentioned. But the obvious one is Harry Potter. I also hear the Last Olympian (Percy Jackson?) series is enjoyable.
When I was 12 I loved The Great Brain series, about boys growing up in 1890’s Utah. The title character is always pulling off elaborate money-making schemes. The books are very educational about growing up in the Old West.
“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. Then “Ender’s Shadow” which is more of a companion book than an outright sequel. (the actual sequels to Ender’s Game take place thousands of years later and are very different in tone). Then there are direct sequels to “Ender’s Shadow” if he likes it.
I highly highly recommend The Redwall series by Brian Jacques, it’s aimed at your sons age but I read them when I was a little older and still couldn’t put them down.
Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels are a perpetual part of the 12-year-old canon. Fantasy adventure and a million bad puns. There is no sex as such, but my recollection is that characters occasionally talk about boobs basically the way a 12-year-old boy would.
The Belgariad sword-and-sorcery novels of David Eddings are more mature (in a good way) but also age-appropriate. Raymond Feist’s Riftwar novels are another possibility.
Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain novels would be perfect. Adventuresome, majestic, and a bit sad.
These might be a little young for him, but if he hasn’t read The Mad Scientists Club series or the Alvin Fernald books, he hasn’t lived.
I liked Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave series (Authurian legend from Merlin’s POV), although they might be a tiny bit too old for him, depending on his maturity level. IIRC there is a fair amount of (non-graphic) sex involved.
Some great suggestions here so far. I’ll add Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy, and, for some oldies-but-goodies, any of Robert A. Heinlein’s “juvenile” novels. Plus, he’s about the age I was when I first read Tolkien.
At 12, he may be a little old for The Hardy Boys…especially if he’s reading Tom Clancy. I vote start him on Heinlein. Some of the better juveniles, or right in to some of the regular novels.
I also highly recommend Gordon Korman’s Bruno and Boots/MacDonald Hall series. Can’t believe they never turned it into a movie or a TV show.
I loved him when I was about 10 or 11 and he has a keen ear for kids and boys (he published his first book, the very funny This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall at 14, so I guess that makes sense).
My kid is 10 but in the advanced reading programs, etc. He loved the series and they gave him a definite interest in Greek myth. Last weekend we spent a 90 minute car ride talking about Norse myth and how it compared and contrasted with Greek myth.
My son (who turns 12 this very day) really enjoyed all the available installments of the Percy Jackson (Olympians) series.
Right now he’s powering through a series by E. L. Young called S.T.O.R.M. I don’t know much about it, but it’s held his interest for several volumes.
I dearly wanted him to love The Great Brain as much as I had but no soap. He cannot make himself be interested in “old fashioned stuff”. It’s tough for me, coming from a family full of history majors but he has many other sterling qualities.
I don’t remember how old I was when I read these, so they may be too juvenile for him, but I LOOOVED The Three Investigators books. They’re kid “detectives” who have a hidden headquarters in the main character’s grandparents junkyard. The earliest books are better, but I liked and read them all, 43 of 'em…
My just-turned-13 year old enjoyed the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. He also liked the Wimpy Kid series and the Lemony Snicket books, but those may be a little young…
I also recommend the Tripods books by John Christopher.