My favourite fantasy series of all time is currently Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, comprising The Dragonbone Chair, Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower. It’s my favourite because it contains all the elements of fantasy that I personally love, and none of the things I dislike. It also wears its inspirations on its sleeve, as it is so Tolkienesque in so many ways, it’s almost painful - but in a good way; It’s miles ahead of anything with the word ‘Shannara’ in it.
I personally enjoyed TailChaser Song by Tad Williams as well - never started the other series.
My daughter, who just turned 11, really loves the Gregor the Overlander series. From what she’s told me of the story, it sounds really interesting.
And it’s been a while since I’ve read them, but what about the Dragonlance series? I recall them being relatively tame.
I’m 4th ing Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series.
I got “So You Want to be a Wizard” for Christmas at about that age, and I’m still hooked and waiting for the next one.
China Mieville has written a YA fantasy: Un Lun Dun. I haven’t read it, but he’s an amazing writer.
Why not The Once and Future King?
Really, the book is better than either the Disney movie, or the musical Camelot, so don’t pass it up on their account.
It gets a little serious and philosophical at the end, but at some point he’ll be able to appreciate it. In the meantime, the beginning is perfect for bright 12 year olds.
Dennis McKiernan’s Iron Tower Trilogy and Silver Call Duology are extremely Tolkien-esque. In fact, McKiernan (according to Wiki) originally intended the trilogy to be a sequel to Tolkien’s work but failed to get permission from Tolkien’s estate and Doubleday requested that McKiernan rework them into an “original” world.
They’re good books if you want something that reads just like Tolkien but isn’t and there’s nothing in them which a parent would find offensive to a 12 year old.
So, has anyone mentioned Pratchett?
Oh. So they have.
Well, I’ll just kick in again and say that “Wee Free Men”, which introduces young Tiffany Aching, is a good introduction for a young reader, and if he likes the Aching novels, he may well enjoy the whole Discworld, um, “saga”, for want of a better term.
Then again, an 11-12 year old boy may feel a book geared towards young women is not for him, so maybe “Guards! Guards!”, as suggested earlier, would be a better place to start.
I loved the Johnny Maxwell trilogy by Pratchett! He should try those!
I liked the first few “Gregor” books, but then they got tedious. Hey I lasted longer with those than I did with Harry Potter.
Well lots to choose from. We can all agree that “Gormenghast” is too dark. and almost all of us can agree, I bet, that everyone should be kept far far away from the awful Eragon and Shannara books.
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner]
The Snarkout Boys books by Daniel Pinkwater
/QUOTE]
YES! Daniel Pinkwater is just right for that age, and he’s really underrated. Anything by him is liable to be good.
I’ll also recommend Heinlein’s “boy’s books”- ok, so we know now that Mars is uninhabited and Venus is an oven, but so what? They’re still the best introduction to hard sci-fi for a kid, and they’re squeaky-clean to a parent. Try The Rolling Stones, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Space Cadet, or Farmer in the Sky.
Back in the realm of fantasy, Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain stuff is good but he may have slipped past the perfect age for that. Still worth reading, though.
Madeline L’Engle is a genius. He should absolutely read A Wrinkle in Time.
LeGuin’s Earthsea stuff is very good, though sometimes a little bit girly. If he’s enjoying LOTR, though, it should be fine.
I am going to change gear here and offer three distinctly different areas:
Asterix is a wonderful 50+ year old comic series that is very rarely heard of here in the States, AFAIK. I only found out about it from another Doper or maybe some Farker and I have to say that my 10 year old adores this series and we have about 15 of the adventures. It is for all ages and one learns history and a smattering of Latin too boot. It is just not for kids.
For pure adventure and a great all around satisfying read, ala Indiana Jones: Operation Red Jericho . Two british kids* in the 1920’ish ( or maybe the 30’s, it’s been a few weeks since I read it and didn’t know I would be quizzed on it! whose parents go missing in some Chinese desert are sent to live with another relative (a stern ship owning uncle in the Pacific) after wearing out their welcome with their Aunt and their wacky hijinks.
Along the way there is a Secret Organization, a mysterious device that everyone wants, A Man in a Panama Hat ( or maybe it was a linen suit.), a secret battle ship, Kung Fu Sects ( not sex) An Island Fortess and a tamed tiger!
*why is it always British Kids who get these adventures?
The sequel: Operation Typhoon Shore is suppose to be even better. I cannot find it at any book store and I didn’t have time to read it from my library interloan thingie.
Last Suggestion: 21 Balloons . After 40 years as a Math Teacher, Professor William Waterman Sherman decides to sail for a year in a large balloon (complete with a wicker house) and enjoy the peace and quiet. Naturally, when he crash lands on the Volcanic Island of Krakatoa wacky hijinks ensue and diamonds are involved. I am in the middle of reading this and enjoying it immensely. This book is also a favorite of our own Twickster. I bought a copy for my 13 year old nephew for Xmas.
May I make a suggestion for you to peruse Chinaberry (ages 8 and up) for alternate books that you may have never heard of that they find. To me, it is a Doper Bookstore for kids of all ages. Chinaberry has a special affinity for Fantasy (TA Barron, which seems really popular. I haven’t gotten to that level yet.) No commercialized books with cartoons or movies attached to them will be found here. (Ok, maybe a few, but classic books.)
Another writer who is popular amongst Christian Homeschoolers* is G.A. Henty and are larger book reads or done on a cd (3/4th of the way down) format by an outstanding narrator Jim Weiss. I have most of Jim Weiss’ stuff for younger kids and will tell you he is simply one of the best out there. His company Great Hall Productions is a bit slow at times, but overall, 1000% thumbs up for the product. Plus, it is also worth mentioning my kids love his stuff too. I am going to get some of Henty’s stuff from interloan for my own dining and dancing pleasure one of these days.
*Two things I am neither.
Good luck and have fun picking!
Note to self: Shirley Ujest likes wacky hijinks.
You don’t know? Guess what his parents do for a living. They…publish books! So they published his and promoted the hell out of it. :dubious:
My vote goes for Redwall by Brian Jacques. My little brother hated to read as a kid and the only books besides Calvin and Hobbes he ever asked were the first few Dark Tower books and ones in the Redwall series.
I also want to anti-recommend the Charlie Bone series. the first book had promise; books 2-6 are extremely disappointing.
Thomas Covenant may not be appropriate. I started reading it again lately and had completely forgotten the rape in the first book. On reflection, some of the themes may be a little mature and not presented in the best of taste.
Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars, Blue Mars and Green Mars is a good trilogy about the colonization and terraforming of Mars. Although adult-themed, if he likes futuristic stuff, there is enough there to keep his attention and nothing much to offend his parents, if I remember correctly.
I also enjoy Tad Williams, especially the Dragonbone series and the Otherland series. Otherland is futuristic sci-fi, not fantasy, although things that happen in it are sometimes fantastical.
Hey, how doesn’t?
How, indeed :dubious:
A third for Heinlein’s juveniles, especially The Star Beast. I’ve not known any tween-ager that didn’t like this book. Who wouldn’t want a talking pet that could literally eat a Buick? Plus the book has a subversive undertone about tolerance and respect for others. Which I just realized was Heinlein’s commentary against segregation and bigotry in the '50’s.
Any of the others would be good; The Rolling Stones, Citizen of the Galaxy, Between Planets, Space Cadet, Time for the Stars, Tunnel in the Sky, all good reads.
On Heinlein juveniles: Starman Jones doesn’t hold up well (navigators can only be human savant calculators?). I also once recommended Red Planet to a teen who just hated it, go figure.
I can’t believe you are saying that Ender’s Game is too violent. Harry Potter is probably worse. I realize that the overall plot is about a war against unseen aliens, but I hardly call that violence the way it plays out. Ender gets into a few scuffles, but they aren’t gratuitous and I’d say they are less graphic than the Sectumsempra curse.
That book is too great, especially for that age, to be off limits.
[off topic]The over protectiveness of these parents turns my stomach, I almost feel like you’re morally required to get him something they won’t approve of.[/off topic]
Seconding Artemis Fowl. Start at the beginning. ETA: Also, The Young Wizard series, (Make sure you also get the tangentla/same world books The Book of Night With Moon by Diane Duane and To Visit The Queen as well.) Wrinkle in Time series, and Earthsea.