# Recommend Books for 16-year-old boy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739 "2005-10-11T12:23:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/21 "2005-10-11T21:10:59Z")
I was reading Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, and some of Stephen King at that age. The Shining was required reading when I had to retake Freshman English. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/22 "2005-10-11T22:00:22Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Ray Bradbury’s _The Martian Chronicles_ and _Dandelion Wine_. I wouldn’t recommend Dandelion Wine, actually. Every single teenager I know(and seeing as I go to school with them, I know many) _hated_ that book. It may have good themes and whatnot, but it is boring. as. hell. I’ll echo some others when saying Stephen King. **The Shinning** or **Pet Semetary** would keep him occupied. I also recommend **Fight Club** by Chuck Palahniuk, **Animal Farm** by George Orwell, and **The Perks of Being a Wallflower** by Stephen Chbosky. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/23 "2005-10-11T22:17:18Z")
I first read John Irving’s “The World According to Garp” when I was 16. Some fun reading would be anything by [Carl Hiaasen](http://www.carlhiaasen.com/). “Tourist Season” and “Skin Tight” in particular. And since all of his books are set in Florida that could prove interesting to him. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/24 "2005-10-11T22:34:52Z")
Oh yeah, and I was about 16 when I first read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galacy. Some of Alan Dean Foster’s work is in a similar vein, Glory Lane for example. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/25 "2005-10-11T22:38:32Z")
One summer when I was 16 or 17, I read a whole pile of old Ellery Queen mysteries. In the fall, I tried to get my English teacher to accept some of them as “summer reading” books. She wouldn’t consider even counting the whole lot of 'em as one book. Fortunately they weren’t the only books I’d read. . . My favorite book from that time, though, was the massive _THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC_ by David Wallechinsky and his dad, Irving Wallace. It’s still on my book shelf with other volumes the Wallace/Wallechinsky clan came out with, _THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC 2, The Book of Lists, THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC 3, The Book of Lists 2, Significa,_ etc. I just couldn’t get enough of that nonfiction trivia. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/26 "2005-10-11T23:27:27Z")
I’d reccomend the [Mad Scientists Club](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/102-1747631-3226568?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dstripbooks%3Arelevance-above&field-keywords=mad+scientists+club) books, John Christopher’s [The Tripods Trilogy](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-1747631-3226568), and Jack Kelly’s [Gunpowder](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465037186/qid=1129072877/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-1747631-3226568?v=glance&s=books). (The last one is non-fiction, and you can guess what it’s the history of. Facinating stuff, that.) You might also try Gibson’s [The Difference Engine](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/055329461X/qid=1129073022/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1747631-3226568?v=glance&s=books) (alternature history, about the computer revolution sparked 100 years early by Babbage’s mechanical “analytical engine” computer.), and Alan Moore’s graphic novel [Watchmen](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0930289234/qid=1129073096/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1747631-3226568?v=glance&s=books), which is fantastic and engrossing. ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/27 "2005-10-11T23:37:22Z")
I’ve never met a kid (or anyone for that matter) that didn’t like **Ender’s Game** by Orson Scott Card. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/28 "2005-10-11T23:52:57Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > I wouldn’t recommend Dandelion Wine, actually. Every single teenager I know(and seeing as I go to school with them, I know many) _hated_ that book. It may have good themes and whatnot, but it is boring. as. hell. I also read it as a teenager, and it was one the best novels I have ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/29 "2005-10-12T05:53:40Z")
**The Tracker** by Tom Brown (although he might want to remain skeptical about the authenticity of some of the characters) **A Prayer for Owen Meany** by John Irving (My granddaughter introduced me to this one; it’s on my top five list. Parts of it are unbearably hilarious.) ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/30 "2005-10-12T11:31:49Z")
Another vote for _Ender’s Game_ and the _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ series. I remember really enjoying _Jurassic Park_ when I was about that age, and you can probably find that in any second-hand bookstore. Ditto any John Grisham or Wilbur Smith. I can’t stand them now, and they’re not very ‘good’ books, but if he’s not a terribly critical reader (and god knows I wasn’t at sixteen) he’ll probably enjoy them. Comic strip collections, like _Calvin & Hobbes_ or _The Far Side_ might be good - I can read in cars, but I never like to read anything too heavy. How does he feel about modern classics? _Catcher in the Rye_ or _A Clockwork Orange_ are both pretty engrossing, as are _1984_ and _A Brave New World_. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/31 "2005-10-14T13:37:16Z")
> [@VernWinterbottom](#): > > My favorite book from that time, though, was the massive _THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC_ by David Wallechinsky and his dad, Irving Wallace. It’s still on my book shelf with other volumes the Wallace/Wallechinsky clan came out with, _THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC 2, The Book of Lists, THE PEOPLE’S ALMANAC 3, The Book of Lists 2, Significa,_ etc. I just couldn’t get enough of that nonfiction trivia. I had forgotten about these (although they are all on the shelf behind me). I also read them (at least the first 2) when I was around 16 - 18 – when they first came out. Very good reading and full of interesting stuff, if your son enjoys that sort of thing. My own boy likes non-fiction, but not the randomness of the big trivia style books – he never read any of my _People’s Almanac_ / _Book of Lists_ stuff, except for dribs and drabs that he’s look up in the index. My nephew on the other hand, at about 16, got ahold of my _Straight Dope_ books (how did we all forget those?) and ate them up, then moved on to the rest of my trivia shelf and just plowed through it. Other recommends in this genre include anything by Charles Panati. Also, in a slightly different vein, the three _Big Secrets_ books by William Poundstone. I’ve seen these in an omnibus version at Barnes and Noble on the bargain shelves, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/32 "2005-10-14T13:57:09Z")
Robert E. Howard’s _Conan The Barbarian_ series. Just the thing for a teen! ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/33 "2005-10-14T14:17:09Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Robert E. Howard’s _Conan The Barbarian_ series. > > Just the thing for a teen! no, he’s at the age where he wants to learn about women. I suggest ‘The Story of O.’ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/34 "2005-10-14T14:27:12Z")
I was a huge Hemmingway fan at that age and I was just starting to get into Salinger. My first Salinger book was _Franny and Zooey_. I wouldn’t recommend starting with _Catcher in the Rye_. Its’ Salinger’s most popular work, but not his best. _FaZ_ is a good intro to Salinger’s style and a fun, quick read. As for Hemmingway you can start pretty much anywhere, except for the later works. With the exception of _The Old Man and the Sea_ they suck. Don’t know how you feel about comics, but there are some pretty good manga (translated Japanese comics) and graphic novels out there too. There are also comic strip books. Fox Trot is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/35 "2005-10-14T15:07:50Z")
Any and all of the Hornblower novels. Tell him he cannot be Hornblower. I am Hornblower. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/36 "2005-10-14T15:14:57Z")
How about _Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank? It is set in Florida. It might also end up being required reading for school. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739/37 "2005-10-14T15:22:35Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > How about _Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank? It is set in Florida. It might also end up being required reading for school. Personally, I enjoyed **Alas**. Personally, I hope it becomes a forgotten book, that people shall scratch their heads over in blank bewilderment, 50 years from now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-16-year-old-boy/325739.md?page=1)