In terms of fantasy, the following come to mind:
- obvious, but if he hasn't read it yet: Lord of the Rings
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman - not entirely sure there on whether he'd get uncomfortable, there's nothing that's truly that shocking (other than the religious matters if that's an issue for you), but there are some scary moments
- Belgariad and Malloreon by David Eddings should work (I like Elenium and Tamuli too, but those are even worse in terms of body count (not of important characters, but still - it's not that it's graphic or anything, but when you stop and think about it, the protagonists really do kill an awful lot of bad guys))
- again stating the obvious, but Wheel of Time?
- Terry Pratchett, he likely wouldn't get all of the humour, but much of it at least
- some of Gaiman's books (not American Gods though)
Outside the genre, there are some of the classics that should be doable, whether he'd fully appreciate them is a different question. I'm thinking of To Kill a Mockingbird, The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe,...
As for more explicitly YA, I remember that when I was that age I loved the books by William Bell (Forbidden City in particular is impressive) and Aidan Chambers. Both are very good at writing for and about kids in puberty or adolescence. Astrid Lindgren and Roald Dahl are perhaps (for the most part) slightly below his reading level, or at least not very challenging, but remain fun regardless, if you ask me. I read a lot of Anthony Horowitz at that age too, but his books are mostly thrillers and horror (age-appropriate horror, but still, can get fairly scary), so considering he quit HP at the Inferi, perhaps best not.
- obvious, but if he hasn't read it yet: Lord of the Rings
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman - not entirely sure there on whether he'd get uncomfortable, there's nothing that's truly that shocking (other than the religious matters if that's an issue for you), but there are some scary moments
- Belgariad and Malloreon by David Eddings should work (I like Elenium and Tamuli too, but those are even worse in terms of body count (not of important characters, but still - it's not that it's graphic or anything, but when you stop and think about it, the protagonists really do kill an awful lot of bad guys))
- again stating the obvious, but Wheel of Time?
- Terry Pratchett, he likely wouldn't get all of the humour, but much of it at least
- some of Gaiman's books (not American Gods though)
Outside the genre, there are some of the classics that should be doable, whether he'd fully appreciate them is a different question. I'm thinking of To Kill a Mockingbird, The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe,...
As for more explicitly YA, I remember that when I was that age I loved the books by William Bell (Forbidden City in particular is impressive) and Aidan Chambers. Both are very good at writing for and about kids in puberty or adolescence. Astrid Lindgren and Roald Dahl are perhaps (for the most part) slightly below his reading level, or at least not very challenging, but remain fun regardless, if you ask me. I read a lot of Anthony Horowitz at that age too, but his books are mostly thrillers and horror (age-appropriate horror, but still, can get fairly scary), so considering he quit HP at the Inferi, perhaps best not.
Suggestions for my 11 year old son?
12/11/2010 03:52:29 PM
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Hm. Some ideas...
12/11/2010 04:31:35 PM
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I second this entire reply. All these are excellent choices. *NM*
17/11/2010 11:12:34 PM
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The Artemis Fowl books
12/11/2010 04:55:29 PM
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I remember enjoying Lloyd Alexander's Prydain (sp?) books at that age. *NM*
12/11/2010 10:18:05 PM
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The Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
12/11/2010 11:55:10 PM
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Yes. This is what I read at that age and loved it. Also Harry Harrison. *NM*
15/11/2010 04:02:10 PM
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wasn't there a lot of adult content in Harry Harrison? *NM*
15/11/2010 05:05:30 PM
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Really? Maybe violence.
16/11/2010 03:27:24 PM
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some people don't like their pre-pubescent children reading about sex
16/11/2010 08:19:45 PM
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How about the Redwall series by Brian Jacques?
13/11/2010 01:04:38 AM
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Wait a minute. DID NOBODY MENTION A WRINKLE IN TIME?! *NM*
15/11/2010 04:56:41 AM
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Holy crap, you're right. I heap my scorn upon this thread.
15/11/2010 06:22:39 AM
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It's okay. I heaped scorn upon myself once I saw your Dark is Rising post. *NM*
15/11/2010 06:53:03 AM
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I would've done, but I figured I'd leave that to someone who's actually read it. *NM*
15/11/2010 10:58:25 AM
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I DID!
15/11/2010 02:43:26 PM
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It was one of the very few books on the Newbery list that I actually recognized. *NM*
15/11/2010 03:05:30 PM
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Really? I suppose I should go through there and highlight those I actually like. *NM*
15/11/2010 03:58:49 PM
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Yeah, I guess most of the children's books I read weren't American.
15/11/2010 04:30:46 PM
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Also, if he reads above his age...
15/11/2010 04:19:41 PM
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The Solitaire Mystery is far better. And Through a Glass, Darkly.
15/11/2010 04:33:45 PM
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Animorphs, Artemis Fowl, Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy *NM*
16/11/2010 02:27:28 PM
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