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Fantasy books for 13 year old boy?


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What are a few of the things he's read so far?

 

There are obviously lots of options out there. I like the David Eddings Belgariad series, the Bartimaeus books by Jonathan Stroud, the Terry Prachett books... but there's so many directions you can do for 13 yo boy and fantasy.

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These are mostly SF, but David Brin has a great list. Some might not yet be appropriate for your son, but he'll grow into them. :)

Science Fiction for Young Adults: A Recommended List

 

Hoagies has some good crowd-sourced lists, including:

http://www.hoagiesgi...ifi_fantasy.htm

 

DD the Elder is reading through Discworld right now. I pick up just four every two or three months to draw it out a bit. Some of it's over her head because she wouldn't recognize the allusions, but that doesn't hamper her enjoyment. She also enjoys Douglas Adams.

 

If you can find it, I'd highly recommend Philip Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles. Garth Nix, Diana Wynne Jones, Philip Pullman, The Looking Glass Wars trilogy, Scott Westerfield, and Eoin Colfer are also big current favourites. Joseph Delaney's Spook's Apprentice/Last Apprentice series was also well liked, and is probably a must for anyone who gets excited at the word "boggart." :)

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I started reading David Eddings when I was 14 and LOVED all his books. Start with Pawn of Prophecy. He has 4 or 5 series, so it could keep him busy for a long time.

 

My other favorite fantasy authors are Terry Brooks and Brandon Sanderson. I was older when I started reading their books, but I'm fairly prudish about the content in books, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing that would be objectionable for a young teen.

 

Some other ideas:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans

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I was also going to recommend Brandon Sanderson. Although Sanderson has books that take place in different worlds, they are all in the same universe, so if you read carefully you will notice similarities and pick up clues about the universe. I would recommend starting with his Mistborn trilogy.

 

ETA: If he hasn't read the Wheel of Time series yet, that will keep him busy for a long time! The 14th and last book comes out in January.

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The Pendragon series by MacHale

The Maze Runner by Dashner

Uglies Series by Westefeld

The Ranger's Apprentice by Flannagan

Anything by Rick Riordan

Inheritance series by Paolini

Artemis Fowl series by Colfer

 

 

:iagree: And I'll add James Patterson's Maximum Ride series.

Someone else mentioned David Eddings- dh loves Eddings.

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I can't believe I forgot our current read aloud -- one of the few I've read twice to DD the Elder -- Railsea by China Miéville. And Un Lun Dun for that matter. I'm a huge Miéville fan and am so happy he's writing the occasional YA novel (though I hesitate to slap that label on it because it's too limiting).

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I can't believe I forgot our current read aloud -- one of the few I've read twice to DD the Elder -- Railsea by China Miéville. And Un Lun Dun for that matter. I'm a huge Miéville fan and am so happy he's writing the occasional YA novel (though I hesitate to slap that label on it because it's too limiting).

 

 

 

nmoira,

 

My daughter loved the wordplay of place names in Un Lun Dun. Is Railsea at all similar in that regard?

 

Regards,

Kareni

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My daughter loved the wordplay of place names in Un Lun Dun. Is Railsea at all similar in that regard?

 

 

Yes, yes, yes! And species and names. Miéville is one of very few modern authors whose words beg to be rolled about on the tongue.

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ETA: I've been looking for science fiction since he's been reading so much fantasy lately. I've been trying to decide between Asimov, HG Wells, Clarke, Heinlein, Bradbury and Verne. I've been listening to a Great Courses lecture Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind and he was discussing Zamyatin's We that I might have him read once I get through it.

 

FYI, I enjoy Heinlein, but be aware that in later books in particular, he has a lot of sex with multiple partners. I think To Sail Beyond the Sunset has a character time travel and later have sex with his mother. I'll likely preread again before handing the books to my son.

 

For OP, Tamora Pierce novels are good. robin McKinley too.

Anne McCaffrey's young adult stuff is safe.

Lloyd Alexander might be good.

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I am replying so I hopefully can find this thread later. Does anyone know how to subscribe?

 

There's a setting to subscribe to threads you respond to, but if you look to the far right of the thread title, there's an option to "Follow this Topic."

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