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I have a 12yr old step son i would love to get more interested in reading, i believe his reading age is average or maybe a little lower but he is very lazy. i love to get him into books does anyone know of any suitable for him a serial or set would be preferable i just love books and reading so would love to whet his appetite and share the passion
any ideas
debs

Harry Potter, I've heard they are good yarns, not read them myself, Biggles was my favorite at his age.

he has the harry potter but cos they are available on dvd he wont read them says he knows what happens cos the films told him, said he was a lazy reader personally i love harry potter got my nephew into them too

yes i would say harry potter,he can read the books then watch the films

never read any of them ,books by terry pratchett

A few years ago I gave my neighbours 14 year old son the first Terry Pratchett Discworld novel - The Color Of Magic, He's now an addict - got a whole shelf full, 40 or 50 of the things, any new ones have to be pre-ordered so he gets the the day they come out.

I guess now Douglas Adams has died, Hitch Hikers Guide to The Galaxy are a bit out of fashion.

my niece is reading the terry pratchett books, such a lot of variety, he might like the death ones, very funny  ;D

i thought terry pratchett was aimed at adults how thick am i the biggest problem is reading a synopsis of books but im certainly off for a look

My son (now 14) enjoyed the Anthony Horowitz books.  Does your step-son like animals?  Michael Morpurgo's books are very readable or the books I enjoyed at that age was the adventure series by Willard Price and they are still available :o

Hope that helps

I agree with SMP, the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz are brilliant.  My grandson (10) loves them, he tells me in depth the stories and cannot keep his head out of them.  It's a real thrill taking him to the library to get the next one, by the time we have got home he has told me what's happened in the first chapter.

His Dark Materials (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman did well in
The Big Read a few years back.

are they suitable for his reading ability?

My son loved Adrian Mole.

mmm id forgotten him i loved that too i worried ill buy him something i like the look of not vice versa lol  ;D

The Dark Materials trilogy are quite philosophical and rather heavy for a 12 yr old  unless they are advanced readers.  But he also writes books from a slightly younger audience which I think are better.  There is a Victorian detective series and a funny detective series which are worth trying.  Try Geraldine McCaughrean Smile or Mo.  Also the Caroline Lawrence (Laurence?) series 4 children solving mysteries in Rome - very good at evoking period if he likes history.  There are about 12 of them plus quiz books and other spin offs which are quite fun.  What about the William books Richmal Crompton Just William - my son loved those.  I'll go and look at his book case and see if there are any more he liked at that age.  Terry Pratchett also wrote a slightly younger series Diggers, Truckers and ?? which were quite funny.

Quote from: debster on November 12, 2007, 21:50:06
are they suitable for his reading ability?

You'll have to check with a book shop.

It also depends what side of  12 he is - if he's still into the fluffy toys, or wants a TV/HiFi/Computer/Playstation in his room.

he is definatly a gadget guy ie wii playstation dvds etc at risk of sounding horrible he appears to be a child with little imagination who needs entertaining, i hope that doesnt sound awful but where as his sister will sit and read or do a puzzle he needs it to be all singing dancing whistles and bangs, he is not an immature child but i dont know that his reading age and ability is as strong as it should be but im sure this could be developed if he learns to love reading

Why not take him to a big book shop or an independent and just let him browse and see what he chooses for himself - perhaps you providing a bit of a steer if he is overwhelmed by the choice.

If he is not that keen on reading, the size of the print and the thickness of the book can be off-putting and that may be another reason he is not into HP

yes i think you are right i think a smaller book maybe with illustrations would probably keep his interest more

Reading your description of him sounds like a typical boy - would prefer to be in the story rather than reading about it.  My son's reading scores regularly put him a few years ahead of his numerical age but he has no interest in reading for pleasure - he may develop this when he no longer 'has' to read for school work.

Or - if you really feel that the grey matter needs a work out, get him to write a story based on a PS game he enjoys or to invent a story with illustrations for a PS game...........