What book should I read with my kids this summer?
May 30, 2022 5:30 PM Subscribe
Last summer, my kids, then 11 and 13, and I had a book club. We picked one book that we all read over a two month period, meeting weekly to discuss a few chapters at a time. I’d like to do the same this summer and could use recommendations for books that will appeal to people with a variety of tastes.
Last summer we read ‘Ender’s Game’ which I heard so many good things about. None of us liked it! We all found it kind of boring. My younger kid thought Ender was annoying, older kid found the writing to be bad. I didn’t like that it was a ‘chosen one’ tale, something I’ve grown to be more irked by over the past few years.
Older child is a voracious reader, loves fantasy like the ‘Mistborn’ series. Is a very quick and dedicated reader. Will read almost anything but prefers sci-fi, mysteries, and action, in addition to fantasy. He will likely be reading this book in addition to several other books.
Younger child does not love to read. It’s just not an activity he gravitates towards although he is a ‘good’ reader. When he does read he prefers graphic novels. One of the benefits of this book club is that it gets him to read on a regular cadence. That kind of schedule is a good fit for him. He doesn’t have strong preferences for genre.
I’ll read anything, although if it’s a book that is appealing to both adults and teens that is great.
‘Ender’s Game’ was a good length for our summer book club. We could do something a bit longer but we need to be able to finish this over the summer so probably no more than 40-50 pages a week, max. Both of them can handle books targeted at adults (think ‘The Martian’) but nothing too dark. It should be entertaining, a quick and fun read.
What books would you recommend for us?
Last summer we read ‘Ender’s Game’ which I heard so many good things about. None of us liked it! We all found it kind of boring. My younger kid thought Ender was annoying, older kid found the writing to be bad. I didn’t like that it was a ‘chosen one’ tale, something I’ve grown to be more irked by over the past few years.
Older child is a voracious reader, loves fantasy like the ‘Mistborn’ series. Is a very quick and dedicated reader. Will read almost anything but prefers sci-fi, mysteries, and action, in addition to fantasy. He will likely be reading this book in addition to several other books.
Younger child does not love to read. It’s just not an activity he gravitates towards although he is a ‘good’ reader. When he does read he prefers graphic novels. One of the benefits of this book club is that it gets him to read on a regular cadence. That kind of schedule is a good fit for him. He doesn’t have strong preferences for genre.
I’ll read anything, although if it’s a book that is appealing to both adults and teens that is great.
‘Ender’s Game’ was a good length for our summer book club. We could do something a bit longer but we need to be able to finish this over the summer so probably no more than 40-50 pages a week, max. Both of them can handle books targeted at adults (think ‘The Martian’) but nothing too dark. It should be entertaining, a quick and fun read.
What books would you recommend for us?
Would you read a graphic novel? This was our pact is so good!
The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby is also good.
And ok, this doesn’t really fit but Pax is just so so good.
posted by CMcG at 5:58 PM on May 30, 2022
The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby is also good.
And ok, this doesn’t really fit but Pax is just so so good.
posted by CMcG at 5:58 PM on May 30, 2022
I was going to suggest two things.
1. The first His Dark Materials book, The Golden Compass
2. A book available as both a traditional novel and a graphic novel. Then you can make the comparisons part of the discussion.
And lo, the Golden Compass is available as both a traditional novel and a graphic novel. So...final.answer!
(No, not really final answer...I'm.sure there's lots of other great stuff).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:22 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
1. The first His Dark Materials book, The Golden Compass
2. A book available as both a traditional novel and a graphic novel. Then you can make the comparisons part of the discussion.
And lo, the Golden Compass is available as both a traditional novel and a graphic novel. So...final.answer!
(No, not really final answer...I'm.sure there's lots of other great stuff).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:22 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
2nding the Young Wizardry books and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.
I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. It's fantasy, smart and engaging and just...really, really nice?
posted by charmedimsure at 6:23 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. It's fantasy, smart and engaging and just...really, really nice?
posted by charmedimsure at 6:23 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You might consider the "murderbot" series from Martha Wells. Most of the books are novellas, so you might be able to read two in your summer book club. Lot's of action, and interesting things to talk about regarding what makes a person and having free will. The setting is a future space setting with some commentary on capitalism. Murderbot, the protagonist, is extremely funny. It's like watching an action movie narrated by someone with a very dry sense of humour.
There are some violent things that happen, as Murderbot's function is to provide security, but I would say the violence is similar to a marvel movie, so perhaps might be okay for teens.
posted by ice-cream forever at 7:16 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are some violent things that happen, as Murderbot's function is to provide security, but I would say the violence is similar to a marvel movie, so perhaps might be okay for teens.
posted by ice-cream forever at 7:16 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Seconding The Golden Compass.
Also, since you brought up The Martian, maybe you’d all like Project Hail Mary? I just finished it and it may be my favorite book of the last few years.
posted by Betelgeuse at 7:38 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, since you brought up The Martian, maybe you’d all like Project Hail Mary? I just finished it and it may be my favorite book of the last few years.
posted by Betelgeuse at 7:38 PM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Have you checked out Skyward, by the author of Mistborn? I kept thinking that I would have loved to have it as an alternative to Ender's Game when I was in middle school.
posted by esker at 7:44 PM on May 30, 2022
posted by esker at 7:44 PM on May 30, 2022
Response by poster: These are great suggestions! Maybe too on point as older kid has read and enjoyed many of these. He has read a lot within YA fantasy which makes it tough to find new titles. Open to other genres!
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking might work, plus Murderbot, and Project Hail Mary. Adding these to my list.
posted by scantee at 7:53 PM on May 30, 2022
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking might work, plus Murderbot, and Project Hail Mary. Adding these to my list.
posted by scantee at 7:53 PM on May 30, 2022
Emilie and the Hollow World, by Martha Wells
"While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie's plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure."
I think a lot of Martha Wells' books are potentially good for this - my favorites are the Ile-Rien books, but the Books of the Raksura and Murderbot Diaries are also good.
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
"The most powerful advisor to the King of Sounis is the magus. He's not a wizard, he’s a scholar, an aging solider, not a thief. When he needs something stolen, he pulls a young thief from the King's prison to do the job for him.
Gen is a thief and proud of it. When his bragging lands him behind bars he has one chance to win his freedom, journey to a neighboring kingdom with the magus, find a legendary stone called Hamiathes’s Gift, and steal it.
The magus has plans for his King and his country. Gen has plans of his own."
The Thief is the first book in a six book series, but can be read as a stand alone. It's also pitched a bit younger, more Middle Grade, while the other books in the series are YA.
posted by emmling at 8:03 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
"While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie's plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure."
I think a lot of Martha Wells' books are potentially good for this - my favorites are the Ile-Rien books, but the Books of the Raksura and Murderbot Diaries are also good.
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
"The most powerful advisor to the King of Sounis is the magus. He's not a wizard, he’s a scholar, an aging solider, not a thief. When he needs something stolen, he pulls a young thief from the King's prison to do the job for him.
Gen is a thief and proud of it. When his bragging lands him behind bars he has one chance to win his freedom, journey to a neighboring kingdom with the magus, find a legendary stone called Hamiathes’s Gift, and steal it.
The magus has plans for his King and his country. Gen has plans of his own."
The Thief is the first book in a six book series, but can be read as a stand alone. It's also pitched a bit younger, more Middle Grade, while the other books in the series are YA.
posted by emmling at 8:03 PM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
Try some Nigerian magic: Akita Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. This has been called the Nigerian Harry Potter, though it's much better written. It is a 3 volume series about a young woman's adventures in a school of magic concealed in a big African city.
It is a splendid contrast to the totally white bread Ender's Game. The kids will pick up something about life in modern Africa as well.
Each volume is fairly short, so you can read the entire series during summer.
posted by monotreme at 8:16 PM on May 30, 2022 [7 favorites]
It is a splendid contrast to the totally white bread Ender's Game. The kids will pick up something about life in modern Africa as well.
Each volume is fairly short, so you can read the entire series during summer.
posted by monotreme at 8:16 PM on May 30, 2022 [7 favorites]
Mythos by Stephen Fry. Funny, modern retelling of the Greek myths. Content warning for lots of murder and sex, but nothing too scary for real life, in my opinion. I have fond memories of my dad reading us Greek myths.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Fantasy novel where you start off not understanding what's happening and I think you could have fun discussing and trying to figure it out together.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace. Fun nonfiction with lots of twists about a young guy who stole irreplaceable taxidermied birds from a natural history museum to make fishing flies.
Redwall by Brian Jacques. We read these books aloud with my mom at a similar age.
posted by carolr at 8:24 PM on May 30, 2022
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Fantasy novel where you start off not understanding what's happening and I think you could have fun discussing and trying to figure it out together.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace. Fun nonfiction with lots of twists about a young guy who stole irreplaceable taxidermied birds from a natural history museum to make fishing flies.
Redwall by Brian Jacques. We read these books aloud with my mom at a similar age.
posted by carolr at 8:24 PM on May 30, 2022
Temple Alley Summer is a nice, briskly-paced story that might appeal to kids who like Ghibli movies. There is also a well-produced audiobook version.
posted by mustard seeds at 8:28 PM on May 30, 2022
posted by mustard seeds at 8:28 PM on May 30, 2022
tbh, i think bartimaeus and golden compass are a bit much for read-alone at that age. shrug, i could be wrong.
i was more ready for 'my side of the mountain' level (yeah I'm old as fuck).
what's the cool YA sci-fi, wool?
look at Newberry novels, too. my kids loved "holes" at that age. nominees are good stuff, too.
posted by j_curiouser at 8:28 PM on May 30, 2022
i was more ready for 'my side of the mountain' level (yeah I'm old as fuck).
what's the cool YA sci-fi, wool?
look at Newberry novels, too. my kids loved "holes" at that age. nominees are good stuff, too.
posted by j_curiouser at 8:28 PM on May 30, 2022
Louis Sachar is fun - "Holes" but also the Wayside School series - a chapter told in reverse, etc
Asterix and Obelix - my children still do an occasional re-read
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 9:33 PM on May 30, 2022
Asterix and Obelix - my children still do an occasional re-read
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 9:33 PM on May 30, 2022
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, possibly followed by Homeland by the same author.
Old school: Captains Courageous, by Kipling followed by watching the movie starring Spencer Tracy
posted by TimHare at 9:43 PM on May 30, 2022
Old school: Captains Courageous, by Kipling followed by watching the movie starring Spencer Tracy
posted by TimHare at 9:43 PM on May 30, 2022
Something in the Discworld series? Pratchett has dedicated YA novels (Wee Free Men is the first). It's a good adventure story with a young female protagonist which might be a good thing to encourage your boys to learn how to engage with.
If that not their / your jam a good starting point for the "adult" Discworld series is Guards! Guards!. They're adult only in that the protagonists are adults and they're not specifically marketed to kids but the violence is pretty akin to Ender's Game levels and there's nothing explicit on the sexual side. Some discussion of relationships and some allusions to sex as something that happens. between adults. Language is tame.
posted by macfly at 11:09 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
If that not their / your jam a good starting point for the "adult" Discworld series is Guards! Guards!. They're adult only in that the protagonists are adults and they're not specifically marketed to kids but the violence is pretty akin to Ender's Game levels and there's nothing explicit on the sexual side. Some discussion of relationships and some allusions to sex as something that happens. between adults. Language is tame.
posted by macfly at 11:09 PM on May 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: N-thing The Golden Compass; I don't think it's too much at all if you're going to be discussing them together. I read the series alone around 11/12 years old, and it gave me a lot to chew on (especially having grown up in the Baptist Church).
I also remembered liking Holes at that age (I still like it!), so another recommendation for that, and Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic quartet. I've heard good things about Pierce's Song of the Lioness series, but it, too, is on my to-read list.
Sabriel by Garth Nix might also work. It's a bit darker, focusing on magic surrounding death, but the main character's job is putting the dead to a peaceful rest.
Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle has the benefit of 1) being a fun read, and 2) having a fun anime adaptation. The anime is a good watch but focuses on different themes and veers off from the book rather sharply toward the end. It might be interesting to do a compare/contrast.
posted by lesser weasel at 1:36 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
I also remembered liking Holes at that age (I still like it!), so another recommendation for that, and Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic quartet. I've heard good things about Pierce's Song of the Lioness series, but it, too, is on my to-read list.
Sabriel by Garth Nix might also work. It's a bit darker, focusing on magic surrounding death, but the main character's job is putting the dead to a peaceful rest.
Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle has the benefit of 1) being a fun read, and 2) having a fun anime adaptation. The anime is a good watch but focuses on different themes and veers off from the book rather sharply toward the end. It might be interesting to do a compare/contrast.
posted by lesser weasel at 1:36 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: China Mieville's Un Lun Dun is a young adult fantasy book with a nice subversion of chosen one narratives.
posted by knapah at 3:31 AM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by knapah at 3:31 AM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
It's a whole different direction to go, but you mentioned mysteries and I loved Agatha Christie when I was that age. You could try Murder on the Orient Express? A great thing about getting into mysteries as a book-loving kid is that if you find a series you like, there are tons of them to read.
posted by goingonit at 4:11 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by goingonit at 4:11 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just a suggestion for going with something contemporary especially for your 11 year old. The older books sometimes don't hold up as you found last summer. I'm not saying that the classics are not good reads but contemporary may be better when selecting a single book especially for a reluctant and also a well-read reader. If you have good librarians in your school and or local libraries, they would be up on some new suggestions.
A local library does an annual high school battle of the books with a variety of contemporary books (selected by committee including educators, librarians, parents, students) that cover current issues and a range of styles: https://web.archive.org/web/20211120070922/https://sewickleylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/High-School.png
posted by RoadScholar at 7:56 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
A local library does an annual high school battle of the books with a variety of contemporary books (selected by committee including educators, librarians, parents, students) that cover current issues and a range of styles: https://web.archive.org/web/20211120070922/https://sewickleylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/High-School.png
posted by RoadScholar at 7:56 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have run book clubs for kids 12-13 with a focus on cultural diversity. Here are my recommendations:
The Wolf’s Trail, by Thomas Peacock
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Stamped, by Ibram Kendi
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
The Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline
posted by RedEmma at 11:41 AM on May 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Wolf’s Trail, by Thomas Peacock
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Stamped, by Ibram Kendi
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
The Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline
posted by RedEmma at 11:41 AM on May 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
You can't really go wrong with Tamora Pierce or Diana Wynn Jones. DWJ's The Dark Lord of Derkholm books are hilarious, would appeal to a 13 year old without being too childish and yet be perfectly comprehensible to an 11. Cat Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is awesome and there are several more in the series. T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) has a book called Minor Mage that is also middle grades and has a male protagonist if you think that might be a sticking point on Defensive Baking or some of the others. Becky Chambers might be another you could look at; The Galaxy and the Ground Within struck me as probably being good for that age group.
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:00 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:00 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
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If you check those out, I recommend you look for the updated versions: the original trilogy was written long enough ago that they feel very dated technologically, so a few years ago she updated them to deal with cell phones and the like.
Other than that, I would recommend A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, which won some awards last year. It's charming and funny but also deals with fascism and oppression, and the main character is a 14-year-old girl who learns to take her small skill set and use it to effect real change. It's quite good and Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) is a wonderful writer, funny and incisive, with well-drawn characters and vivid imagery.
posted by suelac at 5:47 PM on May 30, 2022 [9 favorites]