Ok I’m looking for a book to gift my 16 year old younger brother. I doubt he’s ever read a book beyond something he was assigned in school. He had trouble learning to read back in elementary (don’t get me started on that stupid guess the words way they randomly started teaching ppl to read) and I think that has really pushed him away from reading. I’m looking for something that might get him interested.
He currently plays his game console a lot (plays Fortnite and football games). He spends most of his time playing sports (football, track) and recently tore his acl which I think has him in a bit of a funk. He has sort of a rebellious spirit and I generally think he’s profoundly bored and sad living in our small town. It’s hard to get a read on what he might like but he watches YA actiony shows like Arrow.
I took him to a bookstore to see if we could find him something interesting but so much of the books that featured young Black boys prominently were corny and like trauma-focused (police brutality, gun violence, drugs). While those stories have a place, I’m looking for recs beyond that.
I’m thinking something that reads like a show and is really plot driven might be a good book to spark his interest in reading, but open to other ideas.
Recs for a book you think could get even the most uninterested kid into reading would be greatly appreciated!
by MainBottle8345
9 Comments
This sounds like a tough one.
I got into sci fi, so maybe he would like that? I read a lot of Heinlien. Maybe kind of dated now. There are some that might be action packed and draw you in quickly.
Maybe something non fiction that is kind of action packed might be interesting. Black Hawk Down comes to mind. The book is crazy, and intersting and everything that happens that sounds made up is actually real.
Since probably everyone in this thread are avod readers, I think some people just never will be, but it’s worth trying
My son at that age was very similar. Into sports and Fortnite, lived in a really small town. But he’s always liked scary movies and picked up IT by Stephen King and enjoyed that. It’s a very big read though, so, if he’s not sure it likely isn’t worth it (it’s 1100 pages). Stephen King books aren’t action-packed though, they are a lot of character building and spending time in character heads, which is why my son liked them, he’s always been interested in people and their behaviors. Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye were favorites of mine at that age.
Sounds a lot like my younger brother when he was that age. He was never really able to get into reading, but a few years ago, he got into audio books, and now he’s constantly listening to them and gets through so many. Maybe audio books might suit him better.
Maybe have a look into some of his favourite games because some of them have tie-in books (mass effect, Halo, Assassin’s creed, resident evil I think all have tie-in books, for example)
If he doesn’t mind horror, then maybe look into The Red Eye Collection (a series of mostly unrelated YA Horror books by different authors) particularly Whiteout by Gabriel Dylan, Fir by Sharon Gosling, Bad Bones by Graham Marks and Flesh and Blood by Simon Cheshire (these all have a male protagonist which he will probably prefer over the female ones)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is such a fun book. The audiobook is phenomenal and you can zone out during the science-y bits without losing much of the story.
Dan Brown books used to be my favourite. Angela and Demons is a good place to start.
I would also suggest checking out some self pub books. Cradle by Will Wight is a progression fantasy that is quite accessible.
Another self pub is The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill. It’s a fantasy with dragons. Eragon might be a good option too.
The Rage Of Dragons by Evan Winter is a fantasy revenge story. I’ve heard that the prose is simple to read and really captures your attention.
Another rec is Red Rising, a sci fi. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and people seem to devour the book.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a sci fi dystopian where mankind has defeated death and in order to maintain balance, they have hired professional reapers who kill people.
These are all part of series except PHM. The Dan Brown books can be read as standalone. Also, check the trigger warning lists of the books before you pick. These are fairly tame but there’s a lot of violence in some.
Ready Player One
I haven’t read it, but The Taking of Jake Livingston might fit the bill
Murderbot Diaries. It’s short and goes by really quickly but is a great read. And there’s no romance, lots of action. It’s great for someone who likes video games. But it’s also got some great messages and it’s a wonderful story. The first book in the series is “All systems red.” If he likes it, there’s more. But if he doesn’t, it’s a pretty self contained story!
Look at the titles by Chris Crutcher
[https://www.dracutlibrary.org/sports-fiction-for-teens-tweens/](https://www.dracutlibrary.org/sports-fiction-for-teens-tweens/)
[https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/teen-sports](https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/teen-sports)
there are video game books but these are the sports ones i found in a quick search if you can tell us any of his other interests it might help, for books on wars there might be something of interest for him considering he likes a fighting game. I think maybe something similar to a favorite movie of his might be easier to find books for.