My son is turning 16. He loves reading like the whole family but he can be hard to buy for. He likes book series and fantasy as well as non fiction and sports. He’s a geek. He loved the Wings of Fire series to give you an idea.
I was thinking of getting him The Outsiders by Hinton or Catcher and the Rye. Something about boys his age and maturing etc. but I’m not sure. I think Catcher is a pretty bad book but know many young men identify with it. But I don’t know if I am overthinking it.
I like to give books with some level of literary merit and depth/meaning for birthdays. I leave the fluffier stuff for other occasions. As it is his 16th I wanted to get him something meaningful.
We are Australian if that matters.
by illicit_llamallama
12 Comments
I got my son Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand for his 16th and he loved it.
>I like to give books with some level of literary merit and depth/meaning for birthdays.
I recommend Ernest Hemingway. ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is a particularly good choice, as it’s accessible and features themes that resonate broadly, especially with male readers of all ages.
Catcher is not a bad book.
I was just speaking with a young man today and recommended ‘Where’s My Flying Car’ by J. Storrs Hall and ‘My Inventions’ by Nicola Tesla. Both good non-fiction books.
For fiction, I’d recommend the Ashtown Burials series by N. D. Wilson. I’m listening to them right now alongside my children and they are excellent, well written, captivating books. They start with ‘The Dragon’s Tooth’.
The Lord of the Rings or Dune. Both long series w/lots to dive down into.
If he likes fantasy you might look at Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. Funny, incredibly rich world building, great characters, some pop culture satirical themes. Pratchett wrote Good Omens with Neil Gaiman. Plus there are a lot of books in the series.
Greenlights by Matthew McCounaghey
Sooley by Grisham is pretty good.
The Outsiders is a good book.
Call of the Wild by London and Kim by Kipling are classics I liked at that age.
It’s time for your son to meet the Discworld of Sir Terry Pratchett – starting with *Guards! Guards!.* They are fantasy, but with very deeply hidden moral messages and an almost unique point of view, blended with humour and a touch of pathos.
It’s been a while but I remember liking Ender’s Game when I was a teenager. The author sucks but it doesn’t show in that book. While Ender is a young main character it is a coming of age story that gives the reader a lot to think about.
Night WYch is one of my favorites. On Goodreads they have several reading order lists.The one I liked best was looking at characters or themes and then listed each group by publication date. You’d read all the Witches, then the Watch, etc.
That was the age I read the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman and it is still my favorite series. That or Discworld. Or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.