I just read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which I thought failed as an adult novel but would be perfect for a twelve year old. I don't mean it as an insult -- I really believe this book should be reclassified as YA, because I didn't feel it touched deeply enough or touched on issues that were raised on an adult level. But the book is about two twelve year olds, and it would serve as a great introduction to the time period and some of the racial issues present in the United States. The story is about a Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl in 1942, when the U.S. was forcing the Japanese Americans into internment camps.
For twelve-year-old boys, I recommend the entire Alex Rider series. Alex is a fifteen-year-old kid who has been recruited by MI-6. He gets into all kinds of life-threatening situations, and the villains die gloriously horrific deaths, but not until Alex has mouthed off to them in his wonderfully sharp-tongued way. Boys in that age group love this stuff.
It really depends on the gender and the interest of the Child. My sister read a lot of girly books and romance novels while I always enjoyed fantasy novels and classics. My brother took to classics like I did, and he sort of liked fantasy, but he really loved sci-fi. Here's a list of books we read as children growing up. A Fault in our Stars A Separate Peace A Series of Unfortunate Events A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A Walk to Remember A Wrinkle in Time The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn Alice in Wonderland Animorphs Anne of Green Gables Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Behind the Looking Glass The Big Friendly Giant The Book Thief The Breadwinner Bridge to Terabithia Canoeing with the Cree Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlotte's Webb Chronicles of Narnia Ella Enchanted The Giver The Golden Compass Goosebumps Harry Potter Series The Hatchet The Hobbit Holes The Hunger Games Series The Indian in the Cupboard The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance) James and the Giant Peach The Last Mission The Last Song The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Little House on the Prairies Looking for Alaska Lord of the Flies Lord of the Rings Series Matilda My Sister's Keeper The Notebook The Outsiders Paper Towns Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series The Phantom Tollbooth The Polar Express Redwall Series The Secret Garden The Secret Language of Girls The Silver Sword The Silverwing Series Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants To Kill a Mockingbird Treasure Island Tuck Everlasting The Twits The Witches Where the Red Fern Grows White Fang Keep in mind this list is diverse, from romance (A walk to Remember) to fantasy (The Hobbit) to historical fiction (White Fang) to wilderness survival (The Hatchet). Some of these books discuss coming of age (Are you there God, It's Me, Margaret, The Outsiders), and some are novels on family values (Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie).
Harry Potter is a good choice. A very interesting book. I think this book's content fits your child because at first the author wrote it for children. then because of readers growth of age, the book's content was more compliccated but it still fits children. I can't forget the great feeling when I was 12 years old, held the book and sunk into the marvellous world. The author was very good at describing charater's mind, especially Harry Potter, a child in normal world stepped into strange world where he faced dangers and went through it with friendship and courage. The book is also like detective with unpredictable happening.
That's funny cause when i was 12 i don't recall loving those books. To me Alex Rider was too silly in the 6th grade and i think they are a waste of time. I prefer stories with meaning in them. For the OP, i suggest you read The Cry of the Icemark or Pendragon.
I'm fifteen so I have an interesting outlook on what is an interesting book for a twelve year old. Percy Jackson series for sure, Harry Potter. But if you want a real INTERESTING read for a twelve year old, look no further then Ender's Game. The writing is simple enough for a teen to read and will get them engaged pretty easily. I read it a few months ago and I reread it a few weeks ago. There is swearing in it but, to be honest, and I mean no offense to the parents, I guarantee you that twelve year olds swear all the time. I did. All my friends did. And this book is good enough to let the grip loose on the child and let them read the book.
Yeah, I remember reading those in grade three and thinking... What? Is this for five year olds. No offense to the original poster, but keep in mind that twelve year olds will be reading books like animal farm, 1985 (a little later), A Catcher in the Rye, and others that are a high level of reading. YA books are great for them, but let them discover those themselves. Parents should be introducing new and challenging books.
Ha! Point well made--your mileage may vary. I plugged the Alex Rider stuff because I read the entire series with three boys ages 10, 13, and 16, and the middle kid specifically couldn't wait for the next book to come out. (I'll also confess that I got into the books myself, as I felt they were written with a strong voice and a crisp style.) When I was twelve, I was consuming Agatha Christie novels by the yard, so everyone's experience is of course different. Also not terribly meaningful stuff, but even guilty-pleasure genre stuff is not without its value, especially if the author knows how to tell a good story.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Excellent fantasy epics. They will probably challenge him and they are violent and "adult" enough to secure his interest, but not too violent or "adult" that they will put him (or you) off.
I Am Number Four, I LOVE those books! Also Percy Jackson (but you've read that already, right?), The Hunger Games (surly you've read THAT, right? Hint: the correct answer is YES), Artemis Fowl is a good one... Oh! Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. Those books are AWESOME! Though they only sell the first three in the US I am a book nerd, I could go on forever. This is just the basics Another good one I hope you read is the Montrumologist by Rick Yancy and UnWind by Neal Shusterman. UnWind is the BEST book ever, I read it twice both in a day. I just finished reading the second one.
I'll back Ender's Game. It's like Harry Potter in space, but with enough gritty material to keep adults interested. I read it in one sitting, as did another bloke I know who became a best mate after we had that Ender's Game fan-club conversation. I'm about to recommend my (nearly) 14 year old read it. Ender's Game: it rocks!
Lorien Legacies. Totally great! Book one: I Am Number Four. Book Two: The Power of Six. Book Three: The Rise of Nine. Percy Jackson & the Olympians series is also perfect for twelve-year-old kids. Also its sequel series: The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero; Book Two: The Son of Neptune; and the upcoming sequel Book Three: The Mark of Athena; and two more books.
hello all! I agree with the Percy Jackson or Lorien Legacies they are both great a series. I would suggest (obviously depending on what he likes) that he could try some of the smaller Warhammer 40K novels such as the Horus Heresy. A sci-fi series of all out galactic war with enough action to keep anyone entertained. (I am a super geek!)
