Listened to instead of read aloud but my 11 yo and I liked

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook (kid raised in a minimum security prison—warm and interesting)

See you in the Cosmos - I think it would be interesting to see if your two kids perceive what’s going on differently bc of their different ages

Not that boys can’t like books with female main characters, but I’ve found it hard to find fiction with boy characters that’s not adventure/survival, sports, or fantasy. Both of these books were rare and great exceptions!

Anonymous wrote:Makes me happy that parents still read to their teens/tweens.

Same- I love it! OP + you must have really nice familieshe world.. Glad to hear there are boys like this in

Hatchet.

Then… the Hail Mary project.

The Guys Read anthologies edited by Jon Scieszka

http://www.guysread.com/

Makes me happy that parents still read to their teens/tweens.

Anonymous wrote:Survival books - Call It Courage, Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, etc. I’ve heard Hatchet is good, but I haven’t read it myself.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Interworld by Neil Gaiman
Victory by Susan Cooper
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Great Brain
Hidden Talents by David Lubar

Please do your research on this book. In the last chapter, there is a detailed suicide planned by a child. Not something I’d want my kid ever reading.

The Last Cuentista
It’s the End of the World and I’m in my Bathing Suit
Honestly Elliott
The Magical Imperfect
Leonard My Life as a Cat
Ground Zero

Survival books - Call It Courage, Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, etc. I’ve heard Hatchet is good, but I haven’t read it myself.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Interworld by Neil Gaiman
Victory by Susan Cooper
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Great Brain
Hidden Talents by David Lubar

Is all magical stuff out? I'm thinking about Terry Pratchett and Discworld books -- maybe Nation, or the Tiffany Aching series

Have you tried How to Train a Dragon series? My 12 year old son loves those.

Additional Ideas:

Realistic Fiction:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Fantasy:
The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (long but we loved it)

How about some historical fiction?

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Where the Red Fern Grows
My Side of the Mountain
John Christopher’s Tripod trilogy (the first one is The White Mountains)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved being read Isaac Asimov at that age (although I also loved Tolkien when my dad read it so YMMV). Do they like historical fiction? My sister read me Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett when I was 13 or 14 although it's pretty complicated/requires a certain willingness to roll with not understand the vocabulary and context of what is said. You could also try murder mysteries -- Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie or more modern options.

Thanks for your response. The older does not like too much stopping for explanations. At the same time, I think the problem we are having is that he's ready for more interesting, older books. I know kids' books and I know adult books, but I don't know much about that in-between stage. Sherlock Holmes might be perfect, though. I'm going to try that, thanks; I never would have thought of that on my own!

If they like Sherlock Holmes, that should keep you going for a while! Also (I had to go dig through my bookshelf for non-fantasy for you because I never outgrew "magical" books ) you could try King of Shadows by Susan Cooper or Mr Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester for less complex historical fiction options.

Anonymous wrote:I loved being read Isaac Asimov at that age (although I also loved Tolkien when my dad read it so YMMV). Do they like historical fiction? My sister read me Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett when I was 13 or 14 although it's pretty complicated/requires a certain willingness to roll with not understand the vocabulary and context of what is said. You could also try murder mysteries -- Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie or more modern options.

Thanks for your response. The older does not like too much stopping for explanations. At the same time, I think the problem we are having is that he's ready for more interesting, older books. I know kids' books and I know adult books, but I don't know much about that in-between stage. Sherlock Holmes might be perfect, though. I'm going to try that, thanks; I never would have thought of that on my own!

I loved being read Isaac Asimov at that age (although I also loved Tolkien when my dad read it so YMMV). Do they like historical fiction? My sister read me Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett when I was 13 or 14 although it's pretty complicated/requires a certain willingness to roll with not understand the vocabulary and context of what is said. You could also try murder mysteries -- Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie or more modern options.

Having trouble finding something to read to my kids.
The 11 year old has broader interests, has recently enjoyed these series: Percy Jackson, Maximum Ride, Slacker, Harry Potter, Endling.
13 year old is tougher; he's outgrown "magical" books like the ones above. Recently he's liked Ghost, Crossover, We Are Family, Long Walk to Water (11 year old liked all of these as well).

Books that either one or both hated so we couldn't even finish: Wednesday's War, The Hobbit, Travel Team, Spy School,

I'm a few pages into Hitchhikers Guide, but I don't know if it will be a winner.

Any more ideas?