Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 10:49     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dune.
The Martian
Jurassic Park
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A Walk in the Woods (if he’s outdoorsy)
Steve sheinkin’s history books for middle grades (like the one about the atom bomb)
March (graphic novel set)
Ready player one
Arc of the scythe series (my son likes these but I don’t know about whether they are too disturbing — they are dystopian, I know)


I’ll check my sons shelves and report back with more.


This is a great list and I’m a junior high school librarian. Throw in Project Hail Mary.


No snark intended here but as a Librarian in this age group you don’t recommend a wider diversity of authors?


I’d like to. 14 year old boys have typically very narrow interests in reading. Maybe some sports books but they are often poorly written for that age group.


Authors of fantasy and sci fi that have appealed to boys in that age range in my circles:

Becky Chambers
Katherine Addison (Referenced above)
Ursula K Le Guin
Martha Wells (also referenced above)
Nghi Vo (Singing Hills books)
Seanan McGuire

I think it’s important that young men don’t form the habit of only reading male authors especially in this genre. They’ll read plenty of them in school.

Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 10:25     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dune.
The Martian
Jurassic Park
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A Walk in the Woods (if he’s outdoorsy)
Steve sheinkin’s history books for middle grades (like the one about the atom bomb)
March (graphic novel set)
Ready player one
Arc of the scythe series (my son likes these but I don’t know about whether they are too disturbing — they are dystopian, I know)


I’ll check my sons shelves and report back with more.


This is a great list and I’m a junior high school librarian. Throw in Project Hail Mary.


No snark intended here but as a Librarian in this age group you don’t recommend a wider diversity of authors?


I’d like to. 14 year old boys have typically very narrow interests in reading. Maybe some sports books but they are often poorly written for that age group.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 09:24     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dune.
The Martian
Jurassic Park
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A Walk in the Woods (if he’s outdoorsy)
Steve sheinkin’s history books for middle grades (like the one about the atom bomb)
March (graphic novel set)
Ready player one
Arc of the scythe series (my son likes these but I don’t know about whether they are too disturbing — they are dystopian, I know)


I’ll check my sons shelves and report back with more.


This is a great list and I’m a junior high school librarian. Throw in Project Hail Mary.


No snark intended here but as a Librarian in this age group you don’t recommend a wider diversity of authors?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:47     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Has he read The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:34     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

My 14 year old’s favorite from that time is Project Hail Mary.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 08:32     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

What about classic mysteries like Agatha Christie?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 05:34     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Anonymous wrote:Dune.
The Martian
Jurassic Park
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A Walk in the Woods (if he’s outdoorsy)
Steve sheinkin’s history books for middle grades (like the one about the atom bomb)
March (graphic novel set)
Ready player one
Arc of the scythe series (my son likes these but I don’t know about whether they are too disturbing — they are dystopian, I know)


I’ll check my sons shelves and report back with more.


This is a great list and I’m a junior high school librarian. Throw in Project Hail Mary.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2026 00:09     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Scythe and the others in this series
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 22:53     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

What about The Martian or Project Hail Mary?

I read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at that age.

Starter Villian and Kaiju Preseveration Society have some swearing but I don't remember anything out of line for a 14 year old.

Discworld is pretty expansive, I personally recommend starting with Mort.

The Murderbot Novellas are quick reads and pretty tame.

The Queen's Thief I believe is YA but I enjoyed it as an adult.

I haven't it but Red Rising gets a lot of buzz.

I read a ton of Ray Bradbury at that age.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 22:44     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Dune.
The Martian
Jurassic Park
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
A Walk in the Woods (if he’s outdoorsy)
Steve sheinkin’s history books for middle grades (like the one about the atom bomb)
March (graphic novel set)
Ready player one
Arc of the scythe series (my son likes these but I don’t know about whether they are too disturbing — they are dystopian, I know)


I’ll check my sons shelves and report back with more.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 22:43     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

For mysteries, my teen son really enjoyed a bunch of Agatha Christie books. His first one was Murder on the Orient Express and then he read many others.

For other genres, he's enjoyed the Legendborn series, almost anything by Brandon Sanderson, Ender's Game, The Martian, The Will of the Many series, and Ember in the Ashes series. I can't comment re: if the content of these meets your requirements or not.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 22:35     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

The Wizard of Earthsea
The Hobbit
Over Sea, Under Stone
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 22:23     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

The Goblin Emperor. It’s not YA and there is a scene that includes an execution but it’s an excellent book.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 21:09     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

Any grown up or YA books that would appeal to him? Thanks!
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 21:08     Subject: books for 14 year old boy? adventure, mystery, fantasy

He's already read a lot of young adult series and might enjoy other things. He's liked Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Jack London (Call of the Wild) and a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm not a prude. However, no explicit torture, SA, or other really disturbing elements.