Anonymous wrote:If they're interested in history my boys loved me reading Boys on the Boat to them. Note - there is a "junior" version of this but it skips all the Nazi/WW2 stuff which they actually found really interesting.

I'm 23:04 above. My boys liked the Boys in the Boat (not the junior version), too. The also enjoyed Seabiscuit (but this required a bit of editing on my part--for one thing, there's a big part on visiting prostitutes in Mexico) and the junior version of Unbroken (I myself was not up for the adult version TBH).

Anonymous wrote:Why are you reading to an 11 and 13 year old??????

The question is: Why are you not? Sorry you are all missing out on something wonderful.

If they're interested in history my boys loved me reading Boys on the Boat to them. Note - there is a "junior" version of this but it skips all the Nazi/WW2 stuff which they actually found really interesting.

Anonymous wrote:Why are you reading to an 11 and 13 year old??????

I’m a NP, but this post inspired me to start reading to my 10 and 13 year old again. It’s bonding time.

Why are you reading to an 11 and 13 year old??????

I read to my boys well into high school, one of my greatest parenting pleasures. Towards the end of his senior year in high school, my oldest asked me to re-read the entire Harry Potter series to them, sort of a last hurrah before college.

Some suggestions (some of these might seem like younger kids' books, but they are terrific stories and my 10-13 y.o. boys loved them. My kids also liked stories with male and female protagonists pretty equally):

Cheaper by the Dozen
The Four Storey Mistake and sequel Then There Were Five (I think these are our family favorites)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (truly a great American novel)
The Kid from Tomkinsville (if your kids like baseball)
My Side of the Mountain
Hatchet
Harriet the Spy
When You Reach Me
Holes

DH has been reading to 11 to DS. They’ve read and talked about some adult books (To Kill a Mockingbird, Lost City of Z with some on the fly editing), some kids books (Mr. Pudgins, Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians). They are currently reading the older fantasy series The Belgariad by David Eddings (features a teen as a main character). Basically, feel free to read it aloud if you think both of you will enjoy it!

How good are you at editing out racial slurs as you read? Agatha Christie might actually be interesting.

And why stick to fiction? I’ve been reading Wicked River to my 11 year old.

My kid is dyslexic, and one of the silver linings is that I have always read to him, and I still sometimes do. He's 15 and we are reading Born a Crime, alternating with the audiobook when I'm not available.

This may not be a popular opinion, but my kid ADORED The Hunger Games at 10, and read and re-read it. So that would work for both your boys if you are okay with the whole dystopian kids-killing-kids thing.

Or the Shipbreaker series - so well written, they are a joy to read out loud. Also dystopian, but not as violent.

Enders Game is also a good rec - the first book is fabulous, and there are two more that get a little weird.

How about The Hate U Give? My son loved it in 6th grade (does mention condoms, just in case that wigs you out).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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!

My boys really liked the Penderwicks series

+1 to Penderwicks, especially the first book. What about Ghost by Jason Reynolds? If they like it, then there are others in the series to read afterwards. I read it aloud to my DCs and they really liked it, although my oldest at the time was only 11 or 12. I think it's still enough of an entertaining read for OP's 13 yo to like it.