David Barr Kirtley

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Reading List: Books for Teen Boys

September 19, 2010 by David Barr Kirtley 5 Comments

So in response to my last post, my parents write, “So our challenge to you is to create a list of 20 books that a 14-year-old boy would want to read. Heck, make it 10!”

Ten? You insult me, sir. Here’s 24 off the top of my head. Not necessarily the best books or my favorites (though many of them are), but simply my first stab at a list of books that I think have the most chance of being picked up and read by a typical 14-year-old boy.

(And for an in-depth discussion of the issue of boys and reading, check out Episode 2 of my Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast.)

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Dragons of the Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Homeland by R. A. Salvatore

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator
The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator
Singularity by Williams Sleator

The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Illusion by Paula Volsky

Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin
A Malady of Magicks by Craig Shaw Gardner
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
The Master of White Storm by Janny Wurts

The Long Walk by Stephen King
The Running Man by Stephen King
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
The White Mountains by John Christopher

Halo: The Fall of the Reach by Eric Nylund
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Feel free to suggest additions.

Filed Under: recommended

Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by author David Barr Kirtley and produced by Lightspeed Magazine editor John Joseph Adams. The show features conversations about fantasy & science … Read more

Comments

  1. siznax says

    September 19, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    wish i had read many of these. *bookmarks list*

    your lucky to have such thoughtful parents. ;)

    hey, what about the ladies!?!

    Reply
  2. siznax says

    September 19, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    geez, s/your/you’re/

    Reply
  3. Juhan says

    September 19, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    How about THE STARS MY DESTINATION? Or THE WIZARD OF EARTHSEA? THE COLOUR OF MAGIC?

    all very different books all. But still cool.

    Reply
  4. John says

    September 22, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    When I was 14, I couldn’t stop reading Lord of the Rings.

    And Asimov’s Foundation blew me away.

    Or what about Treasure Island?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. SF Signal: SF Tidbits for 9/20/10 says:
    September 20, 2010 at 2:41 am

    […] do editors want? Brent Weeks on Lazy Readers & Self-Indulgent Writers. David Barr Kirtley on Reading List: Books for Teen Boys. Michael May lists Top 5 Scary Comics Adaptations. Nick Kyme video-lists Cool gaming vids. […]

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Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by author David Barr Kirtley and produced by Lightspeed Magazine editor John Joseph Adams. The show features conversations about fantasy & science … Read more

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David Barr Kirtley

David Barr Kirtley is the host of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, for which he’s interviewed over four hundred guests, including George R. R. Martin, Richard Dawkins, Paul Krugman, Simon Pegg, Margaret Atwood, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. His short fiction appears in the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories.
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