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Introduced my son to the classic writer Jules Verne - who do you recommend & why?

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    Introduced my son to the classic writer Jules Verne - who do you recommend & why?

    My son just read the classic by Jules Verne - 20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea. He was completely floored when I had him look up his bio to see when he was born & wrote the book.
    He is 13 - what/who would you recommend next?

    #2
    I would first ask whether leagues was an easy or hard read for him, and what about it he enjoyed. I *vaugley* remember going on a bit of a nautical kick after reading it way back when, but that's because I found that aspect interesting.
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      #3
      Matthew Riley he does amazing Military/Sci Fi books they are an amazing read and also the book 127 hours 'Between a rock and a hard place'
      Last edited by LT. COL. John Sheppard; 29 March 2012, 05:04 AM.
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        #4
        Tad Williams and Robert Westall are two great fantasy/sci-fi writers who have works which your son might enjoy. Particularly The Cats of Seroster, by Westall.

        As well as Jules Verne, I would recommend Philip K Dick, a masterful author, though some of his books have very deep meanings which a younger person may struggle to grasp. Also he addresses some adult things, such as drug use and abuse, which some people might not consider appropriate for younger readers (though you know your own son and his ability to reason better than we do). I would advise reading a couple of Philip K Dick books first (start with A Scanner Darkly or The World Jones Made) to see if you think they are suitable (they are good but fairly short, shouldn't take you too long to get through them) and if you think your son would appreciate them, let him read them. That way you can also talk to him about the themes afterwards.

        Going back to my first author suggestions, War of the Flowers by Tad Williams is a very good fantasy/sci-fi meld which I think might be suitable for somebody of his age. If he liked Verne, have you also considered A Journey to the Centre of the Earth?

        When I was his age, I was reading things like Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, some great Dickens books, etc. Can't be the classics. But you know, for more modern books, I'd say that the Discworld books are great, because you can do them chronologically and they are good for younger readers, and at the same time, challenging for adults too. Why not read them together?
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          #5
          Asimov and Clarke are the obvious recommendations, though Clarke may be a little cerebral for someone so young.
          "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

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            #6
            Another resource for you may be the scholastic book club: http://www.scholastic.ca/
            You can always look at the catalogues either behind his year lvl or ahead depending on where you feel he would be comfortable at.
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            ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
            A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
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              #7
              Mills and Boon.

              *Runs away*
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                #8
                Originally posted by Ukko View Post
                Mills and Boon.

                *Runs away*
                Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                *beats Ukko with a rolled up Peoples Friend magazine*
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                ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                The truth isn't the truth

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Ukko View Post
                  Mills and Boon.

                  *Runs away*
                  Originally posted by Gatefan1976 View Post
                  Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                  *beats Ukko with a rolled up Peoples Friend magazine*
                  Could be worse. He could've suggested Meyer or Rowling
                  "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

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                    #10
                    Just 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? That's one of my favourite books. How about A Journey to the Center of the Earth?
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                      #11
                      Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
                      Could be worse. He could've suggested Meyer or Rowling
                      Hey, Rowling has *some* merit to it, Mills and Boon though????
                      Thats the trash that even the other trash puts in the corner and won't play with

                      On a more serious note, Frankenstein might be a good read. It's not incredibly good or anything, but it fits in with the classics theme.
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                      ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                      A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                      The truth isn't the truth

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                        #12
                        I like Phillip K. Dick, he is pretty cool , but other books such as The Giver are a good read for young students
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                          #13
                          He can continue reading other books by Jules Verne. Some recommendations:

                          Journey to the Center of the Earth
                          Around the World in 80 Days
                          The Mysterious Island
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                            #14
                            Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
                            Asimov and Clarke are the obvious recommendations, though Clarke may be a little cerebral for someone so young.
                            I agree about Asimov, though his writing style takes some getting used to. But it's ultimately worth it in the end.
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                              #15
                              Originally posted by magictrick View Post
                              He can continue reading other books by Jules Verne. Some recommendations:

                              Journey to the Center of the Earth
                              Around the World in 80 Days
                              The Mysterious Island
                              Just found out that my son reserved The Mysterious Island at the library and my daughter put in a reservation for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in its original language - French.

                              Thanks for all the suggestions!

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