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

[michelle888]

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?

[Gatefan1976]

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.

[LT. COL. John Sheppard]

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'

[The Urban Spaceman]

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?

[DigiFluid]

Asimov and Clarke are the obvious recommendations, though Clarke may be a little cerebral for someone so young.

[Gatefan1976]

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.

[Ukko]

Mills and Boon.

*Runs away*

[Gatefan1976]

Mills and Boon.

*Runs away*

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*beats Ukko with a rolled up Peoples Friend magazine*

[DigiFluid]

Mills and Boon.

*Runs away*

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*beats Ukko with a rolled up Peoples Friend magazine*

Could be worse. He could've suggested Meyer or Rowling

[Morgania]

Just 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? That's one of my favourite books. How about A Journey to the Center of the Earth?

[Gatefan1976]

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.

[MIZA]

I like Phillip K. Dick, he is pretty cool , but other books such as The Giver are a good read for young students

[magictrick]

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

[Teal'c_PI]

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.

[michelle888]

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!

[WingedPegasus]

I would definitely recommend the Mysterious Island, but it looks like he's already figured that out. Other Jules Verne books that I enjoyed were Five Weeks in a Balloon, From the Earth to the Moon, and Around the Moon.

If he likes classic lit in general, I highly recommend the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He may also enjoy Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

If he's into sci-fi, I have a few recs there as well:
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel - Robert Heinlein
Citizen of the Galaxy - same
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

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

Ooh, I second those.

[Flyboy]

For a kid... hmm...

Well I second Ender's Game. Very much so.

And quite frankly, would reccomend Starship Troopers, The Forever War, Jurassic Park, and of course, His Dark Materials.

[LT. COL. John Sheppard]

nice call on Jurassic Park Pieboy

[Flyboy]

nice call on Jurassic Park Pieboy

I *will* come after you. -_-

[LT. COL. John Sheppard]

and throw pies at me like a clown?