Ideas of books for a boy age 12+ ... stuck for Christmas presents!

[Headgardener]

Biggles Did It for Me
That's a statement rather than a book title though

The Swallows and Amazon series are good as well. In fact I have the series on my Kindle and just need to download and read Missy Lee and We Didn't Mean to go to Sea to complete it.

 

[rich p]

Were you Ginger?

I was, but you could only tell form Biggles Flies Undone

 

[Night Train]

An encyclopedia based on a favoured subject? I loved the Science one I got when I was kid.

 

[vernon]

Ripleys Believe it or Not - this is an interesting alternative to The Guinness Book of Records

 

[MossCommuter]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0007232748/ref=pd_sxp_redirect

 

[craven2354]

The three hunger games books are a great read that good I've read them twice a lot better than the film

 

[DCLane]

@vernon - thanks. Ripleys ordered and Moonfleet was free for Kindle . Yep, I like free presents.
@Headgardener - thanks. I've got a sample sent to his Kindle.
@mickle - I'd love to get him the Cyclorama book but he's not into bikes . One day he'll see the light.
@MossCommuter - we've got the Dangerous Book. His 8yo brother has it, and has managed to blow several things up by following the book's instructions

Re. Biggles - my uncle is/was President of the Biggles Society http://wejas.org.uk/ but I don't like Biggles!

I'm going to try to get stuff from Amazon as I've got about £400 of credit on there to spend.

 

[slowmotion]

Tales of daring-do in WWII hit my buttons, but I'm old.

( rich P prefers WWI stuff )

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Some of the Azimov science fiction books along with John Windham.

I was well into science fiction books at 12. And Asterix.

 

[MacB]

Biggles, Jennings, Molesworth and Swallows & Amazons are all ones I remember fondly. I also enjoyed things like Alan Garners Weirdstone of Brisingham, Moon of Gomrath etc, Susan Coopers Dark is rising series. Richard Adams Watership Down, Plague Dogs and Shardik. Plenty of others I can't remember now and the suggestions for some of the scifi are pretty good as well, Asimov is very accessible for a younger age as is Larry Niven.

More recently my kids have been through the Harry Potters, the Alex Rider series, Skullduggery Pleasant, Percy Jackson, Charlie Higsons, truly scary, horror ones and various others.

Thinking on it I remember liking the Hardy Boys and Alfred Hitchocks Three Investigators series as a kid as well.

 

[MossCommuter]

I remember liking the Hardy Boys.

this

I had forgotten

 

[ASC1951]

Some of the Azimov science fiction books along with John Windham.

Yes to John Wyndham, but I'm not sure of Azimov - too Cowboys and Indians in a different setting. Go for Arthur C Clarke, especially The City and the Stars, or Childhood's End. Or Fred Hoyle, The Black Cloud, Ossian's Way.
At that age I also liked Rosemary Sutcliffe, C S Forrester, Conan Doyle, Ray Bradbury, H G Wells. Oh, and Alan Garner - deceptively adult stories, simply told: try The Owl Service, Elidor or Red Shift.

 

[Kestevan]

Michael Grant - Gone an acceptant start to a cracking series.
Terry Pratchett - the diskworld books
Jonathon Stroud - Amulet of Samarkand
Ursula leGiun - the Earthsea trilogy
Neil Gaiman - A Graveyard Book, Coralline or Stardust

All cracking reads in a sci-fi / fantasy genre overflowing with crappy glowing vampires and floppy haired boy wizards :-)

 

[MacB]

Darn I should have remembered Rosemary Sutcliffe I bought some of them last year for my sons. Agree on Arthur C Clarke but Asimov can be fun and thought provoking.

The Owl Service, must buy that for them I remember it as pretty spooky, though may seem very tame compared to the new Charlie Higsons.

 

[slowmotion]

I never quite got SciFi.
That USSR film knock-off of "2001" was easily the low point of my life.

Edit: I just remembered those never-ending hours at The Arts Cinema.....it was called SOLARIS.
It started at 11:30 pm. I'm not sure that I ever totally recovered....