If he’s interested in WWII, there’s a ton of great books with first-hand accounts written by the guys who lived it, but there’s two paperbacks that were standouts for me that don’t seem to get mentioned a whole lot. One is written by Jack Lucas, youngest recipient of the MOH for diving on a Jap grenade on Iwo Jima and pulling a second underneath him that he hadn’t noticed previously, and he lived to write a book about it it titled “Indestructible.” The other is written by Raymond Gantter, titled “Roll Me Over” and details his tour through the ETO from just after D-Day through liberation.

The Hobbit is great. I’ve read it a few times and my (almost) 10 year old is 2/3 of the way through it. I recently read Ready Player One and it was good, even better than the movie. I’ve heard good things on Ender’s Game from a friend who read it. Dune?

Sci-fi: The Stories of Ray Bradbury
Horror: Amityville Horror

My wife is an 8th grade English teacher, she said some common favorites by boys in that age group right now are The Maze Runner series by James Dasnher, “Stormbreaker” by Anthony Horowitz, and “Lost Hero” in the Percy Jackson series (newest book). Its really hard to say without knowing what hes into. She said boys that will typically only read what they’re interested in at that time, be it sports/scifi/survival/fantasy.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Important, inspirational, enthralling, unforgettable, and potentially life changing.

Or Seabiscuit, also by Ms. Hillenbrand.

Her research is incredible.

If he is into hunting, Capstick’s Death in the Longgrass or Col. Patterson’s The Maneaters of Tsavo.
For humorous reading material, anything by Patrick McManus.

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
... Dune ...

Every 15 year old should be digging into this one.

My son just finished this book and said it was fantastic. At almost 700 pages it should keep him occupied. Based on the reviews it is for more advanced readers and is a bit dark. My son enjoys history and really liked the look into many periods and events from the main character's perspective.

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume One: At the Edge of Empire

https://www.amazon.com/Death-L...ch-One/dp/1481411403

A review snipped from the Amazon customer feedback:

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch is a modernized and macabre Peter Pan adventure. When I say "modernized" I mean the distinct style Daniel Kraus employs in his narrative of a boy who could not die, and would not grow up.
Zebulon Finch is born in the late 19th century and is killed when he is 17. More than a distinct examination of the human condition from a myriad of perspectives, Zebulon also experiences the rise of America. The progression of a 17 year old boy through a life he never wanted, and would never accept as entitlement is an interesting and surprisingly emotional ride. Kraus uses historical events to line up the plot and puts Zebulon in the middle of everything.
This boy was caught up in the rise of organized crime in Chicago, the evolution of the film industry in California, civil war, great war, and prohibition, Zebulon sees it all. He struggles in this to understand the consequences of not only his own actions, but the actions of others. Emotionally, he doesn’t really grow up. He’ll always be 17, a criminal, a soldier, and an experiment.
Not knowing if or when his life will finally end, Zebulon cannot begin to grasp at the ideals of reparation, war, and sacrifice. He sees his own daughter grow old, tries to steer her from, in his mind, a morally ambiguous path. Great nations rise and fall, and all Zebulon wants is a normal life, a normal death. Instead, he is forced to watch the people he loves grow old, grow desperate, and die fighting. And regardless of injury, he continues to exist. His life meant nothing, but his death shows him everything.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, if he enjoys sci-fi and finds absurdity funny.

Marine Sniper 93 Confirmed Kills

Every teenage should boy should read it.

Another vote for Jack London's Call of the Wild.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The wife and I used some B&N gift cards we had laying around to pick up the graphic novel version of "The Hobbit" and the Young Adult Edition of "Unbroken".

Terry Pratchett Discworld stories were entertaining.

In addition to what's already been posted, (particularly Robert A Heinlein) the "Monster Hunter International" series and Grimnoire Series (starting with Hard Magic) by Larry Correia are very entertaing fiction series, with a lot of guns involved.

Patterson writes both mysteries and YA books, but I don't know if he's ever done a YA mystery.

Buettner's "Orphan" series is great military/coming of age Sci-fi.

Erik Larson writes history books that literally read like novels.

At his age he will get a kick out of The Lawdog Files African Adventures.

If he is a runner, "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall is an excellent book on long distance ruuning and how to minimize injuries.

Chris Kyle's "American Sniper".

"Bachelor Pad Economics" is a useful book for a young man to read before reaching college age.

"12 Rules for Life, An Antidote for Choas" by Jordan Peterson should probably be read by everyone.

Thanks, Nuclear--it's nice to know I'm not the only RAH fan here! I have read and re-read all the books I listed many times--my personal favorites are "The Star Beast" and "The Door Into Summer", with "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" and "Citizen of the Galaxy" coming in second.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz and Michener's Centennial. Those two will keep him occupied for quite some time, and he will enjoy them.

Miller's book looks interesting to me. A series of 2 books..., just checked the first out of the library.

Continuing with recommendations, I'd add James Clavell.

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

I read it when I was about 15 and found it very interesting.

From Amazon: "More than half a million copies of Chickenhawk have been sold since it was first published in 1983. Now with a new afterword by the author and photographs taken by him during the conflict, this straight-from-the-shoulder account tells the electrifying truth about the helicopter war in Vietnam. This is Robert Mason’s astounding personal story of men at war. A veteran of more than one thousand combat missions, Mason gives staggering descriptions that cut to the heart of the combat experience: the fear and belligerence, the quiet insights and raging madness, the lasting friendships and sudden death—the extreme emotions of a "chickenhawk" in constant danger."

If he's looking for quick entertainment then I would suggest The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.

Serious but fast reading; The Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley. THE best book on practical economics I've ever read. I've used the principles on hobbies mostly, but I wish I had applied it better in other areas. It can be downloaded off the internet as a .pdf.

V.