My Teen is Reading Again! #Books for Boys #amreading #YA

My son reading one of the ASOIAF
books on the London tube during a 2016 trip

Hands down, reading is my favorite pastime, and I love books so much, I write them as well.  I've always tried to get my two sons into reading, with varying results.  My younger son, who is now 17 (!!!!) was always the bigger reader, but they both could be hooked with a really great story.  The problem is, I can't always find those really compelling novels that will pull them in immediately.  And because I'm an author, they know terms like "the hook", "the conflict", "the author's voice", etc.  It's hard to argue if they tell me they can't connect with the characters or the pacing is slow. 

So, five years ago, I started blogging about some of the books and series they really loved (links to those posts are below).  I have three posts over the years with titles they've enjoyed.  My oldest son is now in college, with a summer internship in full swing as well, so his time is limited.  But my younger son has a lot of downtime this summer, and I really wanted to get him reading again.  I say "again", because we hit a roadblock a few years ago.  In 2016, he read the A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones), tearing through all five enormous books currently out (and I'd read them as well, so I do know there are adult scenes but my feeling has always been if my kids are reading, I'm happy, whatever it is).  The problem arose because those books are so incredible, so intricately plotted, so full of danger and battles and dragons and betrayals, so exciting and action-packed, that nothing he started reading afterwards could compare.  I tried several books that are similar in theme or genre, but he just kept saying they weren't as good and losing interest.   

I'm sad to say this went on for almost 3 years.  We tried The Dark Tower series, other Stephen King books, River God, Swan Song...all great books that I loved.  He would put them down after the first chapter.  The only novels he read were for school, and I generally don't find our school makes very compelling picks.

But this summer, I said we're going to get back into reading for pleasure.  I started with an Amazon search of books related in purchase history to the Quarantine series, which both my kids loved and couldn't put down.  I found a title called Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne.  He loved it!  This is a YA thriller revolving around a busload of kids of different ages trying to survive in a supermarket after an apocalyptic event.  Thankfully, there were two more books in the series, so we had July covered.

A few of my next picks didn't grab his attention, but another thing happened...he rented the first Lord of the Rings movie.  I was surprised he hadn't seen those movies already with his brother or his friends.  But now he's saying he'd like to read the books too (despite already seeing the movies)...yay!  That's how he got into the Game of Thrones books, so I'm hopeful.  And when a series is *his* idea, and not mine, it makes it all the more likely he'll keep reading.  And here on Cape, the kids don't go back to school until after Labor Day, so we have a few more weeks of beach reading relaxation!


Other recommendations over the years:


Books for Boys

Books for Boys 2

Books for Boys 3

#Books for Boys~ Teen Version Upper #YA #amreading

My younger son, attempting
to read while standing up
on the crowded tube in
London (the A Song of Ice
and Fire series)

Hands down, my absolute favorite pastime is reading...even more so than writing.  I've literally never been bored in my life, thanks to my love of reading, and things like waits in airports and doctors' offices make me happy, because it's an excuse to read.  I've done my best to instill my love of reading in my kids, but it hasn't always been easy.  It requires a bit of work on my part, in terms of searching out the type of books that capture their attention fast, and that can actually compete with all the technology available to kids today.  But I'm up for the challenge!

My first Books for Boys post (written in 2014, when my boys were 12 and 15), was so popular, in terms of hits, that I followed it with More Books for Boys a few months later.  Now, my kids are 15 and 18 (how did that happen?), so I thought I'd write about a few other series that have been favorites of my sons in the past few years.  Both boys are very picky, one because he's a reluctant reader, and the other because he's such an avid reader, with an author for a mother, that he's able to quickly vocalize things he doesn't like...i.e., he'll tell me there's no hook, the pace is too slow, etc. -- what can I say to that?  Those are all valid complaints, and I can't argue that he's at least picked up some of the topics I teach in my writing classes.  So hopefully these suggestions will work for other teenage boys looking for page-turning entertainment!  Fair warning, though...like me, my boys appreciate some pulse-pounding, life-or-death action, as well as some scary scenes that up the stakes for the characters.  Younger teens or those who don't like that sort of thing might want to avoid the scarier titles.

The Loners (Book 1 of The Quarantine series) by Lex Thomas: a YA dystopian thriller series described as "Lord of the Flies in a 21st century high school setting".  When a high school devolves into chaos following a military quarantine, survival becomes a desperate challenge.  With no adults left inside to fill the vacuum of authority, violent gangs form as social cliques band together to maintain strength in numbers.  But protagonist David Thorpe and his younger brother, Will, have been always been loners...and now, it's just the two of them against the rest of the students.

My kids could NOT put these books down, even my older reluctant reader.  In fact, when I packed the second in the series for him for our trip to London, he finished it in a few days and I had to download the next one and share my Kindle!  Comparisons have been made to popular YA novels The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Gone, so any fans of those books might want to give this series a try!  The books are: The Loners, The Saints, The Burnouts, and the latest release, The Giant.

These covers alone are super creepy!

Lockdown (Book 1 of Escape from Furnace series) by Alexander Gordon Smith: another survival-type thriller, this time set in a hellish prison for teen offenders called Furnace.  There are many terrors lurking in the prison, and when the protagonist Alex realizes justice will not help save him from this nightmare, he devises an escape plan--but the secrets he learns about the Furnace soon put him in even more danger.  Fast-paced action and enough scares to keep readers engaged.  Books in the series include Lockdown, Solitary, Death Sentence, Fugitives, and Execution.  

There have been a few different covers
for these amazing books

A Game of Thrones (Book 1 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R.R. Martin: *not* a YA series, but the inspiration for the very popular HBO show featuring the dark high fantasy series filled with amazing characters, dramatic plot twists, epic battles, and unrelenting action in the quest not just for power and control, but for human survival as well.  

As I mentioned, this is not a YA series, and there is heavy subject matter and scenes with sex and violence.  Unfortunately, actual history is filled with similar incidents, so we use these topics as a springboard for conversation (for example, the main plot is loosely based on The Wars of the Roses in England). So, yes, I let my teens watch the show, which certainly employs some racy scenes.  But there are only a few things my two teen boys want to do with me, and watching the show based on books I raved about is one of them.  The show veered away from the books in a number of very significant ways, so I mentioned they might want to read the novels to not only see what happens in the books, but to discover plot points, backstories, and characters that never made it into the show.  This worked on my younger son, and he tore through all five huge novels, and now we both anxiously await the sixth.  The books are: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons.  These books were also part of my annual "Favorites Books" post for 2012.

The Gunslinger (Book 1 in The Dark Tower series) by Stephen King: Another epic high fantasy series with a memorable cast of characters on a quest to find The Dark Tower, complete with touches of the spine-tingling horror King is known for.  The journey through this world, which has "moved on", takes readers through bleak landscapes, deserted cities, desolate beaches, and magical spots that connect to our own world.  While my kids haven't read these yet, almost everyone I know who has liked Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire has also enjoyed The Dark Tower.  It's now being made into a movie, so I've purchased the first book to get them started before it comes out.

So there you have it, what my teens have been reading this past year.  Feel free to add your own suggestions in comments below!
  

More #Books for Boys - #amreading - Kathryn Knight

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post with book recommendations for boys--Books for Boys--and I'm thrilled that it's received so may hits.  My younger son, age 12, continues to read books at a pace that almost parallels me at his age.  So I'm doing a second post with recommendations based on his latest favorites:

Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull.  One of our cousins passed the first book to us, and I handed it to my son when he was out of reading material.  He was hooked!  He absolutely tore through the entire series:  Fablehaven, Rise of the Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Keys to the Demon Prison.  This is a bestselling fantasy series revolving around a secret sanctuary for magical creatures.  The main characters, 13-year-old Kendra and 11-year-old Seth, are the grandchildren of the caretaker of this mystical preserve, which they discover when they solve a puzzle while visiting their grandfather.



The Underland Chronicles is another great, but lesser known, series by Suzanne Collins, the author of the wildly popular The Hunger Games trilogy.  These five fantasy novels feature main characters 11-year-old Gregor and his 2-year-old sister Boots, a pair of siblings who live in New York City.  When they fall through a vent in the basement of their apartment, they find themselves in a hidden world located under the city, where all types of unusual creatures live along with other humans.  The books are Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, and Gregor and the Code of Claw. 


As mentioned in the first Books for Boys post, he truly loved the Peter and the Starcatchers series by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry.  So I did a Goodreads search on the authors, and found that Ridley Pearson wrote a series called The Kingdom Keepers.  In a funny twist, I discovered this right before we left for our Disney vacation.  So my son enjoyed Disney After Dark while we were actually at Disney, and he's since read Disney at Dawn and Disney in Shadow.  The rest of the series currently includes Power Play, Shell Game, Dark Passage, and The Insider. The books revolve around a group of teens who spend their days working as holographic hosts at Disney.  But when night falls, they face villains seeking to control not only the parks, but the world.



We often travel on long car rides to visit extended family, and I try to find a book we might all enjoy, which I then read aloud.  This is how we discovered The Hunger Games, and I'll never forget how sore my throat was on that trip because of the multiple pleas (from both the kids and my husband) for "one more chapter".  So on our recent Easter trip, I brought along Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card.  This had been on my list for a while, but since it's a YA book about a boy selected for an elite Battle School in space, I figured it might be a hit.  We're about halfway through at this point, and my kids really enjoy the descriptions of the military training drills and practice battles in the zero-gravity battle chamber.  The main character, Ender, is a clever strategist who sets himself apart as a leader from the day he enters the school--although this, combined with the fact that the adults are grooming him to lead their forces to victory against invading aliens, makes his childhood very different from the one he envisioned with his family on Earth.

Hope this list gives the parents of kids who enjoy fantasy or sci-fi adventure--boys or girls--some new ideas!  Feel free to leave any other recommendations in the comments below.  Happy reading :)

Finding New Reads - Kathryn Knight

How do you find your next book?  Surveys show that friend recommendations are the number one reason a person tries a book, and I've certainly found some great reads that way: Outlander; Pillars of the Earth; Lexicon; Twilight; Whitney, My Love; and the fantastic A Song of Ice and Fire series were all suggested by friends or family members.  Many of these books would never have hit my bedside table or my Kindle otherwise, and many of the ones I've listed above made it onto my favorites lists of 2012 and 2013. 

Of course, I've tried a few books due to recommendations that simply didn't interest me.  What then?  Well, the obvious choice is to go for other releases from an author I enjoy.  But as a voracious reader, I usually still need more ideas.  I've found the "Readers Also Enjoyed" lists on Goodreads to be a great resource.  Looking up Diana Gabaldon's amazing time travel/historical romance Outlander and paging through the similar books to the right led me to The Bronze Horseman trilogy by Paullina Simons, which I absolutely loved.  I've also discovered other great historical romances such as Into the Wilderness, Forever Amber, and Katherine.

I use these lists to find books for my boys, as well.  My son's passion for the Peter and the Starcatchers series generated new ideas for middle grade books to try.  There are also "groups" on Goodreads that often have threads based on finding books similar to a well-known bestseller.  Members of the group can chime in with their choices; I've found a number of great ghost stories that way.

A movie or show based on a book usually sparks my interest.  Since I much prefer reading to watching movies, I always go for the book first (and often exclusively).  Recently added to my list: Ender's Game, Winter's Tale, and The Book Thief.

My TBR list is always growing as a result of interesting blurbs I see on social media.  The authors of The Wild Rose Press write romance in many subgenres I enjoy (paranormal and historical being my favorites), and I've featured a number of my fellow authors on my blog - for example, an interview with the author of a series set in ancient Rome and one set in Regency England.



SILVER LAKE on the right

Finally, there's nothing like browsing a book store when you have time.  Both Gull Harbor and Silver Lake have premium shelf space in local book stores, and I hope the beautiful covers catch the attention of customers looking for a suspenseful love story.  Personally, I could spend all day in the stacks, reading blurbs and first chapters...but of course that's rarely an option! 

How do you find your next great book?

GULL HARBOR - both books were picked
for local book club reads!

Books for Boys - Kathryn Knight

As a mom who is passionate about both writing and reading, I think I've done a good job modeling my love of books for my kids.  I can't remember a period in my life when I wasn't reading a book (or two at a time)...and apparently before I could read, I memorized the words to my picture books.  I "caught" more than one babysitter trying to skip lines to shorten a story!  My father would faithfully take me to the library each week, and there was never a shortage of books on subjects that interested me.  It's obvious from my own novels that romance is a particular favorite of mine, but I enjoy reading every genre.  I'm happy with compelling memoirs, entertaining fantasy, creepy horror, spine-tingling suspense, sweeping historical fiction, and unique literary fiction.

However, I have two boys, and sometimes it's hard to find books that really engage them...especially in these days of constant electronic stimulation competing for their attention, not to mention friends and sports.  My older son (a 9th grader) is especially tough--while he will read, it's never his activity of choice.  My younger son (a 6th grader), is a different story--he loves to read, as long as he likes the story.  And he knows what he likes.  At 12 years old, he uses terms like "the author's voice" and "the hook" with confidence.

Of course, there are a number of well-known series which tend to draw in even reluctant readers: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games...but I'm going to try to throw out some suggestions that parents may not have heard of.

My 6th grader's favorite series, by far, is Peter and the Starcatchers, by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry.  While I haven't read these myself, I know from Barry's columns and adult books that he's hilarious.  My son read the first in the series at school, and then absolutely tore through the next four: Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, Peter and the Sword of Mercy, and The Bridge to Neverland.  As you may guess, these books provide a backstory for the character of Peter Pan.  My son literally could not put them down.

Both my boys really enjoyed the Book of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau: The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and The Diamond of Darkhold.  In this post-apocalyptic setting, Ember is an underground city slowly running out of supplies and power.  The protagonists find clues that could possibly lead them to the outside world--and safety.

It's also probably apparent from my novels that I love ghost stories, and I must have passed that to my kids.  All three of us have truly enjoyed Mary Downing Hahn's spooky ghost stories.  I read Deep and Dark and Dangerous out loud to them when they were a bit younger, and they've gone on to read a bunch of others: Wait till Helen Comes, The Doll in the Garden, Time for Andrew, Promises to the Dead, The Old Willis Place, All the Lovely Bad Ones, and Closed for the Season.  There are a number of other books by Hahn with different themes they've enjoyed as well.


Another series they enjoyed is Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix.  These seven books are set in a dystopian society that allows only two children per family due to food shortages.  A third child must be kept secret from the government's "Population Police", or risk imprisonment or death.  The first book is Among the Hidden, followed by Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.


Finally, I've tried to capitalize on my 15-year-old's interest in The Walking Dead television show (which I admit I also love) with some books based on the original graphic comics.  Please note, the graphic comics, in my opinion, are not suitable for kids...I am referring to a trilogy of novels about the character of "The Governor" written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga: The Rise of the Governor, The Road to Woodbury, and The Fall of the Governor.  These are books for the upper YA crowd, as they deal with a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world, and there is sure to be some violence and mature content.  But the subject matter and familiar characters might appeal to older kids who watch the show, and possibly get them reading.

That's all for today!  Please feel free to leave your recommendations, and thanks for stopping by.

Edited to add: Because this was a popular post, I did a new list with more of my boys' favorites: Books for Boys Part 2