i heart books Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I volunteered to help run a teen book club. The books have to appeal to both guys and girls. They cannot have mature themes, cursing or controversy. Hopefully some that can be read aloud in one or two visits. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Hmmm...that is indeed a difficult one. I think prospero's right - most teen or young adult fiction has at least one of those elements, which is probably why teens read them. (At least in my experience.) Maybe some of the younger members have some ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I'll have to have a think about this one - most of the teen books I've come across do seem to try dealing with issues relevant to teens and so touch on things like sex, drugs, swearing, family breakdown, as well as a whole host of other potentially hard-hitting themes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Its a toughie but something to think about and I do love a mystery. I was going to suggest 'When Hitler stole pink rabbit' by Judith Kerr but that might be too young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 What do you mean by mature themes and controversy? They are somewhat subjective terms. I would recommend Susan Hinton but her books could be said to contain controversial themes I suppose. Cursing occurs but no actual profanity appears in print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I'm not sure if this book would be too young, but I read it aloud to my classmates during my senior year of school and they seemed to like it. It is The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I don't know what length you have in mind, but it only has 79pgs including illustrations. I consider it a moral story about poverty, imagination, and friendship that is sad and uplifting for all ages. The book begins like this: "Today, Monday, Wanda Petronski was not in her seat. But nobody, not even Peggy and Madeline, the girls who started all the fun, noticed her absence." If your interested you can find it on amazon.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 The adrian mole books are a good and fast read at any age so they spring to mind. Not sure I can think of any other books without swearing tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly2008 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Robert Swindells books I loved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carica Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Can't think of any teen books that teens would want to read that didn't include controversy or mature themes. Swearing comes by the by with some but not all. Not everyone likes fantasy so you're presumably thinking about real-world kind of stories? Okay, how about books by David Almond? They are a little bit magical-realisty but deal with emotions and 'different' characters. Skellig, or Clay, or The Fire-Eaters, or Kit's Wilderness are all good. Michael Morpurgo writes pretty depressing books really but they have mature themes without going over the top: Private Peaceful, When the Whales Came,. Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea is a good story about family and 'green' issues. What do you mean by mature themes? Nothing to do with boy/girl relations at all? Or things like war (lots of good books around set in WW2). Books which are no way offensive are the Casson family books by Hilary McKay. There are five books in the set about different members of the family. But they don't necessarily appeal to all boys. Geraldine McCaughrean's books are usually very good and not "dealing with teen abortion" kind of thing. Any of her books would be good but Peter Pan in Scarlet is pretty ace. Or pick a classic like Black Beauty or Treasure Island. You won't read them over two sessions though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelofboox Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 What about The Five People You Meet In Heaven, by Mitch Albom? Is death a mature theme? I seem to remember it being fairly short - so it may be possible to read it in a couple of sittings, and I think it would be interesting teens and upwards, if not all ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 What about Agatha Christie's mystery books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Hey, most kids love gory deaths! They are into mummys, zombies, monsters that attack etc etc. Deaths caused by getting hit on your head with a candlestick will seem tame by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbain Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 My 13 year old son read a book called Skellig which was from the school library and he recomended it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hey, most kids love gory deaths! They are into mummys, zombies, monsters that attack etc etc. Deaths caused by getting hit on your head with a candlestick will seem tame by comparison. Oh, I know that. I was a kid once, although I keep that information quiet. I was merely pointing out that the OP seems to be a hit-and-run poster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 My 13 year old son read a book called Skellig which was from the school library and he recomended it. Hey, I love this book! I read it last year in Year 7 in English and I found it amazing. I must find it one day.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carica Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 quote=tbain]My 13 year old son read a book called Skellig which was from the school library and he recomended it. Hey, I love this book! I read it last year in Year 7 in English and I found it amazing. I must find it one day.... Okay, how about books by David Almond? They are a little bit magical-realisty but deal with emotions and 'different' characters. Skellig, or Clay, or The Fire-Eaters, or Kit's Wilderness are all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Caroline B Cooney's TIME books ( series ) are wonderful and fit into this box quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbel Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 My 15 year old twin daughters have both become addicted to a book series written by Australian Author John Marsden. This series seems to be very popular over here in Australia, the girls tell me all their friends are reading them to. Tomorrow when the war began The dead of the night The third day the frost Darkness, be my friend Burning for revenge The night is for hunting The other side of dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I've waxed lyrical about John Marsden's series on here a few times before, I think, Shelbel! I think it's an awesome series as well, and I've re-read it many times. I started with the first book when I was about the same age as your daughters (26 now). We read Tomorrow, When the War Began for English in Year 8 and I recall that everyone loved it (very unusual for a book selected by the school!) and the next couple of books were always in high demand at the library. At that time, it was only a trilogy, but I think it was shortly after that that Marsden released the next book. I'm so glad teens are still enjoying them just as much! Have you considered reading them? I know they're about teenagers but they're the kind of books that are very enjoyable for adults too. I liked that Marsden never clearly stated the characters' ages. This meant that I was able to imagine them as being 15 when I first read the series; the next year when I was 16, they became 16 as well, and it continued that way until I finally left school and had to leave them behind I still re-read the entire series every year or two - the characters are very much like friends to me. Are you aware that John Marsden did another spin-off of the series called The Ellie Chronicles? It's based on Ellie's life after the war and the books are just a continuation of the other series (and just as wonderful). The books are called: While I Live Incurable Circle of Flight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbel Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Thanks Kylie for sharing how you discovered the John Marsden series. One of my girls has not been much of a reader until her sister introduced her to this series. Now she can't put a book down, which is great! As a mum, it's always wonderful when your children find books that capture their imagination, and continues to nurture their love of reading. After reading how much you still enjoy this series as a adult, I think I will put these books on my TBR pile. It would be so much fun to be able to share these books with my girls. P.S. I told the twins about the Ellie Chronicles and they were very excited to have something to continue on with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Glad I could help, Shelbel I really hope you enjoy the series as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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