Book for a 12 yr old

[midtown 3345]

My son is not the biggest reader but he loves to learn and is very bright.  I'm trying to get him to read more.   Gets straight A's in a STEM program and in 7th now.  He is in the robotics club and will compete in FIRST.   He was bored on a drive and picked up my book that was in the seat and started reading it.   it was Factfulness so I gave him Freakonomics to read but he said he didn't understand a lot of the content.  So the question is are there good books like Freakonomics, or Gladwells books that a younger kid could read?  I've googled but didn't find much. 

Edited August 29, 2018 by midtown

[RoundRobin 828]

That s isn’t what you’re asking for but what about The Martian?  It’s got some good engineering stuff that may interest him. 

[atomheartbevo 89618]

Of Mice and Men if you want him to understand Texas football.

This also isn't what you are asking for, but the Martian trilogy from Kim Stanley Robinson might interest him, however it's got some sex in it.  Lots and lots of details about the science behind a colony on a Mars, but with the human interest stuff fully covered.

[HOOK'EMHOOAH 1610]

That's not a very good trade. What's wrong with the 12 year old?

[CooterBrown 18001]

That s isn’t what you’re asking for but what about The Martian?  It’s got some good engineering stuff that may interest him. 

I was going to recommend this. My 11 YO has read it like 20 times.

[midtown 3345]

I'll take a look at it. Ty

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Ten Bears 2479]

At that age my dad just gave me a Playboy .

[NeverMarryAStripper 21865]

And now you're posting here

[Fudge Nuggets 19184]

Penthouse Letters.  The classics never die.

[EvilCaseMcCoy 691]

Has he read any other gladwell books?  They are all pretty interesting and should be approachable for a 12 year old.  My first was The Tipping Point.

You looking to stay non-fiction here?

 

[The University 851]

[midtown 3345]

Anything.  I've never given him a Gladwell book.  He had a hard time with Freakonomics but I guess thats a little higher level reading.  Ill try Tipping Point after he finishes the Martian

[happyfunball 481]

[PokerFace 65]

Just saw this thread. Try Death by Black Hole by Neil Degrasse Tyson— A bunch of fun short essays about space.

[Viper 12097]

On 9/20/2018 at 8:29 AM, The University said:

Bingo, my kid loved this one we had a ton of fun reading it together and discussing the concepts. I guess you're looking for more science type books? Maybe try Flatland? 

[achooloco 1067]

In 7th grade, I read godfather, the sphere, last of the Mohicans, etc for my Kealing adv English class ... they aren’t stem but I say classics that don’t suck would be good. Maybe 1984? Or any Michael C. Books like andromeda strain or Jurassic park might be more sciency. 

[Rimbo 25908]

My recommendation is to head to a library and just start grabbing books and having him read the first couple of pages until it sticks.

Pick a book that's close to what he's already interested in.

[midtown 3345]

I ordered those two.. Then your dead and what if.  >Shit Ill probably read both as well.  

[midtown 3345]

On 9/20/2018 at 8:29 AM, The University said:

My son is loving this book. Thank you.  He's always asking me questions that completely stump me and my friends call me "cliff claven" because I'm full of worthless facts.   I'm going to put it on my list when he's done. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by midtown

[Viper 12097]

Mine has been into Roblox and Fortnite, so he's been reading those Diary of a Roblox Noob and Diary of a Fortinte Noob. I read one to him and...they are not great literature. I doesn't read like it had any kind of editor with bad grammar and sentence structure throughout. However he thinks it's funny and he likes that the settings and situations it talks about are familiar to him from playing the games. 

[bernorange 8359]

I started reading (good) science fiction around that age.  Look for Nebula or Hugo award winners or stuff from good authors like Asimov, Sagan, et al.

[tbone_ 14105]

Little different direction - but has he tried the Harry Potter books? My daughter is 12 and loves them, read em all 4 times. Amazingly complex stories imo.

What about Jurassic Park? Lots of science and philosophy in that book.

[WhatTheBuck 28771]

Get him started on Isaac Asimov. 

[tbone_ 14105]

Robert Heinlein is great science fiction too.

[WhatTheBuck 28771]

On February 28, 2020 at 8:24 AM, tbone_ said:

Robert Heinlein is great science fiction too.

Sure, give your 12-year-old a copy of Stranger in a Strange Land. Or Friday. 

Tunnel in the Sky would work. The Puppet Masters too. Let him read Starship Troopers so it will ruin the movie for him. 

Edited November 9, 2020 by WhatTheBuck

[Viper 12097]

there's a ton of those percy jackson books, something close to 20. Try the first of those too.

[UT_OB1 2213]

I really enjoyed Steam: The Untold Story of Americas First Great Invention

[Billy Pilgrim 1960]

I’m sure this topic is dead after the last couple of years but if anyone is still interested:

All 3 of my kids loved the Encyclopedia Brown books from about 8-12 yo. Not very adult and not much science in them but I thought they did a decent job of helping to develop critical thinking skills. 

[UT_OB1 2213]

22 minutes ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

I’m sure this topic is dead after the last couple of years but if anyone is still interested:

All 3 of my kids loved the Encyclopedia Brown books from about 8-12 yo. Not very adult and not much science in them but I thought they did a decent job of helping to develop critical thinking skills. 

I vaguely know if these but somehow missed these growing up.  Think the 9 year old might like them. 

[WhatTheBuck 28771]

The first Isaac Asimov book I read was Pebble in the Sky. I was probably around 12 when I read it. Maybe a little younger. It’s part of the same universe as the Foundation series. It starts in America in the 1940’s. The Galactic Empire novels, the Robot novels, the Foundation novels, they’re all part of the same story and it stretches over thousands and thousands of years. They’re great books for young people. What they lack in depth they make for in breadth. I can’t say in which order to read them. Maybe chronologically by when they were written? But when I got to the end of Foundation and Earth, the last in the series, it blew my mind. I could see it coming but it was just a joy to behold. It was perfect. (No spoilers.)

[tbone_ 14105]

Little different direction - but has he tried the Harry Potter books? My daughter is 12 and loves them, read em all 4 times. Amazingly complex stories imo.

What about Jurassic Park? Lots of science and philosophy in that book.

My nearly 15yo is now reading Game of Thrones. So there’s that.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

Given his age, he could likely enjoy Cosmos by Carl Sagan and the companion 13 episode documentary. I recommend the book most of all because reading text  is good for children in this day of video and smartphone. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space contains the description with which a lot of people are familiar and is one of my favorites.

 

[Jackson P. Neighbors 136]

Bumping because I "read" this last week in a few days and a 12 yo could do the same. Me and the boy are getting into astronomy and this is a fantastic guide meant as an intro but it also describes pretty complex concepts in easy language. If he is STEM and is curious about whats up there at all or wants a casual side hobby, consider it. $12 or so on Amazon.

The book also makes clear that H.A. Rey, of Curious George fame, was a really smart and funny person.

[Izhmash 562]

You may already have this...but I have enjoyed sharing "The Way Things Work" with my son. It's not a typical book, more of a reference / coffee table book, but my son really enjoys reading about these fundamentals (he's a few years younger than yours though). That said, like your son, mine is not much of a reader and as such, he is drawn to more graphic novels. I feel like this book is similar to graphic novels, but more technical vs story.

 

I was also going to recommend a slightly more advanced book called "Thinking Physics". Apparently it's only available used and it's crazy expensive now...wtf. Anyhow, if you can get your hand on a copy, it's another great resource for realistic explanations of how science drives the products that we use in our daily lives.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Izhmash
Removed Amazon link, Added pic of book cover

[CooterBrown 18001]

A Short History of Nearly Everything is a good read explaining a variety of science topics in layman terms. I highly recommend it for everyone and all ages.

[atomheartbevo 89618]

On 6/8/2021 at 9:03 AM, Billy Pilgrim said:

I’m sure this topic is dead after the last couple of years but if anyone is still interested:

All 3 of my kids loved the Encyclopedia Brown books from about 8-12 yo. Not very adult and not much science in them but I thought they did a decent job of helping to develop critical thinking skills. 

Yeah, liked those as a kid.  Also liked the Mad Scientists Club, and need to read that to my son.  

[tbone_ 14105]

Kiddo likes John Green books

[squeegeedegg 723]

When I was around that age I read a good bit of Asimov, Orwell, Bradbury, etc but many of those works have already been mentioned.  

I would like to suggest some history, in particular A Short History of the World, H.G. Wells.  It's not a premier historical read by any means but it reads really well and I gained an appreciation for history and humankind as a progressing and evolving story, interlinked with knowledge and discovery.  It can definitely feed a hunger to be part of what comes next

[Pato del Muerto 52484]

Everything he needs is contained within “where the sidewalk ends”

[Elvis 3369]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:45 AM, Izhmash said:

You may already have this...but I have enjoyed sharing "The Way Things Work" with my son. It's not a typical book, more of a reference / coffee table book, but my son really enjoys reading about these fundamentals (he's a few years younger than yours though). That said, like your son, mine is not much of a reader and as such, he is drawn to more graphic novels. I feel like this book is similar to graphic novels, but more technical vs story.

 

I was also going to recommend a slightly more advanced book called "Thinking Physics". Apparently it's only available used and it's crazy expensive now...wtf. Anyhow, if you can get your hand on a copy, it's another great resource for realistic explanations of how science drives the products that we use in our daily lives.

My parents got me this for Christmas when I was 12 and they put a nice inscription in it.  It definitely influenced me.  I finished my Aerospace degree, but didn't pursue it as a career.  I gave the updated version to my son at 10 for Christmas, also with a nice inscription.  We have had fun comparing the old vs new technologies, especially in computers.

[WhatTheBuck 28771]

Speaking of Isaac Asimov. I can’t recall exactly the order I read his books. The first one I read may have been Pebble in the Sky which I later discovered was in the same universe as the Foundation novels (as well as others). I remember getting a box set of four paperbacks that included The Gods Themselves and a collection of short stories called Nine Tomorrows. I can’t remember what the other two books were. But I remember the first book I read in that set was Nine Tomorrows and the first story in that book was titled Profession. It’s always been a favorite of mine.

You can read it here:

https://www.inf.ufpr.br/renato/profession.html

[MillerEP 30446]

If they like clean but hilarious fantasy, then I think that's a good age to start the Discworld novels.