What book for 10th grade boy to inspire and captivate?

Deplorable

Deplorable

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Asheville
I need books that will inspire my 15 year old!

He’s a great kid (aren’t they all 🙄), and I want books that will interest him while inspiring him. I’ve thought of some of the classics (Call of the Wild, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Black Stallion…), but wanted to hear your thoughts.

So, what books have you or your boys read that had an impact or they just couldn’t put down?
 
I will always and forever recommend Lonesome Dove. I first read it sometime around that age and could not put it down.

Also the Century Series (or trilogy?) by Ken Follet. Same guy who wrote Pillars of the Earth. Which is also really good.
 
I always enjoyed Hatchet and Brians Winter. Also you cant go wrong with Jurassic Park and The Lost World, I mean the movie doesnt hold a candle to the book. Where The Red Fern Grows is still hard to beat for good ole country boys to read too.
 
The world made straight, and Serena both by Ron Rash. or really any of Ron Rash books and short stories. im not much of a reader now, even less in high school and i read both of these books. Both are based in WNC. If he is into history of early America (Like real early as the ice was moving) or hunting American Buffalo by Steve Rinella is also a good book.
 
The most important books would be about American History. This would help him understand so much about our lives in America Among my favorites is a little pocket book put out by an Insurance company in 1960 It’s a one page biography of each president. I think biographies are probably most interesting and maybe then the wars.
 
Hatchet, The River, My Side of the Mountain, Kama Sutra, etc.
 
What’s he into?
My son was huge into American Sniper at 14 and 15
 
Anatomy of the state by Murry Rothbard and Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand.
 
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I read this and tried to build a raft.... The Outsiders. Man that was a great one. Of Mice and Men... The Catcher in the Rye. When I was 15 I started reading what I call Modern Military history. First book I remember was Called Nam by Mark Baker. I also started getting into Sci-Fi back then. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote two series I read completely. The Barsoom Series Barsoom - Wikipedia And the Venus Series.
 
Anybody ever try to read those Redwall books? I could never understand what the damn badgers kept trying to say.... Although that was more around the 6-7th grade timeframe
 
In high school, I loved Mafia books, aerospace books (looks at Chuck Yeager) and ‘how things work’ books (mechanical, biological, etc…didn’t matter). Have never really been one for fiction. What are his interests, then curate auto/biographies from there.
 
Another vote for Clive Custler and Tolkien’s works. But it depends on what he’s in to. Hell, I found interest in a Technical Service Manual.

if he’s not interested in fantasy or action adventure, Cluster and Tolkien won’t interest him.

maybe hardy boys and Tom Sawyer are his speed. Doesn’t matter as long as he’s reading!
 
I started reading the Dark Tower series by Stephen King around that age. It is hands down my favorite series and I have read through them multiple times(currently reading through it again)

Like all King novels, it does have sex/murder/expletives etc, but its no worse than what can be found on TV.

8 separate books in the series.
 
I was never a 15-year old boy :lol: but a guy friend made me read Ender's Game in high school. Another guy friend in college gave me the sequel, Speaker for the Dead. Great books.

Another vote for Chronicles of Narnia, Tolkien, Call of the Wild, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Jurassic Park. Ayn Rand made me want to stab my eyes, though.

Blood on the River is historical fiction as told by a 12-15 year-old boy on the Jamestown expedition and it was pretty good. The sequel book looks crappy, though.

Night of the Howling Dogs is a really good story about how a boy scout troop survived an earthquake and being washed into the ocean while camping on a beach in Hawaii.

Maybe a little dry for 15, but Extreme Ownership is written by a former Navy Seal and definitely inspiring.
 
awheelterd said:
You guys obviously are not reading every post. There is no reason the above post only has 3 likes :lol:
Click to expand...
I thought it was a solid lineup that was perfectly in line with the title of this thread.
 
I think the bible is the most published book in the world. Might be a reason for that. Got it all. Past history, future history, action, adventure, romance, life lessons & I'm sure I'm leaving something out.
 
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