Martha Wells' Books of the Raksura, Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series, Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys series, most of Barbara Hambly's catalog, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, anything by Robin McKinley.
Simon: I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can... How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep? Mal: You don't know me, son. So let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed.
'Serenity'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Dana - Apr 10, 2018 4:42:47 pm PDT #25011 of 28200
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
Pix - Apr 10, 2018 4:47:14 pm PDT #25012 of 28200
The status is NOT quo.
Kate, what about all of the Tamora Pierce books?
bennett - Apr 10, 2018 5:14:09 pm PDT #25013 of 28200
- Anything else by Gaiman
- Mary Stewart's Merlin books
- Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog
- Mary Renault's The King Must Die and Bull from the Sea (since he liked Beowulf)
- Gilgamesh
bennett - Apr 10, 2018 5:17:46 pm PDT #25014 of 28200
I read the Susan Cooper books and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books at his age, but it sounds like he might've already read them.
Maybe Patricia McKillip's books?
meara - Apr 10, 2018 5:19:44 pm PDT #25015 of 28200
Yaaaas, everything Dana said and definitely Tamora Pierce!
Consuela - Apr 10, 2018 5:28:49 pm PDT #25016 of 28200
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix
Well, anything by Robin McKinley except Deerskin, I think. That's still a bit too adult for me, although it does have wonderful dogs.
LeGuin's Annals of the Western Shore, which are YA and deal with power and oppression in interesting ways while still being (I think) interesting stories.
Rosemary Sutcliff novels -- they're set in Roman Britain, far enough away to be functionally fantasy. Similarly, and more modern: Gillian Bradshaw's historical novels, like Beacon of Alexandria and Dark North.
Michelle Cooper's Montmaray novels, which are sort of AU but mostly historical fiction. (But wonderful and everyone should read them.)
Guy Kay's Fionavar Tapestry (although it has a non-graphic rape scene). (I don't recommend most of his other novels for reasons too complicated to get into here.)
Has he read Garth Nix? The Sabriel books are good, and age-appropriate.
I read the Tearling novels this last year: they're probably too dark for him at this age, although they are technically YA.
John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began and its sequels, although I think it needs some examination for the racist implications of the premise and execution. It's still excellent adventure stories with serious investigation of war-related trauma.
Oh, oh! Kate Elliott's Court of Fives sequence, which can be described as American Ninja Warrior meets Little Women in a colonized East Africa. Also YA.
Oh, and of course! Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief and its sequels. Don't tell him ANYTHING. Just read them.
For graphic novels, I highly recommend Digger by Ursula Vernon. It's brilliant and everyone should read it.
Summer in Orcus by Vernon (under her T. Kingfisher pseud) is an excellent portal fantasy with a pre-teen heroine.
Hope that helps, and I should mark this because my nephew turns 10 soon and will want new reading material...
-t - Apr 10, 2018 5:30:20 pm PDT #25017 of 28200
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Skullduggery Pleasant series
Updraft
Kate P. - Apr 10, 2018 5:45:26 pm PDT #25018 of 28200
That's the pain / That cuts a straight line down through the heart / We call it love
You all are the best. I knew I could count on you. Thank you!
Katerina Bee - Apr 10, 2018 7:29:09 pm PDT #25019 of 28200
Herding cats for fun
Oh man. Reading The King Must Die and The Bull From The Sea gave me a bigger Greek mythology crush than the big yellow D'Aulaire book of stories did. Good times! Even if I was a bit young for all the sex scenes.
Clive Barker's Abarat is YA friendly and if you get the older editions the colorful art is amazing.
Is he too young for Dune?
Read on, young person!
Matt the Bruins fan - Apr 10, 2018 8:45:44 pm PDT #25020 of 28200
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
John Bellairs' The Face in the Frost is a must-read.
C.S. Lewis' Narnia books might be a good choice if he doesn't regard them as kid stuff.
Charles De Lint's Moonheart isn't a classic, but might be worth a look.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Lythande collection is pretty good, and though it deals with some adult themes regarding gender I don't think there's anything graphic.