Fantasy Recs for 11-y.o. boy?

[pegasi&prefects]

I want to chime in with the "School for Good and Evil" series by Soman Chainan. Ostensibly Middle Grade, but enthralling for grown ups as well, with lots of action, mild horror and humour, so perfect for an 11 year old. And they have the magical boarding school thing going on.

(I'm going to assume he isn't put off by female protagonists, I know these books have a large following among boys.)

I'm going to second the Dragonlance rec, at least for Chronicles. Now, they make me wince, but at twelve my entire inner fantasy life took place in those books. There are sexual references, though, if that is an issue.

I honestly simply thought that the theme (in the DOP books) of the dragonriders having sex, due to their DRAGONS having sex, regardless of the gender of the rider, might not be apropos for a boy his age.

As a parent, I find the consent issues concerning. As a twelve year old girl, they really upset me, although I couldn't quite articulate why, only that they made me feel bad.

[crich70]

The Once and Future King by T.H. White might be one of interest as well. Perhaps Watership Down?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by pegasi&prefects

I want to chime in with the "School for Good and Evil" series by Soman Chainan. Ostensibly Middle Grade, but enthralling for grown ups as well, with lots of action, mild horror and humour, so perfect for an 11 year old. And they have the magical boarding school thing going on.

(I'm going to assume he isn't put off by female protagonists, I know these books have a large following among boys.)

I'm going to second the Dragonlance rec, at least for Chronicles. Now, they make me wince, but at twelve my entire inner fantasy life took place in those books. There are sexual references, though, if that is an issue.

I suspect I'm being over-circumspect, but hard to go wrong, in that direction, if you think about it. When he's older, great, but...

As a parent, I find the consent issues concerning. As a twelve year old girl, they really upset me, although I couldn't quite articulate why, only that they made me feel bad.

I read Dragonflight, second-hand, in...the mid 60's, I think. I was in my teens, and I can tell you, it perturbed me when I "got" it. First, it perturbed me as a woman (and thus, obviously, rider of queens)...it was more pronounced with Moreta, and the (can't remember his name) rider she was "stuck" with. I mean, Lessa got the rider she wanted (man, that sentence just doesn't come out right), essentially, but Moreta was, IIRC, saddled (this sentence keeps getting worse) with someone she loathed.

And then, when I was a bit older, and realized what it meant for the riders of green dragons, well, as a mid-teen, back then, it shocked me. I wasn't a sophisticated kid when I read them, not the kid I would be in a few short years. I don't know where she (McCaffrey) was really going with it--it certainly wasn't a women's lib issue, god knows--and it was disturbing to me across the board. Hey, if a green rider was gay, terrific, but if not, it was right up there, to me, with the "taking" of the queen rider. Both were pretty abhorrent to me.

It's a shame, because I think that she did an amazing job of world-building and storytelling, otherwise. Feminism issues aside (I mean, in addition to the whole "lack of sexual consent" item for either gender), which I try to ignore, just as I would for any book written by someone raised in a vastly different time/age.

Hitch

[dickloraine]

Originally Posted by pegasi&prefects

I'm going to second the Dragonlance rec, at least for Chronicles. Now, they make me wince, but at twelve my entire inner fantasy life took place in those books. There are sexual references, though, if that is an issue.

I read them a long time ago, so maybe I misremember, but I just don't remember any sexual references in the original books. Okay, there is this barbarian couple, and some flirting with the barmaid. But it is all non sexual. Just like in any disney film. They love each other would die for them etc. but I don't remember any sex. I'm not even sure if there is a single kiss in the whole chronicle series. But as I said, it was a long time ago.

[pwalker8]

I'm a bit surprised that no one has mentioned Tamora Pierce's assorted books. Probably the best known are the Song of the Lioness series and Protector of the Small series. She also has a number of other books, some set in the same world, others not.

The Artemis Fowl stories by Eoin Colfer are modern fantasy and might appeal to him. Let's face it the idea of a 12 year old as an evil genius has to appeal to any 11 year old boy.

[JSWolf]

I would highly recommend the Castle series by John DeChancie.

Castle
1. Castle Perilous (1988)
2. Castle for Rent (1989)
3. Castle Kidnapped (1989)
4. Castle War! (1990)
5. Castle Murders (1991)
6. Castle Dreams (1992)
7. Castle Spellbound (1992)
8. Bride of the Castle (1994)

Imagine life in an ironically magical world where 144,000 doors separate fiction from reality. A place that can hypnotize even the most grounded philosophy major and deliver a fantastical rhyme to his reason. A place where a best buddy resembles a shaggy carpet, and adventures surpass a boy's dreams - welcome to Castle Perilous.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by crich70

The Once and Future King by T.H. White might be one of interest as well. Perhaps Watership Down?

I agree on Watership Down.

While I really like The Once and Future King, I think the sexual overtones won't be OKed.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I agree on Watership Down.

While I really like The Once and Future King, I think the sexual overtones won't be OKed.

I hadn't actually read it. I guess I equated it with Disney's "The Sword in the Stone."

[meeera]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I'm a bit surprised that no one has mentioned Tamora Pierce's assorted books. Probably the best known are the Song of the Lioness series and Protector of the Small series. She also has a number of other books, some set in the same world, others not.

They came to mind for me, but I crossed them out because of the "no sexual references" requirement.

[pegasi&prefects]

Originally Posted by dickloraine

I read them a long time ago, so maybe I misremember, but I just don't remember any sexual references in the original books. Okay, there is this barbarian couple, and some flirting with the barmaid. But it is all non sexual. Just like in any disney film. They love each other would die for them etc. but I don't remember any sex. I'm not even sure if there is a single kiss in the whole chronicle series. But as I said, it was a long time ago.

Tanis doesn't get out of Kit's bed in a lust-induced haze for days, despite her being, you know, plot twist. A few mentions of her ebil promiscuity. And then you have a painfully double-standards discussion of whether Tika is a virgin or is sleeping with every customer ever; later her actual loss of virginity happens. There is elf/dragon sex, too, "after omg I saw her naked and she didn't faint so it must be love". I remember a cringeworthy flashback thing about Raistlin sleeping with one of Caramon's cast-offs, too.

And Laurana's father says she is sharing the beds of aaaallll the male Companions and calls her a whore. Such a nice daddy.

It's all pretty PG, if sexist as hell, but if the standard is no sexual references at all, I thought it was worth mentioning.

(A long time for me, too. But... I was obsessed. I bet you can tell.)

[dickloraine]

Hehe, now I remember. I just wasn't interested in this aspects when I read the series. What is appropriate or not for that specific boy, I can't say. At least there are no explicit sex scenes, as in describing the act. What references are offending or not, lies in the eye of the beholder.
Like you I loved the books as a kid. Now I think they are badly written, have large plot holes and only comic relief characters. But they must have something that attract kids. At least they are better than the books about a certain dark elf ;-)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by crich70

I hadn't actually read it. I guess I equated it with Disney's "The Sword in the Stone."

The Sword in the Stone is only a part of the legend of King Arthur.

Once you get to the part of Aurthur becoming a King, that's where things get a bit adult.

[PeterT]

The various books by Kenneth Oppel; possibly more on the Sci Fi side, but never the less, all very good. http://www.kennethoppel.ca/pages/books.shtml

I initially read Airborn, Skybreaker and Starclimber before moving on to most of his other books.

The bat series (Silverwing, Sunwing and Starwing) was also most enjoyable. Darkwing could be considered a prequel to that series.

[pwalker8]

Going back and looking at the books that my nephew asked for when he was 11, I see that he got the youngest Templar Trilogy by Michael P. Spradlin. Not exactly a tradition fantasy with elves and such, but more about Grail legend and the like. Very highly rated though.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The "Golden Compass" books are as much from an atheist worldview as the Narnia books are a Christian one.

And this is bad exactly how? (I know, you're just the messenger and all, so not meant personally)

I know, being an outspoken atheist in (most of) the US is still a career-limiting move...