What kind of books do 13 year olds read?

[Nikoel]

As a result of a writing prompt (www.writersdigest.com) I came up with a character who I'd really like to write about, however she's only 13 and I just for the life of me have no clue what to write about for 13 year olds!

How long of books do they read? What types of books?

I'd really appreciate any help or ideas!

 

[akasmom]

Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Lemony Snicket, Wrinkle in Time; many like Judy Blume (author), I don't myself, but she's popular.

 

[Lyle]

13-year-olds are not completely different from greater literary works. The chapters need to be smaller, but the over all size does not always matter. Take Eragon as a prime example. The language should be to the point, alot of imagery should be in the text, and there should not be any confusing analogies

 

[heron]

They're at the strangest in-between age. My daughter started reading 400-page Chrichton and Grisham then, and my son stuck to 100-page Wishbone. They're capable, but still love animals and silly things. They don't like condescension.

I think the Peretti Cooper kids series was perfect for that age group...exploring the unknown, out-of-the-box Christianity, adventure, not too many descriptive words to bog reading down.

Holes, Shiloh series, Brian's Winter and Hatchett, Ginger Pye also went over well then. I liked them, anyway!

You could place yourself into the life of some adolescents to hear how they talk and think---teach Sunday School for a bit, or take a neice to a soccer game. They're all distinct personalities, and you will never write one book that pleases all. Dive into it, and you'll find inner hunches about wording, along the way.

 

[Nikoel]

*LoL* I wanted to do this age because I spent a lot of summers working with this age at a summer camp and I remember the kids all reading very different books!

 

[Hyrulian]

We like young adult books like Fire-us and the Warriors series.

 

[jesusfreak10537]

When I thirteen, I read Lord of the Rings, Lemony's Snicket's works, The Chronicles of Narnia, and whatever historical fiction book I could get my hands on. A lot of 13-year-olds I talk to like historical fiction.

 

[heron]

I just ran across my diary from when I was 13--no, really! I took out a book on ventriloquism. Does that help you?

 

[suzybeezy]

My daughter loves to read. When she selects a book, I watch her go through the book to see how long the chapters are first. This apparently is the first and most important part of selecting a book to her. Then she reads the back cover to see if the book is about a girl or boy her same age. She only wants to read about teen kids. She likes to read about kids that overcome obstacles and challenges. She also picks books that are "series". She really sticks with "teeny bopper" type books about girly stuff like boys and friends and drama!

 

[Lessien]

When I was 13, I read Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Holes, the Dear America series(historical fiction, like diaries of fictional American girls who lived in different significant parts of America's history), and pretty much every fantasy book I could get my hands on(except for Harry Potter).

 

[TheDandyMan]

I read cyberpunk. Most kids read nothing.

 

[jesusfreak10537]

Oh, yeah. I loved the Two Princesses of Bamarre. Most kids like that stuff, about princesses on missions.

 

[ConstanceB]

Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Lemony Snicket, Wrinkle in Time; many like Judy Blume (author), I don't myself, but she's popular.

Exactly! Teaching middle school, I found many girls were interested in Anne of Green Gables & the complete series, and books by the Bronte sisters & Louisa May Alcott. The writer "Avi" is also popular, and is a great example of genuine dialog.

The author of A Wrinkle in Time is Madeline L'Engel, and she has written several books, I believe about the same kids. One is A Swiftly Tilting Planet.

"Lemony Snicket" has written numerous books, each as funny as the others.

One bright, quiet 7th grader slipped me a wonderful note after reading the first of the Anne of Avonlea books. She wrote, "I finally feel like I've found my best friends!" Ask a librarian for some of the most popular books; check them out and read them. If they are classics (stuff that lasts), you will enjoy them as much as your kids.