Classics for Early Teens?

I am trying to get my little brother to start reading some decent material, do you folks have any recommendations as to what would be suitable for a fourteen year old boy?

THE JEWISH WARS by Josephus, plenty of blood and guts action to hold a 14yo's attention. Is this the sort of thing you mean?

Sounds good, I'll take a look at it.

For getting a teenager to read?

Dragonlance Chronicles.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Dragons of Winter Night. Dragons of Spring Dawning.

Somewhat stereotypical fantasy trilogy but the characters are fun. If he likes it he'll devour more from the fantasy section of the bookstore. Maybe even let you steer him to the more complicated books. But it's a good place to have people start reading Fantasy. As opposed to the much slower, if literarily better, Lord of the Rings. You'd have more trouble keeping his attention with that one.

Puffin Classics

All the books you need to read in a format for young people.

Dickens, Verne, Doyle, Twain, Alcott, Kipling, Stevenson, Montgomery, Dumas...

Your brother will be so full of English, American, and French literature he'll invade Germany.

Originally Posted by Col. Tartleton

...Your brother will be so full of English, American, and French literature he'll invade Germany.

Impossible! If he's European, his ass is already owned by Angela Merkel!

Suggested readings: 'Aesop's Fables' and Gaius Julius Phaedrus' 'Fabulae Aesopiae'

Originally Posted by Col. Tartleton

Puffin Classics

All the books you need to read in a format for young people.

Dickens, Verne, Doyle, Twain, Alcott, Kipling, Stevenson, Montgomery, Dumas...

Your brother will be so full of English, American, and French literature he'll invade Germany.

Haha, made me laugh. Ill get on amazon. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I'd advice "Harpo Speaks!"

The biography of comedian Harpo Marx, its an easy read, has a lot of humor to it while being a bit of a history lesson as well without being preachy. Harpo really had a fun and interesting life and here he tells of some inside stories of the other marx brothers as well as some of his friends of the Algonquin round table.

Dune

Brave new world

Dangerous liaisons

Originally Posted by John Doe

Dune

For a 14 year old you're trying to get interested in reading? Good lord you're horrible. Go with Ender's Game first.

Foundation

People really need to stop recommending more advanced books like Foundation to a 14 year old. Let him actually get into sci-fi first. Sheesh.

A Song of Ice and Fire books, and if he likes TV he'll probably get into them fast. Lord of the Rings and Hobbit obviously, and if he likes intelligent satire I'd recommend Terry Pratchett. These are books I read from > 9 years.

Originally Posted by Mhaedros

A Song of Ice and Fire books, and if he likes TV he'll probably get into them fast. Lord of the Rings and Hobbit obviously, and if he likes intelligent satire I'd recommend Terry Pratchett. These are books I read from > 9 years.

ASOIAF for a 14 year old ? Now I don't like age restrictions myself but that seems a bit too young imo. He won't get half of what's going on and he'll get wrong ideas from the other half he does get.

Maybe the Old man and the Sea ? It's pretty boring but it's only like 80 pages long IIRC

Originally Posted by Killerbee

ASOIAF for a 14 year old ? Now I don't like age restrictions myself but that seems a bit too young imo. He won't get half of what's going on and he'll get wrong ideas from the other half he does get.

Ye, that's true probably a bit too early for most people.

Armor by John Steakley.

Anne Frank's Diary

Animal Farm

Harry Potter (and yes, I'm actually fairly serious. They're a good introduction to long-winded series)

I remember reading the Alex Rider series as a young teen. They seemed to appeal for me from what I can remember.

Originally Posted by Manco

Harry Potter (and yes, I'm actually fairly serious. They're a good introduction to long-winded series)

This is a good suggestion. Starts out simple and then ramps up the complexity after it reels him in. After he's suckered by that one is when you could actually throw a real classic or just a real book at him instead of some thing formatted for young people/teenagers like those Puffin Classics or whatever they are. Good suggestion there.

I'm 14 years old too, so perhaps I could be of some help.