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Stephen King for teens?


C-Man

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My son is not the most voracious reader in the world. He'll be 13 in January and apparently asked his teacher what books he should perhaps read and enjoy out of class. I haven't cleared this with her but she apparently suggested Stephen King's Pet Semetary. I've never read a Stephen King book in my life but have enjoyed one of the film adaptations here and there probably with The Shining as my favorite (yes, I know King was not a fan of Kubrick's treatment). Seems I've always heard Pet Semetary is among King's scarier works -- is that wrong?

At any rate, I'm glad he's reached out to me to ask about buying more books for him to read for fun. He's seen quite a bit of the movies that defined my youth -- Airplane, Coming to America, Goonies, all Star Wars/Indiana Jones, Jaws, Aliens, Three Amigos, Romancing the Stone, Top Gun and so on -- so he hasn't been treated with kid gloves. I just don't want to give the kid nightmares from reading. He has watched Stand By Me with his mother and loved it.

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9 minutes ago, Texas St. Armadillos said:

Misery

Needful Things

11.22.63

The Novellas are great too for someone getting into King.

The first thing I'd tell him to read would be The Body from Different Seasons.  Then probably Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

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My older kid once was a voracious reader.  He read Eyes of the Dragon and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon when he was 9 or 10.  From there, he read 11.22.63 and The Shining.  He read IT when he was 12.  I keep suggesting Pet Semetary for him.  I listened to the audiobook earlier this year and enjoyed it.  It's creepy, but I think a 13 year old can handle it. 

Just bought an extra copy of 11.22.63 for my younger kid.  He's 11.

For your kid, I'd also suggest Different Seasons, but tell him to skip Apt Pupil.  Still possibly the most disturbing King story I've read (with the Patrick Hockstetter side story from IT as a close second).

Edited by dcbc
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Pet Sematary is one of my favorite King books.  I have read it maybe a half dozen times, the first time in my 20s.

Like most King books, it has a subtheme relating to life or human nature, in this case grief and loss.  It's also a ripping good yarn, with at least one great character in Jud Crandall.

I'm not sure any of the books are scary, per se.  He's a great storyteller and character developer.  I think it's that latter that gets him the rap of bad at endings.  You become so entangled with the characters, that it's difficult to accept their end and the end of the book.

Every boy that comes of driving age and covets or owns a first car should read Christine.

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That's a solid standalone read. Then, as mentioned above, if he catches the reading bug (or the 'King' bug), have him start the Dark Tower series. He won't be able to put that down. And that really isn't a scary series, it's a grand adventure epic in an alternate-Western reality.

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Tangent, but if you're trying to encourage a love of reading, you mention he's watched a bunch of movies. Are there some movies or some genres that he particularly loves? Many movies have book histories, and having some initial interest in the story from a movie may make those books more interesting for him, especially if he really wants to flesh out a movie more. Start with a love of a story in one media and use that interest to spread into other media.

 

The Star Wars canon for example, has many novels that are actually very well-written, touching standalone stories. (Choose carefully though, there's also a ton of poorly-written dreck in there.)

Edge of Tomorrow is based on the book All You Need is Kill, which is a not-difficult and fun read, ultimately a very human story.

Ready Player One, easy fun movie with a ton of gaming and pop culture references (though maybe before his age), and easy fun book.

Dune is my favorite single Sci Fi book, it has numerous video games, movies, and TV series. Not an easy read unless you're interested in the world already via one of the aforementioned other media. (See the huge Dune thread in the Movies forum for more info.)

The Hunt for Red October is a tough read just because of length, but if you see the movie and want to really flesh it out, it'll be an engrossing read.

The Witcher is a very popular TV series and a whole series of fantasy novels that are fun reads.

Harry Potter, obviously.

Lord of the Rings, obviously.

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On 12/14/2020 at 10:00 PM, austingirl said:

Mine is 12 and is reading Pet Sematary. I warned him to just make sure to put a few hours between reading it and bedtime. I mean, I still won't read it near bedtime. The Stand is my favorite SK book and if he's up for it I'm fine with him reading it if he wants.

About the same age when I read Pet Semetary. Good advice on reading well advance of bedtime.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i read my first Stephen King book (Carrie) at 10, Salem's Lot at 11...that one DID actually gimme nightmares, but it was glorious lol

of course, i snuck The Exorcist and Deliverance off my parents' shelf at 10 as well...

my reading voracity was probably not standard 😊 

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