I would probably also recommend Tamora Pierce, although that isn't based on much; I really liked Wild Magic but wasn't as much in love with the one that came after it, and that's...all of hers I've read. Both are good with magic and fast-paced plots and heroines who actually do things, but I loved what she did with the protagonist's dialect in the Wild Magic, and in Wolf-Speaker she's talking completely proper because she's had grammar lessons now she's civilized and stuff. Which...okay, fine, but made-up dialects are interesting and I love them to death, so...yeah.
Also adding to the recc's for Lois Lowry, L'Engle, Artemis Fowl...ooh, Kenneth Oppel! I know I keep hammering on that for you personally, but I could see those being good for boys--Silverwing and Sunwing, at least, are from the POV of a young male bat, and Firewing is mostly as well (although the end of that one triggered my personal fling-across-the-room reaction, which was to take a hard bike ride until I rode my anger out--no, really), and Darkwing is kind of the same sort of thing. Whatever the case, they're very fun and fast-paced. He's also got a series about an actual human kid, which are sort of steampunk because mostly this kid flies airships, and what romance is involved is largely a crush on a girl who's also allowed to be a normal girl character. There's Airborn and Skybreaker, which I've read, and then apparently Starclimber is coming out next month.
Um...older teen guys would probably like Dresden Files. I'm not sure how old you'd have to be for those...they're not really explicit, as you've seen, but--well, yeah.
Re: Vivian Vande Velde. She is very good, overall, but uh...I would have to make a note on Companions of the Night, which is that I really, really do not recommend it. I read it after warriorofshadow said it was a vampire book that made her angry. And...yeah. The first few chapters are really good, and then we find out that the vampire in it is actually a dick, and the heroine does almost nothing, and it ends with her saving him from a villain who's even dickier (moral: vampires who do kill people are okay because some people are worse?) and telling him she loves him. Readers are left to wonder why. There are a few good scenes, but the majority of it really isn't worth it. Heir Apparent is pretty good, though, and Dragon's Bait is great; I liked Now You See It... too.
You might suggest Harry Potter, though--I seem to remember reading in Sherwood Smith's blog recently that fewer kids are actually reading the books, even though they're still watching the movies. So it would be worth asking if they've tried those, anyway, especially since they're apparently good for reluctant readers.
I feel like I at least know of some other good vampire books. And...I can't think of any of them except Sunshine.
Oh, well, speaking of Robin McKinley anyway, I could see Dragonhaven being good for teenage guys, at least since its protagonist is...you know, a teenage guy. Diana Wynne Jones is good for basically anybody; I'm not as in love with some of her earlier books, but Dark Lord of Derkholm and the Chrestomanci books are just plain fun. Oh, and what about Un Lun Dun? That's a great YA book.
Neil Gaiman, of course. InterWorld is YA and the sort that's compulsively readable. You might try the Pendragon books; I've only read the first two, but they're better than they look, written from the POV of yet another teenage guy. Oh, and Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles are good--great heroine in the first one, anyway. They kind of go a little downhill as they go along, I'm afraid--they're all still good, but Cimorene is an awesome character, and none of the others are from her POV.
And as usual, I'm sure I'll get back to you if I think of more.
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Also adding to the recc's for Lois Lowry, L'Engle, Artemis Fowl...ooh, Kenneth Oppel! I know I keep hammering on that for you personally, but I could see those being good for boys--Silverwing and Sunwing, at least, are from the POV of a young male bat, and Firewing is mostly as well (although the end of that one triggered my personal fling-across-the-room reaction, which was to take a hard bike ride until I rode my anger out--no, really), and Darkwing is kind of the same sort of thing. Whatever the case, they're very fun and fast-paced. He's also got a series about an actual human kid, which are sort of steampunk because mostly this kid flies airships, and what romance is involved is largely a crush on a girl who's also allowed to be a normal girl character. There's Airborn and Skybreaker, which I've read, and then apparently Starclimber is coming out next month.
Um...older teen guys would probably like Dresden Files. I'm not sure how old you'd have to be for those...they're not really explicit, as you've seen, but--well, yeah.
Re: Vivian Vande Velde. She is very good, overall, but uh...I would have to make a note on Companions of the Night, which is that I really, really do not recommend it. I read it after
You might suggest Harry Potter, though--I seem to remember reading in Sherwood Smith's blog recently that fewer kids are actually reading the books, even though they're still watching the movies. So it would be worth asking if they've tried those, anyway, especially since they're apparently good for reluctant readers.
I feel like I at least know of some other good vampire books. And...I can't think of any of them except Sunshine.
Oh, well, speaking of Robin McKinley anyway, I could see Dragonhaven being good for teenage guys, at least since its protagonist is...you know, a teenage guy. Diana Wynne Jones is good for basically anybody; I'm not as in love with some of her earlier books, but Dark Lord of Derkholm and the Chrestomanci books are just plain fun. Oh, and what about Un Lun Dun? That's a great YA book.
Neil Gaiman, of course. InterWorld is YA and the sort that's compulsively readable. You might try the Pendragon books; I've only read the first two, but they're better than they look, written from the POV of yet another teenage guy. Oh, and Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles are good--great heroine in the first one, anyway. They kind of go a little downhill as they go along, I'm afraid--they're all still good, but Cimorene is an awesome character, and none of the others are from her POV.
And as usual, I'm sure I'll get back to you if I think of more.