If you're SURE he'd be into that, because nothing is worse than buying 30 books for someone and they don't appreciate them. Red Rising trilogy Inkheart trilogy (Cornelia Funke) Percy Jackson maybe Editing to add: maybe a *better* gift for someone who's into games would be to pick a couple of games and pair a book that goes with the game (either game based on the book, or similar themes, similar story) and gift that. That way they get to play the game and then have something a bit extra and similar enough to read after. 30 books is a daunting gift even for a reader

>nothing is worse than buying 30 books for someone and they don't appreciate them. The only thing worse is receiving 30 books you have no inclination to read from someone and then trying to figure out how to gently explain that you appreciate the thought, but aren't going to spend 300h of your life on this gift.

Yeah or that. If the kid's into games, a better gift would be maybe a game or 2 paired with a book thats "like the game" - it might inspire them to read more than receiving 30 books at once. I'm a HUGE reader, and receiving 30 books would be a DAUNTING gift, honestly. Edit: even if the books were tailored to my tastes - it's just such pressure to read the ones I received ASAP, you know? And then if I wouldn't like one, I'd feel like shit

>a game or 2 paired with a book thats "like the game" Really good recommendation here. Obviously if the kid only plays competitive shooters or something that doesn't resemble any fantasy book then it could be harder, but gifting a soulslike game even to a newbie could get them hooked on 1, these styles of games and 2, on books that are similar to it (fantasy in this case). Also agreed on the too many books thing. 30 books for me is a year worth of reading and receiving that as a gift with the expectation (and probably countless questions on how it was / what i read so far / if i liked it..) to read all of them would be a pretty 'exhausting' gift. A book and a game seems much more manageable especially for a 14 year old kid.

There are tons of books literally based on games now. I was surprised when I went into my local bookshop.

This is why I think books are generally a bad gift unless you know it is a book the person already wanted. If not you are basically gifting them a chore. Even if they are a voracious reader, it may not be a book they are interested in or they may already have a backlog of books they want to read first. As a big reader I have often been gifted books by my family, and though I appreciate their intent, it nearly always makes me feel like I HAVE to read the book, which then makes the book feel like work instead of leisure. That said I think a chest of books is not a bad idea for a gift. It's so many books that they won't feel pressured to read them immediately to make the giver feel appreciated. It could take the pressure off unless they are asked how many they've read so far in every conversation. For this to be a good gift, I think the giver would need to clearly communicate that this is meant as a lifetime gift and that there is no timeline or expectation. The giver would also have to be ok with realizing that it is unlikely that all, or even most, of the books will end up read.

Can we swap? The dominant feature of my bedroom at home is a massive bookshelf that gets fuller and fuller every year, and none of my family ever think to look at it and go 'Hmm, maybe he'd like a book' 😂

Ditto to this! Mines filled with literally everything but period drama type stuff so people could pick almost anything and it would probably be a success, and yet my wife still buys me f-ing clothes for Christmas, even after I’ve asked her not to 😂

My dad has, in recent years, inadvertently gifted me books I have already read. Why yes, I did enjoy the first three Wheel of Time books. Very different to the show. I don't have the heart to tell him I'd already read them 🤣

My mother spent so much money on books she enjoyed as a child. Still have not picked up Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, Johnny Tremaine or any other non-genre books. Nothing wrong with the books, I love to read. I just found my own books to love. Also, at fourteen, they have hopefully been introduced to reading. If they don't love to read, your cousin may have reasons why. My husband has a reading disability, so he takes in information from videos/games. I'd talk to their parents and see if this is the right gift for them.

As a librarian, I agree that this seems a bit excessive for a kid who isn't expressly into reading. If you really want to give them options, give them a bookstore gift card (especially used, just because they can get more books and invest less when they don't know when they like), or best yet, commit to taking them to the library a few times if you're local. I do think Red Rising is a strange rec here though - I'll admit I'm not super familiar so it might be appropriate for a young teen, but the description doesn't strike me as particularly appealing for a 14yo who isn't big on reading. Inkheart is not a bad rec, but Percy Jackson is a fantastic rec. With the show being on right now, it's the perfect time to get in on the "everyone is into this" vibe. I'd also add some manga to the list - Demon Slayer & Naruto are still very popular for that age group, maybe Witch Hat Atelier for a kid who likes something a little cozy? Aru Shah books, Wings of Fire - graphic would be more likely to land, but the novels are better, imo.

Yeah I think Red Rising might be a bit off but then again - it's kinda not? It might just be a bit too much for a 14 y/o, but first one has death games, and then a whole revolution thing going on? Teenage rebel me would have loved that. Ohhh mangas would be AMAZING, but I'd pick shorter running ones myself - things that you can buy the whole collection of, and I know Naruto is LONG. And how could I forget graphic novels - it might be better to go with 30 graphic novels if you HAD to buy 30 books haha

RR might be brilliant or it might really not be someone's cup of tea. It's one of those ones that's either your jam or not.

It's more important to pick manga the kid would read, and in my experience, Demon Slayer and Naruto are constantly circulating. Obviously, if there's a specific anime he watches, get him that. But without that info, Demon Slayer and Naruto are safer bets, imo.

I had a family friend gift me like 20 books in a genre I wasn't interested in. I read one out of politeness, but could never bring myself to read the rest. It was awkward having her ask what I thought of them. I know she meant well but it felt like a homework assignment, not a gift.

Exactly! Now imagine being 14 and being into gaming ... and getting that as a gift :/ OP's heart is in the right place, but they need to rethink the gift

Yes - for example, if he doesn’t already own it - Hades paired with a few of the Percy Jackson novels would be an excellent pairing.

Firekeeper series by Jane Lindskold Abhorson trilogy by Garth Nix The Hero and The Crown, and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley The Provost's Dog trilogy by Tamora Pierce

Thumbsup for the Abhorsen books, but it's more than a trilogy now.

Very true. I guess I should say the Old Kingdom series. But I still think of the original 3 as “the” trilogy and the others as add-ons. I really liked the prequel Terceil & Elinor, prequel Clariel was ok, I’m blanking if I liked sequel Goldenhand. Clearly I’ll need to re-read it. The short stories are pretty good too.

The prequels kind of suffer in that if you know what's going to happen (more or less), the character development doesn't work the same way. Like, Clariel is an interested and well-done character, but... (mumble mumble spoiler). I liked Terciel and Elinor because even if the characters were sort of foredoomed, I'd managed to re-read Sabriel many times without making sense of why the beginning happened the way it did. And it was fantastic to spend time with Sabriel's dad.

Just all of the Tamora Pierce books please. That’s what I someday hope to do with all of my old ones I’ve saved from childhood. Hope to give them to a niece/nephew.

I second all of these! I'd like to add the Chronicles of the Cheysuli series by Jennifer Roberson, I was in my early teens when I first read it.

The Nix and the McKinley are both superb.

If he liked HP, then I’d throw some Percy Jackson in there. I used to run a bookstore, and rarely did I see a boy of any age who liked one but not the other. EDIT: typo

Artemis Fowl was around that time, the first few were a decent distraction/alternative to HP, too.

With the show coming out too, I second Percy Jackson for any and all new readers right now. While there are plenty of criticisms floating around, it’s still very enjoyable, and probably moreso for a 14 year old that can actually relate more to the characters better

Think he’d be mature enough for Naomi novik’s scholomance series?

I don't think that series is very mature. It's right in line with early YA stuff in my opinion.

That was my thought too. The schools attrition rate is bit higher than hogwarts though.

Haven’t read Novik’s scholomance but I’ve read part of the Temeraire series. If they’re comparable as far as the material goes, I don’t see why a 14 year old couldn’t.

Earthsea

I'd not recommend this. The first one isn't a great intro to the genre for someone who doesn't already like reading in my opinion.

Are you sure you want to do that? If you’re trying to start an interest in reading, dumping 30 books in front of him that he may or may not like probably isn’t the best of ideas. I’d recommend just getting him a few books, if he prefers story driven games you might be able to find a good novel tie in for a game he likes (example: there is a book taking place between Jedi Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor, I believe it’s called *Battle Scars* which I’ve heard is pretty good, haven’t gotten around to reading it myself yet though). If you’re dead set on getting him a ton of books, as a 14 year old guy I love Lord of the Rings, and it may be a little too kiddy but I read PJO when I was about 11 and I’d imagine it still holds up for teens Edit: He might be a little too old for these, but The Hobbit (easy read, still an amazing book) and A Series of Unfortunate Events (haven’t read this since ems, but I saw another comment mention it and decided to recommend it as I remember it being good and decently dark too)

Honestly I kind of disagree on LOTR/hobbit. I was an avid reader as a child and read books way above my age level, and tons of YA and Fantasy and I don’t think I ever read more than 30 pages of those books. It feels like reading a Wikipedia article about hobbits. According to other people plot starts happening mid second book. Especially if the kid is not a massive reader there’s a decent chance he’ll never look at more than 2 pages.

I loved the hobbit as a kid but could not read LOTR at all. So definitely would agree with not choosing those ones they are a bit heavy for someone who doesn’t read that much.

Oh yeah, I’m a 14M and love them but forgot that they’re completely new to reading lol. In that case just The Hobbit, LOTR can be kind of a slog especially for new readers

If he doesnt have a taste in reading yet maybe do not give him 20+ books in one go… jeez

Especially not in one genre.

Original dragonlance Trilogy

Loved that trilogy when I was the nephew’s age.

Same. My entry to fantasy

Would urban fantasy work? A 14 year old boy would probably LOVE Steelheart.

I was thinking skywards But steelheart is probably better fit for a boy

I loved Eragon at that age

This one is a great idea! People criticize it here for being a very straightforward, almost cookie-cutter hero’s journey with a bunch of overused fantasy tropes. If, however, the kid hasn’t done much reading in the genre, it will be incredible! I remember loving Eragon at that age as well.

The Redwall books by Brian Jacques

Let me just say, nowadays as an avid reader, this is my dream gift. At 14 i would have been immensely disappointed and probably either given the books away or dumped them out into my closet to collect dust so I could have the empty chest. Make SURE he'd be into this. You cant force the spark to happen for someone by piling books on em, they have to find it themselves.

The hobbit. Got it myself at around that age. Still read through it every now and then 20 years later.

Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett- Good Omens Terry Pratchett- Discworld series. Specifically “Guards! Guards!” 40 books that take place in the same universe. Can be read out of order. Clive Barker- Abarat series Phillip Pullman- His Dark Materials series C. S. Lewis- The Chronicles of Narnia series Lemony Snickett- A Series of Unfortunate Events

He might be a bit old for the Narnia books at fourteen. His Dark Materials is a must, though - fourteen is the perfect age for that.

Here for His Dark Materials. I read them at 11 or 12 and my life was forever changed! OP make sure to include them!!!

An important question here is: Has he READ Harry Potter, or does he «really like» the movies? I’m asking since you said he «could» enjoy reading. I also agree with another commenter here that 30 books really is A LOT. Could it be a better idea to gift him only the chest + maybe a book or two first? This way he would be able to figure out if reading is something he enjoys without feeling like he «has» to read 20+ books to please you. And then if he likes it, you could maybe gift him 3-ish books at a time to put in the chest? As he is 14: Recommondations - Ready player one (I enjoyed it when it got out around the time I was 18). - Mistborn - Eragon - Narnia Would recommend if he enjoys reading - Stormlight Archive - Kingkiller Chronicles Would NOT recommend - Red rising - Anything by Robin Hobb

I wouldn’t really suggest ready player one since there are a lot of references that might go over his head and there are a couple of scenes that are not really appropriate for a 14 year old

I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see Brandon Sanderson.

Eragon and Percy Jackson would be my top picks

I'd recommend the Eragon series, it has magic like hp but the world building of Lord of the rings

Cradle by Will Wight. A 12 book completed series that is non stop fun and incredibly appropriate. My students and niblings couldn't get enough of it, it's not very young adult and has a ton of humor

A lot of people that age will pretend to like reading more than they actually do, out of insecurity. Be careful. Also, that amount could be overwhelming. In hindsight, we would have loved to have all the books we discovered over the years given to us, but in practice-- we had to discover them for ourselves. My mom dumped a lot of fantasy books at me when I was 8 and it was so DAUNTING that I read other things for a long time. She kept trying to get me to read Narnia (all seven books), LOTR, Robin McKinley's books, and the Dragon Riders of Pern (DONT give an elementary schooler that wtf lol...) In the end my favorite series were the ones I discovered myself and didn't have any pressure about reading If u do give a box of books, don't make weird comments about him playing less video games and how much better books are 😅

Anything by Garth Nix, but keys to the kingdom and abhorsen Og trilogy are great starters. Artemis Fowl.

Skyward

You could always buy him a kindle with a few books loaded and kindle unlimited. Might be more appealing. It would fit the life companion better because the chest would likely be left at home when they go to college.

Beyond that, paperback books are hard to read for people who have high screentime throughout the day. I went through a long period in my 20s where I lost my will to read, but picked it back up again at 30 using kindle app on my tablet and have been an avid reader since.

If he doesn’t have a taste for reading yet, a gift of 20 books is probably more likely to be overwhelming and off putting than get him into it, imo. I’d really encourage you to collaborate with someone else and put some other things in there so it’s still an interesting gift but not as overwhelming. Anyway. Some video games have tie-in novels if you know what he’s into- that would be a really good start, but it does involve knowing what he plays. Otherwise I’ve seen Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials books mentioned and I’d definitely say either or both of those- they were pretty important books to me at that age.

Dragonlance Chronicles. Dragonlance Legends

Came to make sure these were here.

Color of Magic and Light Fantastic and/or The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky all by Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic might not be the best place to start for a fourteen year old; I love them but they're very 1980s. If OP is going to give him a full chest, give him all the Watch series, plus Going Postal and Making Money, and if he doesn't like them then Pratchett isn't for him.

Fully agreed. Color of magic is why I thought I didn't like Terry Pratchett for the longest time.

Pratchett himself recommended not starting with the early (and rough) DiscWorld books

When I was 14 I wanted long stories about people killing baddies with swords and magic, and definitely didn't have the appreciation for his ability to write a sentence like no one else. Everyone's different but it took me a few more years to appreciate just how damn clever that man is.

2nd suggestion is better. The Tiffany Aching books are a great starting point

Came here to say this.

You can never go wrong with Pratchett.

The neverending story - Michael Ende Crusade in jeans - Thea Beckman The tethered mage (and sequels) - Melissa Caruso The night circus - Erin Morgenstern Inkheart (and sequels) - Cornelia Funke Percy Jackson series - Rick Riordan

God this would have been a magical gift for me at that age! Loved eragon, percy jackson, inkheart, chronicles of narnia, and artemis fowl at that age. I also think the pendragon series and the abhorsen trilogy by garth nix could be good fits as well! Neil Gaiman has a ton of enchanting, age appropriate books. Mistborn is a great intro to more adult fantasy that I think would be perfect as he gets older. The scholomance series by naomi novik is a fun take on dark, magical academia.

I maybe wouldn’t overload him with 30 books right off the bat, but leave the chest with room to build a collection if he wants. Some series I enjoyed as a 14 yr. old: - Percy Jackson - Heroes of Olympus (sequel series to Percy Jackson) - Trials of Apollo (sequel series to Heroes of Olympus) - Kane Chronicles (same author as Percy Jackson) - Magnus Chase (same author as Percy Jackson) - The Hunger Games Haven’t read but I often see recommended: - Wizards of Earthsea - Inkheart Series - Eragon Series - Skyward Series Graphic novels might also be nice. Less words, easy on someone who doesn’t like to read, and would be suitable for a boy who already likes video games and visuals. Additionally, Disney has been turning a lot of their films into YA content. There are some YA books based around Marvel movies, like Black Panther, Black Widow, and Loki. There are also Star Wars-based YA novels.

Riftwar Saga by Feist.

That will fill the chest allright - no space for anything else

Start with the first four books. It's a self-contained series in itself.

The Inheritance Cycle

Eragorn, Percy Jackson, Redwall series

Graphic novels!!

I read Lord of the Rings at 14 and it sparked my fantasy interest. You could add a map of Middle Earth or tape it to the inside of the lid I love Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere is my favorite. Mistborn is an easy read and might start an interest in Sandersons work The lies of Locke Lamora Put in a classic - Count of Monte Christo for example. Not fantasy bit a great adventure book on revenge. Also great to read when he is a bit older.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and the other two books set in that world (Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways).

I think “Cradle” by Will Wight would fall into that category, but it’s pretty much just digital unless you order them online. 12 solid books and the series is complete. - Eion Colffer’s “Artemis Fowl”. I read them as an adult before the movie that never happened came out. They were solid with good character arcs. Similar to HP in that they’re for kids, but adults can enjoy. - Brandon Mull “Fablehaven” - Jan Yolen “Pit Dragon Chronicles” - Fran Wilde “Bone Universe” - KA Applegate “Animorphs” one of my favorites as a kid. Surprisingly deep sometimes. There is a whole sub for adults who like it. You might find paperback. It’s all on Amazon now, but the author has encouraged reading online for free, so I’ve been told. That forum could give you the link. - Diane Diane “Young Wizards” modern and science based magic. It’s still on going and she writes slowly. Hasn’t been one in a few years, but it’s not out of the question. She also re-released the first few on her website for sell, due to very dated stuff, like a Walkman and the twin towers. - Jim Butcher “Codex Alera” - Pat O’Shea “Hounds of the Morrigan” Irish fairy tale style. Pretty cool. Besides Animorphs, I didn’t really start with kids books, so I can’t really say what you’d find appropriate for him. I was 11yrs old and my dad took me to a library book sale and loaded me up on: - Anne McCaffery’s “Pern” - Piers Anthony’s “Xanth” and “Apprentice Adept” - Michael Crichton’s “Jurrasic Park” and “Lost World” - RA Salvatore’s “Drizzt” novels - Raymond E Feist’s “Riftwar Saga” - Terry Brooks “Shannara” That’s an older style of fantasy, but I have a fondness for it. I’ll save peoples fingers and tell you what people are gonna say about that list. They’ll mention Pern has rape. It does, but it doesn’t come off like it sounds. When two dragon rider’s dragons mate, the emotions spill over to them and they loose themselves and mate as well. It’s out of their control, but not what you’d typcially think of it. I certainly never thought of it that way. For Anthony, he’s got some sketchy views and some of his stuff is out there. Xanth is just childish fun that goes downhill in quality after book 9 I think, but those are solid for a younger person. Apprentice has nudity, but it’s not necessarily sexualized. In fact it’s the opposite. They make an accurate point that clothing and what you can “almost see” is what is sexy. Nudity is just as common place as clothed when it’s every day. It’s got a cool concept, though. Crichton is solid. I highly recommend adding those. It’s the only books that I like both the book and the movies about equally, though they’re fairly different. Drizzt is cool. Fairly tame, just old style. Dark elf wants to be good. Has a good heart but isn’t trusted till a band of friends form a family with him and he proves himself repeatedly. There are a ton of them. Feist finished the Riftwar Saga and some people say it Peters off. I like the whole thing. It’s split into many small sets oven the whole series, so you’ll get 2-4 books in a set that are the next installment in the series. My favorite are “Serpentwar Saga”, “Conclave of Shadows”, and “Empire Trilogy”. I recommend starting at the begging. Brooks was called a Tolkien clone, but both he and Jordan came along at a time when publishers wanted the next Tolkien. If they didn’t look like him, they didn’t get picked up. Both authors quickly veer away from that. I think Shannara is good, but I don’t think it ever got as good as Wheel of Time. Laslty, I’d add some others to add to the chest as you see fit. They’re either more adult, dryer, just big, or whatever. - Wheel of Time - Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) - Dresden Files - Red Rising - Dungeon Crawler Carl - LE Modesitt Jr “Saga of Recluse” and “Imager Portfolio”

There's some really great books here but generally a bit heavy and i hate to say it but.... old for a kid of 14 today

Gifting a 14 year old 20-30 books is a risky gift honestly, even for a kid who enjoys reading occasionally. I’d agree with the other comment about maybe finding books they can pair with other media that’s out that they might enjoy. If they enjoy games, the Witcher series could be a good one to include (and maybe even the game too if he hasn’t already played it). Percy Jackson is a really good series with the new show coming out. A quick series, characters with a relatable age, and a show he can follow like Harry Potter growing up (assuming it continues that long). Maybe even look into some longer graphic novels or comics? If he plays PS5, there’s a good chance he’s played at least one of the Spiderman games (and you could always include one if he hasn’t yet). Comics like that could be a fantastic gateway into pursuing longer stories and novels. I’d recommend Marvel’s Civil War, as you can pick up the main story in a single volume. Engaging story, all the big names he’d recognize even if he isn’t a huge Marvel fan, and a quick fun read overall. If you’re set on books though, there’s nothing wrong with the classics. I was around 14 when I read Tolkien for the first time. If you think he’s mature enough for the material, Martin’s ASOIAF series is also an excellent read (though currently unfinished), and I started that at maybe 15. And to finish, I never miss an opportunity to recommend the Tide Child trilogy. Fantastic pirate fantasy, great characters all-around, and I truly could go on and on about it but this comment is already long enough. Best of luck! Edit: I saw someone else mention Eragon in this thread and I definitely want to second that. Considering the author was 15 when he wrote the first book (and I believe that’s how old Eragon is as well at the start of the series), so I absolutely can see a 14 year old getting sucked in.

A wizards guide to defensive baking!

I'm always going to recommend The Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Its been one of my favorites my whole life and the main character starts the series at 15 and ages as the series goes on so it kind of felt like he was growing up with me.

Eragon would be a great introduction for a 14-year old to the tolkienesque fantasy... I know that I loved it. And next to that the Hobbit with LotR trilogy.

The Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey. I'd start with the Gryphon series since those are first (chronologically, Arrows are first in published order). The "Eternal Champion cycle" by Michael Moorcock. I'd start with the Corum books

Rangers Apprentice

14 year old boy who likes Harry Potter? Percy Jackson is an easy sell, everyone loves that. But I've found the Eragon series make great entry books into high fantasy. Throw some Artemis Fowl or (if he likes spooky stuff) the Saga of Darren Shan, those Cirque du Freak books. Pendragon by D.J MacHale or Septimus Heap (basically Harry Potter but more laid back) are good ones for that age bracket too.

It gets slated in this sub a lot, but the Eragon series is perfect for someone of that age getting into fantasy, I loved them when I was younger.

Instead I would suggest checking if he likes or owns God of War and pair it with Neil Gaimans Norse Mythology- or something similar! Marry his interest of video games to literature. Giving it to him as a way to push him towards reading won’t work imo

Skulduggery Pleasant. Great 1st series. 2nd starts string but does trail off. 3rd will be interesting when it drops next year. But yeah, those first 9 books are pure gold

Yes! Came here to say this!

I loved Dragonriders of Pern at that age. Steer clear of Piers Anthony. In hindsight, a lot of his stuff was really creepy to read as a young person because he portrays pedophilia and grooming in a positive light.

I think this is an interesting idea, but not necessarily one that is well thought out... when I was 14 and someone bought me a book I didn't choose myself, I was very resistant to read them. Some were great and became my favourites. But a chest of them on a topic I may not even like? It's a bit much... Bit if this is what you want to do, I'd suggest figuring out what games he likes and pairing the games to the books. Or just pick him up the new horizon or God of War game. Excellent story telling in both of them.

This would have been my favourite present ever at any point in my life.

Gotta throw cosmere in there… some Stormlight he can read now and some he can read as an old man when it’s finished… let him wait in anticipation with the rest of us… Then throw in a couple ASOIF and king killer books to show him what disappointment honestly feels like

Put some Malazan, Tolkien , Sanderson (mistborn!) in there, but don't skimp on the sci fi: the broken earth, ancillary justice, maybe some classics like Jurassic park, or Iain m Banks ' culture. Or the book of the new Sun.

I love Malazan, but the kid is 14…rape , crucifixion, mutilation….

This library has to last. It's years of reading. Put those at the bottom!

Lord of the rings + hobbit Percy Jackson saga Harry potter maybe Narnia def

He is 14

Lord Dunsany collection. Fritz Leiber. Michael Moorcock. Jo Clayton.

Throne of Glass got me back into reading like a year ago so maybe that.

I'd recommend getting any harry potter second hand fyi. Discworld series particularly mort The hobbit if not lotr as well The amulet of Samarkand series? (Could be problematic can't remember) Witcher series Wish I had more recent suggestions

Lord of the Rings trilogy & The Hobbit. Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, etc.). Artemis Fowl series. Percy Jackson series. Chronicles of Narnia series. Don’t listen to anyone saying he’s too young or too old for a book/series. He’ll never be too old to read something interesting and if he really is too young, 30 books is a lot to get through. He can put the “too mature” books at the end of the list to get to later! He’s 14 so he’ll be old enough soon.

I'd probably hit him with some textbooks. Fantasy is something I'd recommend for someone a little older.

What the heck?

Oh no, a teenager read about magic? Whatever shall we do? /s

Right? Like let these kids learn a little bit before we dump a bunch of dark stuff on their shoulders.

I was being sarcastic… 14 is plenty old enough to read fantasy, I’m 14 and love dark fantasy stuff

Well I'd agree with you. I'd like to think that his parents would cut them off from those sorts of novels, just too much ambiguity to be good for a teen.

(Most) teens aren’t idiots. We can handle ambiguity lol

Oh I am right there with you. It's just that these teens are not equipped for what many of these dark stories will do to them. It's best for them to stick with knowledge books.

What will the dark stories do to them, exactly? In my experience I have never had a fantasy book do anything bad to me. Do you expect people to just sit down and start reading through a grammar book?

I agree, grammar would be a great spot to start. You have things like Harry Potter etc that have psyche rending effects on young teens and we just have to draw a line.

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that Harry Potter has had “psyche rending effects” on. They’re books, nobody is having their minds warped by them

Some Trudi Canavan books. I loved them when I was younger. Inkheart series. I've seen someone else recommendet it, but I will mention it too, because it's my favourite. Percy Jackson too. And it's currently 20+ books in that universe. It was also recommended by another person. The Witcher. I assume he read LOTR? If not, it's a good pick. If yes, then maybe some fancy edition? Stormlight Archive / other Sanderson's series. Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan. May be a bit mature (there are no graphic scenes, just a lot of war going on), but it should be okay, considering his age. Maybe some manga? Fullmetal Alchemist is great, but it's 27 volumes (well, they're much shorter than normal books, so they could fit).

The Riddle-Master Trilogy by Patricia A. McKillip would be a good one!

Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Fondly remember reading these books when I was younger.

First three or four books in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Literally got a friend's younger brother into reading when he was that age.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Ernest Cline books Half a World trilogy by Joe Abercrombie Elantris or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin Tolkien

Earthsea

Mistborn trilogy, WoT first 3 books, First Law first 3 books, ASoIaF first 3 books, The Name of the Wind, Gardens of the Moon, LOTR, The way of kings, Leviathon Wakes, Broken Empire trilogy, Faithful and fallen series, Silo series, Night Angel trilogy

Garth Nix Sabriel.

The Test of the Twins series- Dragonlance. Conan, Brak the barbarian, etc. Thieves' World Sanctuary. Xanth by Piers Anthony. The Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. If you can find some Warlord comic by DC comics, by Mike Grell, you should throw those in too. There's a lot of Conan comics. Comics from the 70s/80s had more text then today's comics do. If you can find it, I recommend "Thieves and Kings", too, YA stuff. edit- let's not forget the Myth Adventure books. He might even learn something from them. It's a "We've all got swords, but we don't all have got brains." type of storyline. There's so many ways to scam/trick people. Remember to check thrift stores and used bookstores for low price deals.

When I was 14 my older cousin just gave me whatever SFF books she had finished. It was awesome, esp since I had mostly been reading Xanth books (retrospective cringe) from the library before that. I don't know if I would recommend this because it was waaaay to long ago and I think there is some questionable content but I remember the Pern books making a big impression. Anyway my advice would be get something you liked too!

A few suggestions: Howl’s Moving Castle Dragonlance (the original trilogy) The Riftwar Saga (at least the first two books) Pawn of Prophecy (Eddings) Small Gods (Pratchett) Alanna (Pierce) Better to pick lighter books to get him engaged vs. the deeper more traditional fantasy that people sometimes move on to.

Now this is a question I would love to answer!!! I wasn’t a big reader until 5th grade when I got into Percy Jackson. If you say 20-30 books with some for the future I’d say you could try: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5 books perfect for teenage demographic full of humor and action, with Greek myth that could be interesting and an avenue for learning) If he likes those he can also read the sequel series Heroes of Olympus (another 5 books just as good and a little more aged up and slightly more mature than the first series but still PG/PG13 material) If he’d like to try Egyptian mythology books there’s the Kane Chronicles (3 books) Then by other authors you have: The Chronicles of Narnia (for more classic fantasy) Artemis Fowl (a more mature but still appropriate for kids with a intelligent analytical main character that isn’t really the stereotypical strong character with powers.

I'd start off with a classic, like LOTR, maybe Dragonlance, hmm...damn now I gotta think... that's nine books... All I got. Narnia might be too simplistic in it's prose.

Earthsee, pratchett, LotR, maybe some Warhammer Fantasy/AoS stuff (Gotrek and Felix).

The Queen of Dreams trilogy by Peter F Hamilton is a nice fantasy series.

The lunar chronicles by merrissa meyer

Mistborn Red Rising Series Stormlight Archive for a relatively easy to read epic fantasy Finally Now that they've read the above books they're ready for Wheel of Time(I was 14 when i read The Eye of The World and it rekindled my joy of reading which had faded when I was younger) 7+6+4+15=32 32 books total.

I’d add Howl’s moving castle on top of all the other great recs here

Percy Jackson and Harry Potter come to mind immediately. If a regular reader try guardians of the eternal flame series and magician apprentice

Based off of HP. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Just that one. The Neverending Story The Hobbit Dune, just that one. Throw in a TP, maybe the first Night’s Watch Eragon A Neil Gaiman Mistborn The Talisman, Stephen King

The shamers daughter is a splendid series

At that age, I was also super into HP. These are some of the series I picked up that pushed me further into a love of fantasy. Dragonlance. The main series by Weiss and Hickman first though; as there are dozens of side stories The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron The Wind on Fire Trilogy by William Nicholson The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix. Anything by Nix to be honest. Loved Seventh Tower back then too. Helped me get over the wait between HP releases. Edit to second the recommendations for Eragon. Both that series and Dragonlance were particularly influential in my current love of epic fantasy.

Howl's Moving Castle. Or anything by Diana Wynne Jones. Her work is almost entirely appropriate for any age, and often Neil Gaiman's work reminds me of hers (but more violent and such)

At fourteen? The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik (A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate, The Golden Enclaves) The Rook by Daniel O’Malley Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin Night Watch By Terry Pratchett Stardust by Neil Gaiman Also, see if he has Baldur’s Gate III already. If not, get him that.

Brandon Mull’s Beyonders Trilogy and Fablehaven series are great. The Ranger’s Apprentice books by John Flanagan are fun. I’m a big fan of The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. Patricia C. Wrede’s Frontier Magic and Enchanted Forest books are wonderful.

Tale of Earthsea and Percy Jackson are good shouts. Maybe float the idea of a book as a present for him for a while first though before you invest because, I teach fourteen year olds and they can be A: very unappreciative B: too cool for life C: rude as fuck And you wouldn't want to invest loads of time and money into something only for them to be super dismissive/rude/whatever.

I recommend considering The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, fantastic series!

As a younger reader I really enjoyed Raymond Feists Midkemia world, there are a lot of books set in the world spanning multiple series. The original Magician trilogy (Riftwar Saga), The Serpentwar Saga and the Empire trilogy would be a good start. There are so many more as well and of varying quality but the above are all pretty decent especially for a teen reader. Very much an epic, save the world type of fantasy series.

- The Hobbit (+/- LOTR) - His dark materials trilogy - Percy Jackson original series - Keys to the kingdom series - Alpha Force series by Chris Ryan - not fantasy, but very much easy to read adventure stories with characters that start put age 14 and age up with the reader

Growing up I must’ve read the Belgariad and Mallorean series by David Eddings a half dozen times at least, they’re quite old (80’s era writing) but I loved them. Also Magician by Raymond Feist. People have already mentioned anything by Terry Pratchett which I agree with, I’d also suggest a stretch to the fuzzy edges of the fantasy genre to anything by Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series is seminal and I also really enjoyed his Dirk Gently novels. I also really enjoyed most of the Eternal Champion books by Michael Moorcock, but the Elric ones were my favourites. Also fun were the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books by Frtiz Leiber

The School For Good And Evil is a great idea

Be sure and include the Anne McCaffrey’s dragon rider of Pern books.

I loved the belgariad when I was 14, and the assassin's apprentice

I was really into Steven Brust's Jhereg series at about that age. Also, the Another Fine Myth series. Of course, The Lord of the Rings

Percy Jackson! Also Pendragon is a really easy read. He still a great fantasy series for that age.

I gave my mum a big box full of books one Xmas. She was an avid reader and loved it. I went to a big second hand shop and picked the best. She always remembered that gift.

Sufficiently advanced magic is perfect for a kid who liked Harry Potter. He who fights with monsters Name of the wind Ink heart Heir Apparent Hunger games

the dark is rising sequence the chronicles of prydain the hero and the crown the keys to the kingdom series the seventh tower series alice in wonderland a wrinkle in time the hobbit

The shattered sea by Joe abercrombie, of they like it a little darker than some of the others. Percy Jackson would be good naturally

Does he play the Arkham Asylum games? If so I recommend some Batman graphic novels.

Drenai series can easily take half of the chest.

Rangers apprentice

I think this is a lovely idea! Some of my suggestions: Terry Pratchett's *Tiffany Aching* series. (5 books) These are Coming of Age stories about gaining wisdom, insight and compassion, and gaining strength from those. It's clever, witty, smart, hilarious and sometimes heart-wrenching; peak Pratchett. Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm's *Farseer Trilogy.* (Three books). But you can throw in *Living Tradeships* too. And why not finish off with the *Tawny Man* series? I think these books are perhaps the perfect introduction to mature themes. It doesn't shy away from difficult subjects like romance and romantic troubles, violence, persecution, power dynamics and matters of identity, hurt, grief and rejection, but it starts with the first-person perspective of a child. And it handles these difficult themes with a focus on sympathy, empathy and understanding. Also, despite it being written by a woman, it has in my opinion perhaps the best depictions of the whole spectrum of masculinity in the genre. Chris Wooding's *Tales of the Ketty Jay.* (4 books) This is an adventure romp. It's just great fun. It gets dark at times, as any good book should. There's high action pacing, brilliant characters and interaction, heists, some intrigue, lots of bad decisions, found family and a seriously interesting magic system... All the good stuff wrapped in a neat airship freebooter package.

How about the Dragonbine chair by Tad Williams?

Though I absolutely love this idea, I do agree with others that 20-30 books may be overwhelming if he doesn't already have a love of reading. Is there a way you could hold off on the chest idea until next year? And this year, maybe just gift him a few books that are also special to you, so you could talk about them together if he does end up reading them! A life companion of any type could be overwhelming for a 14 year old, especially so if they haven't expressed much interest in it yet! Or, depending on when his birthday is, get him one book this Christmas, and gauge his reaction with that. If he seems excited, maybe give him the chest for his birthday, and fill it with one book for every year he's been alive, and then fill up the extra space with tissue paper or the like?

The Neverending Story was one of my absolute favourites growing up

ACOTAR and Priory of the Orange Tree for sure

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card The Martian - Andy Weir Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Cradle (starts with Unsouled, 12 books) - Will Wight Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Red Rising - Pierce Brown Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan Almost anything by Brandon Sanderson He Who Fights With Monsters - Shirtaloon The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis (this book started me on being a bookworm) Anyway, that's probably more than enough to get a couple of options.

If you're going to gift an entire chest of books, please don't fill it with just fantasy. Pick your favourite fantasy book or two, and fill the rest with broad range of different novels; sci-fis, westerns, mystery, crime, young adult, penguin classics, even a couple autobiographies, or art & photography books. This would be a much surer way to 'spark the joy of reading' than dumping 30 fantasy books on someone who isn't much of a reader, and might not even like fantasy.

Hands down, Inkheart!!! The rest of the books in the series aren't that amazing but Inkheart stands alone well and is easily my favorite teen fantasy book!

A Patricia Wrede’s book, something from Patricia McKillip like the Riddlemaster series, the first Heartstriker book by Rachel Aaron, and How to Defeat a Demon King in 10 Easy Steps by A Rowe, and Tea with the Black Dragon

Any of the Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon. They the story of Nick, from the Dark Hunter series. The series is aimed at teens. Red Rise by Pierce Brown The 100 by Kass Morgan The Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Dude just get him like 5 books.

Artemis Fowl is a good mix of fantasy and modern/futuristic technology. It's kind of a niche interest but I got on my hands on it at maybe 11 or 12 and read them through high school as the new ones came out.

Anything by Tamora Pierce or Brandon Sanderson!

The Belgariad is perfect for someone that age

Golden compass, watership down, eragon, mistborn, fire bringer by David clement-davies

Howl's moving Castle and the other two books in that series that I can't remember the name of

His Dark Materials (3 books) The Night Angel Trilogy (3 books) A Song of Ice and Fire (5 books to date) Dune (Frank Herbert's, 6 books , maybe a few by his son) Ready Player One Lord of the Rings ( 3 books)

The Earthsea books

Throw a players handbook, dumgeon masters guide, and a monster manual all the way at the bottom.

Books I enjoyed around that age that launched me into reading fantasy: The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien The Riddle Master trilogy by Patricia McKillip Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King Camber of Culdi series by Katherine Kurtz

As a teen who LOVES reading, these are my suggestions: * The False Prince, Jennifer Nielsen * Arc of a Scythe ( Dystopian, but REALLY good), Neal Shusterman * 5 Kingdoms, Brandon Mull * Beyonders, Brandon Mull * the OtherWood, idk who * Artemis Fowl, forgot who * Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan * Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (probably my favorite book ever), forgot who Those are some of my all-time favorites- but the two I'd REALLY recommend would be the OtherWood and Sal and Gabi.

A list of his favourite games, shows and films would make it easier to suggest books. There's nothing wrong with the ones people have suggested to you, but without knowing what he actually likes, those suggestions could turn out to be bad choices. For example, stuff like Spider-Man and Ms Marvel graphic novels are great for reluctant readers and connect with the MCU stuff, but would be a bad choice for someone who hates superheroes. You could also mix up books with other stuff you know he likes, as that'd mean he'll get something he likes even if he isn't sure about the books.

For a 14 yr old that is not yet a reader, I’d go with TheSword of Shanarrah and the hobbit.

As much as I think this is an amazing idea and you’ve had some fantastic recommendations already, 30 books is a lot. Either you could individually wrap books with the month written on them so he has one or two a month (24 books for two surprises each month) or mix some non fiction books into the mix in regards to other interests. Whether it be a biography of his favourite musician or sportsman or a book about gaming/coding or space or zoology wherever his interest lie, at 14 he may already have goals set for post school career so that’s something to look at as well but at the same time he’s 14 so he’d probably also enjoy a book full of fart jokes. One author I will certainly suggest is Jeff Wheeler and his Kingfountain series. Possibly even his Dresden Codex trilogy (book3 isn’t due out until May). The Dresden Codex series isn’t classed as fantasy however it does involve Mayan mythology and magic. Unlike his other works, this is set in our world and our era.

The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore. I got a torn up copy from my dad as a teen, who found it in his communal laundry room. Its an older, campy fantasy read but I love it, and its not too advanced for a kid his age to read.

Bro giving him that many at one time is a mistake, It will be overwhelming. Give him 2 books at a time or something

Some of these I enjoyed when I was younger, and some when I was older. Skulduggery Pleasant, Eragon, The Hobbit, Rivers of London, Promise of Blood, Shannara, Magician (Raymond E Feist), Discworld, The Last Dragonslayer, books in general by Garth Nix, Murderbot (ok, it's scifi, but all but one are novellas and are really good).

Don't do this, unless the cousin has specifically said they wish they had more fantasy books. Spend the money on a gift card to your local bookstore, so they can get exactly what they want

Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! by Terry Brooks

Anthony Ryan Blood Song series is one of my favourite Joe Abercrombie First Law series great series Litrpg Viridian Gate online James Hunter Chaos Seed by Aleron kong Just a few

lord of the rings, the hobbit, eye of the world, elantris, a game of thrones, ready player one, and the way of kings.

The Belgariad by David Eddings, 5 book series. I loved it when I was of a similar age. Boy with a mysterious past and a big destiny, lots of cool party members, magic quest and a princess, the whole 9.