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Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy

08-30-2011 , 01:45 PM
My nephew is turning 13 in a few weeks & I want to give him something he'd use &/or enjoy.

About him: Smart kid, really likes to read, big into all things Star Wars, fairly active (though not so much into organized sports) & surprisingly (to me at least) still very much into Lego's.

His parent's are fairly strict & conservative & do not allow him to read/watch overly violent/graphic books/movies/video games, or one's with adult language or themes.

Ideas & suggestions greatly appreciated!
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 01:56 PM
In terms of books, a good one for a 13 year old kid is Eragon. It is a good story and has a good story about the author, who wrote the book at 15 years old. So you could include the story about how he wrote it at 15, and that you could encourage him to think about stuff like that.

I dunno, just off the top of my head.
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08-30-2011 , 02:00 PM
what about those building block sets that actually turn into a robot or something remote controlled? if he still likes legos he might like something a little more engineering and adult? i think they are called erector sets or something like that, they often had battery packs and could move around etc...
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 02:02 PM
Ooooh Meccano. I know I would have loved that as a kid.
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08-30-2011 , 02:06 PM
A subscription to Playboy. You'd be his hero.
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08-30-2011 , 02:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dominic
A subscription to Playboy. You'd be his hero.
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08-30-2011 , 02:30 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by thirddan
what about those building block sets that actually turn into a robot or something remote controlled? if he still likes legos he might like something a little more engineering and adult? i think they are called erector sets or something like that, they often had battery packs and could move around etc...

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_comp...dition_set.cfm

pretty cool on first glance...if you dont want to get it for your nephew you can always get it for me...
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 02:34 PM
Tickets to a concert... The experience of live music is an awesome gift.
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08-30-2011 , 03:26 PM
Does he have an eReader? Could get ihim a kindle and load it with book samples to tell him he can pick one. Unless the kid is asking for a specific book, I would tread carefully unless you are familiar with what books he has recently finished (giving a YA book to a kid that hasn't read that genre in years could send the wrong message.)
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 06:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotjenny314
Does he have an eReader? Could get ihim a kindle and load it with book samples to tell him he can pick one. Unless the kid is asking for a specific book, I would tread carefully unless you are familiar with what books he has recently finished (giving a YA book to a kid that hasn't read that genre in years could send the wrong message.)
this is actually perfect. good call.
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08-30-2011 , 08:01 PM
Did you say Legos?
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08-30-2011 , 08:16 PM


No but really.

Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 09:14 PM
Ender's Game. I second Hitchhiker's Guide.
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-30-2011 , 09:48 PM
"Concrete" by Reese Palley
http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Seven.../dp/1593720394

Seriously, I think a smart bookish Lego (proto-engineer?) fan would really enjoy this. It's not dry or technical at all, but not dumb either, lots of cool anecdotes, and the guy who wrote it is a real character, the kind of amazing adventurer who could really inspire a 13yo kid (marine, sailed all around the world, founded the Romanian PR industry, etc)

Totally PG, too.
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08-31-2011 , 03:42 PM
LOL re: a subscription to Playboy! His hero perhaps, but his Mom would gut me.

Both the Meccano & Erector set ideas sound interesting, especially as he's so into Legos.

E-reader is also a very good idea.

Taking him to a concert? Very good idea (btw, I'm a huge DEAD fan 100+ shows!) but I don't live near him, so not very practical in this situation.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? For a 13 year old?? That is one of those books you hear a lot of people recommending, and although I really enjoy reading, I've never been able to make it past the first chapter or two of that book. Maybe time to give it another shot . . .

Thanks for all the ideas!
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08-31-2011 , 04:21 PM
This is a semibiased suggestion but if he likes legos then what about something like a starter mechanical watch?

something like a seiko 5 military style





http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat...tml?cid=123620
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
08-31-2011 , 04:59 PM
There are two perfect answers. One costs much more, but the other might actually be far more valuable.



or

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08-31-2011 , 05:25 PM
Rubik's cube.
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08-31-2011 , 09:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by lennytheduck
Ender's Game. I second Hitchhiker's Guide.
I second Ender's Game. A friend of mine has a son who is in 7th grade and he and all his firends are Reading Ender's Game now. It is going over big.

I read Hitchhiker's Guide when I was much older and loved it (college). You might want to give it a whirl yourself and then see if it it would be right for him.

But the e-reader idea may be the best.
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09-01-2011 , 01:33 AM
I saw this when I was 13.

Playboy June 1963

It's just the cover. Some great articles too.
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
09-01-2011 , 02:26 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dominic
this is actually perfect. good call.
Thanks-- I'm hoping this kid runs good and gets a kindle.
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09-01-2011 , 03:18 AM
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
09-01-2011 , 11:17 AM
"Play Winning Chess" by Yasser Seirawein. Really makes the game fun and perfectly suited for a young teenager, and from your description of him I think he will like the game.
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
09-01-2011 , 02:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotjenny314
Does he have an eReader? Could get ihim a kindle and load it with book samples to tell him he can pick one. Unless the kid is asking for a specific book, I would tread carefully unless you are familiar with what books he has recently finished (giving a YA book to a kid that hasn't read that genre in years could send the wrong message.)
Great idea.

If you'd prefer to include a whole book however, I agree with Ender's Game as a great choice. It blew me away when I was young, and have re-read it multiple times.
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote
09-01-2011 , 03:23 PM
Here's an idea.

A little expensive, but he'll kick ass on all those guys wearing Axe.

Last edited by John Cole; 09-01-2011 at 03:24 PM. Reason: Ender's Game is perfect if he hasn't read it.
Recommend gifts &/or books for a 13 year old boy Quote

      
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