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Beliall

Last Minute Christmas Advice and ideas

By Beliall, in General Chat

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Beliall

Beliall

Posted
Posted

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

StanSP

StanSP

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Beliall said:

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

Bet you're wishing we don't go round in circles with any advice we have, right :ph34r:?

Beliall

Beliall

Posted
  • Author
Posted
3 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Bet you're wishing we don't go round in circles with any advice we have, right :ph34r:?

Honestly i don't know why I even asked. Should have known better lol 

FoxesDeb

FoxesDeb

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, Beliall said:

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

We have the most recent dot, maybe the gen 3?I'm not sure what it's called. I use it for music in the kitchen and it's ok, I prefer my Sony at a higher volume but the dot is good for the price. 

At 11 my lad was reading David Walliams I think, and maybe Michael Morpurgo. 

Beliall

Beliall

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 minute ago, FoxesDeb said:

We have the most recent dot, maybe the gen 3?I'm not sure what it's called. I use it for music in the kitchen and it's ok, I prefer my Sony at a higher volume but the dot is good for the price. 

At 11 my lad was reading David Walliams I think, and maybe Michael Morpurgo. 

Thanks Deb, Appreciate it. 

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

I'm guessing that if he's 11 and asking for books he's pretty intelligent, personally I'd give him The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. If he hasn't read the Harry Potter books he'd probably love them too. 

 

You can't really go wrong by looking at some of the recommended lists and tying them in with what he's interested in. Adventure, Sword and Sorcery, Science Fantasy ....

 

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-12-year-olds/

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-50-books-every-child-should-read-2250138.html

 

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/1/100-best-12-14/

 

 

Strokes

Strokes

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Beliall said:

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

I’d look at the Sonos one, it has great sound and Alexa built in. Also it’s expandable for multi room. 

jammie82uk

jammie82uk

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Beliall said:

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

Amazon echo is decent will be perfectly fine for what is i presume his bedroom, you will need some sort of music service (Amazon music/Spotify) unless you have your own online music library or he likes listening to the radio 

Beliall

Beliall

Posted
  • Author
Posted
10 minutes ago, Strokes said:

I’d look at the Sonos one, it has great sound and Alexa built in. Also it’s expandable for multi room. 

 

7 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

Amazon echo is decent will be perfectly fine for what is i presume his bedroom, you will need some sort of music service (Amazon music/Spotify) unless you have your own online music library or he likes listening to the radio 

excellent, cheers guys

Beliall

Beliall

Posted
  • Author
Posted
56 minutes ago, FIF said:

I'm guessing that if he's 11 and asking for books he's pretty intelligent, personally I'd give him The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. If he hasn't read the Harry Potter books he'd probably love them too. 

 

You can't really go wrong by looking at some of the recommended lists and tying them in with what he's interested in. Adventure, Sword and Sorcery, Science Fantasy ....

 

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/books-for-12-year-olds/

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-50-books-every-child-should-read-2250138.html

 

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/1/100-best-12-14/

 

 

Mate, he's an idiot. But I'm encouraged by his request. i used to love reading at his age. LOTR might be a bit heavy but he liked the harry potter films so that's a good shout. thanks for the lists

Milo

Milo

Posted
Posted

Haha - re above for books, there are loads of great box sets for boys. 

Harrry Potter, obvs

Bear Grylls has a series of adventure novels for that age. 

Percy Jackson box set

Alex Scarrow 

Charlie Bone

 

And Echo’s/dots are a good shout. Sounds like you have it sorted ?

fuchsntf

fuchsntf

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Beliall said:

Hey, I'm hooping to pick your brains a bit. at the risk of turning this place into mums.net , i need advice on a couple of things and thought maybe others would too

Amazon echo. thinking of getting one for the teenager. so he can listen to music while on the xbox without his laptop out. is the speaker on it any good? any thoughts on it from users? 

secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topics

thanks!

On books..look at historical and modern explorers, adventure,and travel books,both sides non-fiction and fiction. Especially those with drawings and photos.

Ask him if any country particular interests him!!

Maybe a Geologica hard cover book,and those choice of books,where one can learn about the people's of the world,anthropology with the present

not just the past...

Or .Adventuras like Cousteau/Tommy Taylor

 

I learned fanatically how to travel the world,and the history of people's first only through books,that opened up my senses,so I could realise it in my adult life!!

And every 11 year old should have a stack of playboy...  sorry not from his dad!!:rolleyes:

Captain...

Captain...

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Beliall said:


secondly, my 11yr old boy has asked for books, i have no idea what he might like so im loking for recommendations. preferably a boxed set or series, but anything really. might be nice to give him a range of topicsor

Other half works for Waterstones she recommended Frankies magic football series written by Frank Lampard 20 books in the series to work through.

 

Or the young bond series written by Charlie Higson 

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Beliall said:

Mate, he's an idiot. But I'm encouraged by his request. i used to love reading at his age. LOTR might be a bit heavy but he liked the harry potter films so that's a good shout. thanks for the lists

 

Then get him the Hobbit and why not a few Mangas - I know that's not exactly many people's idea of reading but the kids in France are crazy over them and it's a way into other things and culture. When I was young (younger than 11) I had a comic subscription every week, it forms good habits.

Beliall

Beliall

Posted
  • Author
Posted
40 minutes ago, Captain... said:

Other half works for Waterstones she recommended Frankies magic football series written by Frank Lampard 20 books in the series to work through.

 

Or the young bond series written by Charlie Higson 

i was looking at those lampard books. wasnt sure if they would be any good.. but on your recommendation (or hers) ill look again  

 

40 minutes ago, FIF said:

 

Then get him the Hobbit and why not a few Mangas - I know that's not exactly many people's idea of reading but the kids in France are crazy over them and it's a way into other things and culture. When I was young (younger than 11) I had a comic subscription every week, it forms good habits.

The Slimarillion?  what i know about manga is there's a lot of it. and all pretty different. .some people like this, others like that, i wouldn't know where to start. 

 

14 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy the trilogy 

Dude! Yes! got me thinking discworld series too

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy the trilogy 

All 5 of them

 

Discworld is a good choice, Tom Holt books too.

 

In Manga you just choose something he's interested in. Footy? or simply A DBZ selection. It really is a whole new world and I'm sure we have specialists on here far better positioned to suggest than me.

Leicester69

Leicester69

Posted
Posted

Books....The Inner Chimp, a book by Prof Steve Peters...a bit off the wall but if you/family have any interest in any sort of psychology and mind training etc this is a good read. I've read the adult "grown ups" version, there is now a specific version for teenagers

Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

Those AR (augmented reality)  books are pretty cool 

 

You need a tablet or computer for them though don't you?

 

 

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