What would be a good basic book, or books, on logic for a 13 year old boy?

Hello.

I'll start with some books on logic that are geared at a juvenile
audience.

"If this and that, then what?" by Lyn McClure Butrick.
Source: Library of Congress Catalog
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+83050783&CNT=10+records+per+page
Available from half.com:
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1087721

"Logic for space age kids" by Lyn McClure Butrick ; William H. Cooper,
editor.
Source: Library of Congress Catalog
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+84050892&CNT=10+records+per+page
I couldn't located a copy of this for sale, but you might be able to
find this at your local public library.

"Logic" by Vicki Cobb
Source: Library of Congress Catalog
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+74080011&CNT=10+records+per+page
Available from Abebooks.com:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=79989298

"Clever Logic Puzzles" by Norman Willis 
Available from Abebooks.com:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=104919104

"Mystifying Logic Puzzles" by Norman Willis
Available from Abebooks.com:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=139607498

"Logic puzzles" by Mark Fowler
Available from Abebooks.com:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=83122243

"Fantastic book of logic puzzles" by Muriel Mandell 
Source: Library of Congress Catalog
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=local&CMD=010a+86005980&CNT=10+records+per+page
Available from Bookavenue.com
http://www.bookavenue.com/cgi-bin/orderbook?booknum=anncarols,001504

"Logical Logic, Grades 5-8 (Enrichment and Gifted Ser.)" by Barbara
Gregorich
Available from abebooks.com:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookDetails?bi=174290896



If these books are too simplistic, you might try some basic books on
logic aimed at a general audience. A relatively advanced 13-year-old
would probably be able to handle these books.

"Logic: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)"
by Graham Priest
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0192893203/

"A Concise Introduction to Logic" by Patrick J. Hurley
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0534584918/
According to the comments of one Amazon user, the book is "suited to
an academic setting at the level of a senior in high school or college
freshman/sophomore."
Also available from Alibris.com
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=1271406&matches=77&qsort=r

"Introduction to Logic" by Irving M. Copi, Carl Cohen
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130102024/

"Introduction to Logic" by Ernest Nagel, Morris R. Cohen
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0156451255/

You might also take a look at some logic games written by Lewis
Carroll:

"Lewis Carroll's Games and Puzzles"
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486269221/

"Symbolic Logic Game of Logic: Mathematical Recreations of Lewis
Carroll: 2 Books Bound As 1"
Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486204928/

I hope this helps. Best of luck on locating a good book.

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 10 Jan 2003 01:20 PST

search strategy: logic, juvenile fiction, library of congress catalog,
abebooks, amazon.com

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 10 Jan 2003 01:22 PST

That should have read: "juvenile NON-fiction"

Hello juggler:
Thank you for the excellent research.
Your information will keep me busy for some time.
Thanks again,
Clicker5

That is a really nice set of books there. Let me also add, Godel
Escher Bach, by Hofstadter is nice, as are virtually any of the
Raymond Smullyan books.

For more advanced stuff I have always liked the textbook Independence
Proofs in Set Theory by Kunen.