Books for Boys
Thrice this week I've received requests from moms: "What books should X be reading?" (X being the male progeny in each household. This week it ranges from 6 to 16.) I took this as a sign I needed to blog about this important topic.
Not being male, I turned to my two trusted experts: Denise Bowman (dear friend, book buddy, baseball enthusiast, and middle school librarian) and the Internet.
Because it requires less space, I'll start with the Internet. My go-to site for books for boys is Guys Read. Created by Jon ScieszkaThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales etc., who was mentioned in passing a few blog entries ago), the site is intended to connect boys (who are sometimes reluctant readers) with male-approved reading material, and has several features to recommend it:
1. Non-traditional categories such as "Outer Space, but With Aliens," and "At Least One Explosion"
2. Traditional categories that include comics, magazines, poetry, and graphic novels, as well as picture books and beginning readers
3. Book lists created by authors and illustrators
4. Important information for parents and teachers who want to know more about *why* boys don't love to read the way girls do, and what they can do to help.
I'll admit I'm also fond of the creative photography on the site, proving someone had a fine time toting the Guys Read sign all over and finding unlikely places to photograph it.
And now, for my genius friend Denise.
Comments are hers, except when in brackets [like this] which means I can't keep from commenting.
1. Dark Water Rising -- it's excellent. [The 16 yo loved this one.]
2. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins—he needs to read them in order. The final book, Mockingjay, is due out in August. FABULOUS!!!
3. Gym Candy by Carl Deuker – about a really good kid who get hooked on steroids in high school. Wonderful book—made a big impression on me.
4. Pop by Gordon Korman – just finished this one, and it blew me away! It also has a football theme, but it’s about so much more than that –I don’t want to say any more for fear of giving something away.
5. He might also try the Pendragon series. Many of my boys eat that series up, and my aide says they are some of her favorites.
6. The Compound by S.A. Bodeen [The 16 yo thought this one wasn't deep enough.]
7. Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan SonnenblickRedwall series. [I LOVED this book and reviewed it here .]
Others she and I have discussed:
1. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series
2. Richard Peck's historical fiction
3. The Redwall series
Books my nephews enjoy (younger readers):
1. The Stink series by Megan McDonald
2. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
3. C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe)
4. Stuart Little (as an audio book during a drive to NM)
5. Anything about Star Wars
Anyone else care to chime in with suggestions?
Photo of a Reluctant Reader via his mother's iPhone.
Not being male, I turned to my two trusted experts: Denise Bowman (dear friend, book buddy, baseball enthusiast, and middle school librarian) and the Internet.
Because it requires less space, I'll start with the Internet. My go-to site for books for boys is Guys Read. Created by Jon ScieszkaThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales etc., who was mentioned in passing a few blog entries ago), the site is intended to connect boys (who are sometimes reluctant readers) with male-approved reading material, and has several features to recommend it:
1. Non-traditional categories such as "Outer Space, but With Aliens," and "At Least One Explosion"
2. Traditional categories that include comics, magazines, poetry, and graphic novels, as well as picture books and beginning readers
3. Book lists created by authors and illustrators
4. Important information for parents and teachers who want to know more about *why* boys don't love to read the way girls do, and what they can do to help.
I'll admit I'm also fond of the creative photography on the site, proving someone had a fine time toting the Guys Read sign all over and finding unlikely places to photograph it.
And now, for my genius friend Denise.
Comments are hers, except when in brackets [like this] which means I can't keep from commenting.
1. Dark Water Rising -- it's excellent. [The 16 yo loved this one.]
2. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins—he needs to read them in order. The final book, Mockingjay, is due out in August. FABULOUS!!!
3. Gym Candy by Carl Deuker – about a really good kid who get hooked on steroids in high school. Wonderful book—made a big impression on me.
4. Pop by Gordon Korman – just finished this one, and it blew me away! It also has a football theme, but it’s about so much more than that –I don’t want to say any more for fear of giving something away.
5. He might also try the Pendragon series. Many of my boys eat that series up, and my aide says they are some of her favorites.
6. The Compound by S.A. Bodeen [The 16 yo thought this one wasn't deep enough.]
7. Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan SonnenblickRedwall series. [I LOVED this book and reviewed it here .]
Others she and I have discussed:
1. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series
2. Richard Peck's historical fiction
3. The Redwall series
Books my nephews enjoy (younger readers):
1. The Stink series by Megan McDonald
2. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
3. C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe)
4. Stuart Little (as an audio book during a drive to NM)
5. Anything about Star Wars
Anyone else care to chime in with suggestions?
Photo of a Reluctant Reader via his mother's iPhone.
Posted by Keri Collins at 4/22/2010 7:57 AM 
Categories: middle grade novel, books for teens
Tags: teens books
Categories: middle grade novel, books for teens
Tags: teens books
The Artemis Fowl books are really popular with the boys we know (and Abby, too) as well as the Eragon series. Fantasy books seem to be really popular. A friend told me that her boys have really enjoyed non-fiction a lot, too--Usborne has a lot of great non-fiction titles about military heroes, spies, and spooky things. I love to read lists that other people recommend. Thanks!
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Abby just told me that boys that she knows are also reading "The Ranger's Apprentice" series and "Swallows and Amazons" series. For the record, she didn't like the Redwall series, but she loves Percy Jackson!
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Don't forget the Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing and the Fudge books. I think we listened to all of them on the roads between here, NM, and California. They have also enjoyed Dan Gutman books. He writes for different age groups. The Homework Machine was for older kids. The books for the younger set - Miss Daisy is Crazy, Ms. Todd is Odd, etc, feature a male main character and have wonderful illustrations. (The illustrator's daughter is in Joshua's class.)
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Have the boys read anything by Bruce Hale, such as the Chet Gecko mysteries? He's from Santa Barbara and is a funny guy, very passionate about children's lit.
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Abby also wants to recommend the Septimus Heap books by Angie Sage. I've read them, as well, and have enjoyed them. Only 1-5 are out, but 6 and 7 are coming...
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Thanks to Abby for vetting so many books I've not read!
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