MG Boys Books

[Jacci]

Enjoying reading Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest. Great book and no dog death so far!

[Heather]

The Heros of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan

[Andrew]

I'm working through "The Joshua Files" by MG Harris. There's quite a bit of adventure & plot twisting with (presumbably) made-up Maya culture a major, exotic aspect. Should appeal to boys as well girls. The first book "Invisible City" is at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16... You might have to use second-hand dealers to get all five books if you want hard copy. (I got books 3-5 from Abe Books.) electronic versions are readily available.

[Rebecca]

Thinking about the books our boys read through those years (we are just a bit over it now).

Early on, John R. Erickson's The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog books were a real hit--humor, adventure, all narrated by the dog (and no dogs die!).

Later, Rick Riordan and Brian Jacques (Redwall books).

My guys were never big on Gary Paulson (Hatchet, etc.) but I liked them as do many kids :)

Richard Peck.

Hank and Richard Peck were among my own inspirations, along with some real classics like Homer Price Homer Price (here's my review in case you don't know that one: http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2012/12...

[Alex]

It is hard to find boys middle grade fiction these days, my son usually goes back to the classics like The Hobbit, or the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Mysterious Benedict Society books are good for that demographic as well

[Suzanne]

Boy book, boy books, boy books. I have a boy who's 10 and can't seem to finish a book. He can't even make it through Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. He likes reading Archie comics. Learning disabilities? Nope. As far as e-book readers? My boys don't like them and one of them is a really techie. Some of you may be cheering, but when you're a middle grade author like me, it's not so great.

[Rebecca]

Suzanne, from my own experiences, both with my kids and all the ones at the library, try your son on:
--Hank the Cowdog
--Captain Underpants
--non-fiction (many boys really don't dig fiction until later)
--Strand him somewhere for days with nothing to do but read :D

My guys never got into Harry Potter, but they loved Redwall and Erin Hunter's Warriors books.

[Suzanne]

Well, they both loved Captain Underpants, and yes, you're right, the both love non-fiction! Thanks for the suggestions.

[J]

If they like Captain Underpants - try NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society or the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

[Suzanne]

Definitely Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I've never laughed so hard in all my life when I read those books. My heartiest applause to Jeff Kinney for those.

[Julie]

Suzanne wrote: "Boy book, boy books, boy books. I have a boy who's 10 and can't seem to finish a book. He can't even make it through Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. He likes reading Archie comics. Learning disabili..."

Hi Suzanne
I thought this might interest you. Maggie Lyons posted this on the kidlit blog hop over at www.motherdaughterbookreviews.com

It is a list of Boy Book Blogs, which have many boy book suggestions and resources. I hope it is helpful, cheers Julie

http://www.maggie-lyons.blogspot.com....

[Suzanne]

Thanks, Julie. I know Maggie. I should really be following her blog.

[Cordelia]

Suzanne - Have you tried The Riot Brothers books? They are Orville and Wilbur Riot, and get into all kinds of things. My son, who is now twelve, really enjoyed them a couple of years ago. He has a weirs sense of humor. He also likes the Bone books. I can't remember the author, but they're in graphic novel format, and he eats them up.

[Andrew]

I have read the first two books in the "Softwire" series by Haarsma & look forward to reading the last two over the next two weekends. Science fiction; a group of children arrive at a set of rings surrounding a wormhole; their parents having all died on the way so that the ship's computer raised the children. When they get to Orbis, they are in for some exciting & troubling adventures. There are some excellent girl characters along with the male protagonist so they aren't just boys books but should be great for fun & thought for boys people on this list are seeking books for.

[Rhys]

Julie, that's brilliant. Cheers.

[Lea Ann]

Will Hobbs books are great for outdoor adventures. Carl Hiaasen.

Last year I started reading the Skeleton Creek (Patrick Carman) series to my reading class 11/12 year olds. They loved it because of the multimedia tie-in. We read Carman's this year, and it was also a big hit.

[Shonica]

I often recommend Eoin Colfer's books... the Artemis Fowl series as well as The Wish List. For boys who love the Warriors series by Erin Hunter I also suggest the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. My son loved the Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage.

I love this thread! You can never have too many boy book suggestions.

[J.Y.]

Suzanne wrote: "Boy book, boy books, boy books. I have a boy who's 10 and can't seem to finish a book. He can't even make it through Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. He likes reading Archie comics. Learning disabili..."

Could it be a matter of how big the book is? Comic books are easy and you can feel like you read a whole story in a short time. HP and Percy jackson are good (LOVE Percy Jackson!), but they might be a bit too ambitious. Maybe shorter books are the way to go.

[J.Y.]

Hi, a lurker/newbie here. My son is way overgrown now :-o But when he was younger he loved the Redwall books by Brian Jacques (sp?). And he was middle-grade-aged during the big R.L. Stine years, so he read those as well.

[Rebecca]

Because The Ninja Librarian (my middle-grade book) is really a series of short stories (about 6 or 7 pages each), it works well for kids who struggle through a longer book. Some of the language may be harder for them--I didn't write down to the kids, just kept it clean and funny for them--but a single piece doesn't go on too long,

Short-story collections in general can work well--and are great for family bed-time read-alouds, too (we got a kick out of Tripping Over the Lunch Lady and Other School Stories ).

[Melissa]

Robert wrote: "Book: Holes by Louis Sachar

What Makes it a Boy Book: The main characters Stanley Yelnats, Zero, Armpit, and others are all uniquely crafted characters with strengths and flaws. They appear tou..."

I agree, Holes would be a good book for the 8-12 boy set. It has a bunch of boys as main characters, and the characters were interesting. I read it in the 6th or 7th grade for school and enjoyed it.

[Brenda]

We recently read The Fourth Stall It was well liked.

[Peter]

One more idea for the group. I have a friend who is UK author Andy Stanton and his books are a massive hit with boys over there.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...


A bit rude, very naughty, but extremely boy friendly. Sort of like Monty Python for kids. Quite outrageous in fact.

Cheers

Peter

[Chris]

You might take a look at Read Kiddo Read...a web site dedicated to finding books that kids actually want to read.

Good luck.

Chris Grabenstien

[Notti]

I'm reading Steven Lachran's Goldrush, which is definitely a boy-friendly MG. :)

[Maggie]

Suzanne, try giving your son fast-paced, short books with lots of humor, short sentences, plenty of dialogue, not much description, and chapters that stand alone so the reader doesn't have to wait for total resolution of the whole story to get some satisfaction from his reading.

Suzanne wrote: "Boy book, boy books, boy books. I have a boy who's 10 and can't seem to finish a book. He can't even make it through Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

[J.Y.]

I very much hesitate to 'toot my own horn,' but my middle-grade series includes both a boy and girl as main characters (they're brother & sister). The story moves quickly and is pretty short (48,000 words, +/-) but I think having a male main character, and the book being more of an adventure than a "touchy-feely" story, I think it appeals to boys as well as girls. I don't really like self-promotion, but if this sounds like something an 11-13 y.o. boy might like, feel free to check it out. TImekeepers: A Revolutionary Tale. It's available for all e-readers, and ALSO in paperback.

[Lea]

Elephant Outlaw is the story of two young boys in Africa. It was written a while ago, but it has a fairly interesting adventure story.

[Michele]

Peak
Stormbreaker
Dark Life
One-Handed Catch
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka
The Lightning Thief
Fablehaven
Amulet, Vol. 1: The Stonekeeper (graphic novel)
All the Lovely Bad Ones
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully FamousThe Maze of Bones

[Lana]

There is a great article about middle-grade books with strong boy characters on School Library Journal's website. All the books listed are recent titles. Have a look:

http://www.slj.com/2013/03/collective...

[Robert]

Wonderful additions, everyone. I'd love to hear feedback on any books read by boys because of this thread.

[Brenda]

Another recent read and well received was The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable. It was actually picked based off the book summary given at the book fair.

[Karl]

I'll second The Fourth Stall recommendation and, for someone who enjoys the Wimpy Kid books, James Patterson's "Middle School" series is also a good bet. They have a very similar tone, even down to the illustrations throughout the books.

[M.G.]

I really like Gary Schmidt's books -- Wednesday Wars and I'm Okay for Now. Great themes and believable boy characters.

[M.G.]

Surprisingly, when my boys were younger (five and seven) they LOVED the Little House series, even though the main character is a girl. It was our bedtime "read aloud," and they loved the descriptions of building the cabin, digging wells, bear hunting, training the horses, etc.

[Cordelia]

Anything by Jerry Spinelli was enjoyed by my son, except for Wringer - too sensitive for the very beginning, so I decided against that one.

[Robert]

Chris wrote: "You might take a look at Read Kiddo Read...a web site dedicated to finding books that kids actually want to read.

Good luck.

Chris Grabenstien"

Chris, do you have a link to that website?

[Rebecca]

M.G. wrote: "Surprisingly, when my boys were younger (five and seven) they LOVED the Little House series, even though the main character is a girl. It was our bedtime "read aloud," and they loved the descriptio..."

LOL--our boys first learned about guns from Little House in the Big Woods. Until then, no gun play. After that, every stick was a rifle. I took it as a lesson regarding trying to over-protect our kids.

[Rebecca]

I just checked out Read Kiddo Read, and not only does it seem to be run by James Patterson (for whom I have little respect as an author), but the links didn't seem to lead to the right pages--they all stayed in the site, but when I clicked on "Why Kids like Captain Underpants" I ended up with "Why reading is important" and so on.

[M.G.]

We just recently discovered the classic Lloyd Alexander fantasy series, written in the 1960s. My boys are smuggling them under the covers at bedtime, so I'd say they're a success. Similar to these is the more recent Ranger Apprentice series by John Flanagan.

[M.G.]

I have a printable list of books for elementary/tween boys on my website at http://mgkingbooks.com -- I've had lots of friends asking me, so I created the list with my two sons who are avid readers.

[[deleted user]]

I just finished reading The Crowfield Demon, sequel to the Crowfield Curse. These books are fun and just a little creepy! Great for boys.
The Crowfield Curse

[Fleur]

Rebecca wrote: "I just checked out Read Kiddo Read, and not only does it seem to be run by James Patterson (for whom I have little respect as an author), but the links didn't seem to lead to the right pages--they ..."

Rebecca: I joined their online 'group', but all I get from it is spam. I think it's used a lot less than it seems...

[Anna]

My Son Loved the Humphrey series (He'll ready anything Funny). It's all from the point of view of the hamster and it is Hilarious! The Writer really knows how to make it funny. Talented writer :)
One of them is "Friendship according to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

[Fleur]

I'll have to add that to our summer reading list. Thanks, Anna!

[[deleted user]]

I just read The Dagger Quick and think it might be the best MG boys book I've read in a long time! This book is rollicking good, pirate fun, and well researched (almost historical fiction).

[Raevyn]

I say the Wolves of the Beyond series might appeal to the older side of the MG boys.

[M.G.]

My ten year old is currently devouring the third WARRIORS series by Erin Hunter. Evidently he never gets tired of fighting cats!

[Rebecca]

My almost-16-y.o. Is still following that series, so I guess you're right!

[S.W.]

M.G. wrote: "My ten year old is currently devouring the third WARRIORS series by Erin Hunter. Evidently he never gets tired of fighting cats!"

I haven't read any of these books, but I'm always amazed at how many of them are in the Amazon charts. They must be super popular.