The majority of adults involved in a boys’ reading are women from teachers, to librarians to moms. Sometimes the biggest hurdle a boy faces is finding the just right book to read – one that interests him!
Check out this list of ideas tried and tested by boys – thanks ReadKiddoRead for sharing! While these aren’t “boys books” only, they have appealed to boys and helped peak their curiosity and interest in reading. The books become more appropriate and easier to read as you go down the list.
Ages 11+
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE by Gene Luen Yang
ASHFALL by Mike Mullin
DEATH CLOUD (Young Sherlock Holmes series) by Andrew Lane
ERAGON (Inheritance Cycle series) by Christopher Paolini
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (Fullmetal Alchemist series) by Hiromu Arakawa
THE GOATS by Brock Cole
THE KID FROM TOMKINSVILLE by John R. Tunis
LEVIATHAN (Leviathan series) by Scott Westerfeld
LOCKDOWN (Escape from Furnace series) by Alexander Gordon Smith
THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT (Maximum Ride series) by James Patterson
THE MAZE RUNNER (Maze Runner series) by James Dashner
THE MOVES MAKE THE MAN by Bruce Brooks
THE OBSIDIAN BLADE (Klaatu Diskos series) by Pete Hautman
THE RED PYRAMID (The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan
SCORPIA RISING (Alex Rider series) by Anthony Horowitz
DISASTERS: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes through the Centuries by Brenda Guiberson
SHIPWRECK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD by Jennifer Armstrong
WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS 2012
Ages 8-12
ASTRONAUT ACADEMY by Dave Roman
CHARLIE JOE JACKSON by Tommy Greenwald
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID (Wimpy Kid series) by Jeff Kinney
THE HAUNTED SCHOOL (Goosebumps series) by R.L. Stine
HERO by Mike Lupica
THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) by Rick Riordan
MIDDLE SCHOOL: THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE (Middle School series) by James Patterson
SIDEKICKS by Dan Santat
THE STORM MAKERS by Jennifer E. Smith
SWINDLE (Swindle series) by Gordon Korman
THE UNWANTEDS (Unwanteds series) by Lisa McMann
THE WITCHES by Roald Dahl
BABY MAMMOTH MUMMY: FROZEN IN TIME by Christopher Sloan
EVERY DAY ON EARTH: Fun Facts That Happen Every 24 Hours by Steve & Matthew Murrie
GREAT MOMENTS IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS by Matt Christopher and Stephanie Peters
GET THE SCOOP ON ANIMAL POOP by Dawn Cusick
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS ALMANAC 2013
Ages 7-10
BAD KITTY GETS A BATH and other titles by Nick Bruel
THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (Captain Underpants series) by Dav Pilkey
DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK (Magic Tree House series) by Mary Pope Osborne
DRAGONBREATH: CURSE OF THE WERE-WIENER (Dragonbreath series) by Ursula Vernon
EVERY THING ON IT by Shel Silverstein
THE FENWAY FOUL-UP (Ballpark Mysteries series) by David A. Kelly
HORRID HENRY (Horrid Henry series) by Francesca Simon
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate
SQUISH: SUPER AMOEBA by Jennifer & Matt Holm
THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS by Jon Scieszka
ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA by Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhart
HENRY AARON’S DREAM by Matt Tavares
WEIRD BUT TRUE: 300 OUTRAGEOUS FACTS by National Geographic Kids
YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! by Jonah Winter
I’d love to build on this list and hear what you think of these books. Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
