Finding
recommended books for boys can sometimes be a challenge. Just the thought of sitting down for ANY reason can send some boys running, but we have found some
great boy books that might just cause them to pause. Kids Activities Blog is ALL about fun…and that includes reading too!
Boys…
Books…
When boys find books they love, they *love* them!
Getting boys to read can be a challenge, and getting boys to love reading can be even more difficult, at least for my son. These are just a few of the books that have been tried, tested and loved by myself and the other families who responded to our
Kids Activities Community-wide request for book suggestions for boys. Like these? Check out our other books for kids!
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Must Read Books:
Kayle said that her 9 year old son loves the
Magic Treehouse series, by Mary Pope Osborne. There are 28 easy-to-read chapter books and a second series that has an additional 20 books which are longer books for more developed readers. They all begin with Jack and Annie, two children who have discovered a magical tree filled with magical books that allow them to travel back through time and go on a variety of adventures and missions.
Gruffalo is a scruffy monster living in the dark woods. The
Gruffalo Book Series, by Julia Donaldson, are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who are learning to identify colors, shapes, numbers, animals and more!
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Kayle said that her 9 year old son loves the
Magic Treehouse series, by Mary Pope Osborne. There are 28 easy-to-read chapter books and a second series that has an additional 20 books which are longer books for more developed readers. They all begin with Jack and Annie, two children who have discovered a magical tree filled with magical books that allow them to travel back through time and go on a variety of adventures and missions.
Gruffalo is a scruffy monster living in the dark woods. The
Gruffalo Book Series, by Julia Donaldson, are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who are learning to identify colors, shapes, numbers, animals and more!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney, is a book that many, many of you said that your boys love. These are great for boys who are past early readers – they feature a kid, Greg, & his pal Rowly as they navigate middle school. This series is sure to have your child giggling hysterically – they will read it multiple times.
Jeremy Thatcher and the Dragon Hatcher is a fun fantasy written by Bruce Coville. They are written for elementary readers who are past the early-reading stage. It features a boy, Jeremy, who finds himself in a magic shop with so many different items that he can buy, each of them leading him on an adventure. In this book, Jeremy purchases an egg, a dragon’s egg and watches it hatch. Bruce Coville wrote another of other books that our fans have said their boys enjoy, including
Monsters Ring.
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Best Novels… for boys!
Rick Riordan authors the series Heroes of Olympus, including the book,
The Lost Hero. These are great books for a more solid reader. The story plots are written from multiple points of view, making it a bit complicated for kids new to chapter books, and fascinating to boys who love mythology and putting themselves “into” the story.
The
Cam Jansen Series is a collection of sport-related mysteries. Featuring Cam, a girl with a terrific memory, and her friend Erick. These are great books to get kids who love activities more interested in reading.
Boys who enjoy mystery and intrigue will love the book,
The Sword Thief (39 Clues), by Peter Lerangis. The detectives are Amy and Dan, siblings, who use clues to solve problems. The clues are found through research into Japan’s history. As a former social studies teacher, I loved how they drew readers into the past.
For a tale about a fantastic adventure your boys will enjoy this adaptation of Peter Pan,
Peter and the StarChasers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Orphaned Peter and his boys are on a boat leaving for the island of Never Land, and on the way they meet Molly (who can talk to animals). This story is filled with pirates, treasure and bravery.
Have a dramatic boy in your life? He will most likely love this book by David Walliams,
Mr. Stink. The main characters of the story are a middle school girl and her unlikely friend, a street tramp with a “distinctive” odor. There is a lot of “flair” in the dramatic language and descriptions in this story.
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Best Authors… for boys!
Do you have a child who is struggling to enjoy reading? We do. Our son loves to read comic books – I think the illustrations help him to contextualize the words he is reading –
Big Nate Outloud, by Lincoln Peirce. Is a great illustrated book to help boys get involved in their stories.
The
Seekers Series and the
Warriors by Erin Hunter are books written from the perspective of animals that go on a variety of wilderness adventures – the author shares details about the environment and encourages conservation. They are better for a mature child, as some of the characters face difficulties, including death.
No list of books would be complete without mentioning
The Harry Potter books, by J. K. Rowling. The first four books are fun and silly – fantasy that enthralls boys and girls alike – as Harry is a boy in a magical training school.
Silly boys will laugh their hearts out with
Captain Underpants, by Dav Pikey, they deal with Dr. Diaper, toilets that talk to them and are experts in wedgies and knock-knock jokes. As Giselle, mom of a fan said, “Potty humor never fails.”
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Books for Reluctant Boy Readers
My son swears that he will read Ninjago all-day and never stop! The
Ninjago series by Greg Farshtey, are loved by boys who enjoy LEGOs and cultural fantasy. Kye is the lead character, a LEGO figure, who wants to become a Samurai master.
Another illustrated book that boys will have fun reading is
Invasion from Planet Dork, by Greg Trine. The hero of the book is Melvin Beederman, a boy who is training at a superhero academy, preparing to save the world from alien invasions.
Looking for an unlikely hero in a fantasy story filled with intrigue and danger?
The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques features a cast of rodents including the lead mouse, Mattheias, who is seeking to rescue his friends at the Abbey.
Do you have a budding detective? They will most likely relate and enjoy reading the escapades of Cass and Max-Ernest as they discover a dead magician’s journal in the book,
The Name of this book is Secret, by Psydonymous Bosch. This book mixes mystery and fantasy with word games and eccentricity.
Ever have one of those days where everything blows up in ways you never anticipated? That happened one Thanksgiving to the Bobowicz family in the story,
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, by Daniel Pinkwater. They were surprised with a 266lb chicken invading their home. This book is sure to get giggles from your boys.
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What is your recommended “best” book for boys?
Tell me all about your boys favorite chapter books in the comments!
Great recommendations. My boys loved the Captain Underpants series. They also enjoyed the Brian Jacques books. Thanks for sharing.
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My son loved the Pendragon series (ages 10+) as did several of his friends who were reluctant readers.
He also liked the funny Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler (The Fonz on Happy Days). The Zipzer series is a funny take on Winkler’s real life struggles with dyslexia, a fun read for 7-11 year-olds)
Eragon series by Christopher Paolini (who wrote the first book when he was 15 years old)
My son and daughter both love the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, The Mysterious Benedict Society series and the Among the Hidden (Shadow Children series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix among many of the others you mentioned: Warriors and Harry Potter were huge favorites.
Here's a relevant review comment (within a comment):
I found when I left this book laying on the dining room table one evening that it mysteriously disappeared. Now while it would not surprise me to find my ten year old, who is an avid reader, sitting on his bed reading it, I was very surprised when it was my eleven year old who had picked it up to read. This is the child that will find anything possible to do but read, because it is difficult for him. This is what he had to say:
˜I really liked the there was not only words but some nice pictures to go along with it. I was able to picture what the cat and meerkats were doing and what they might look like. It has some tough topics like getting hurt and dying but I thought that it was cool that the cat was willing to help to bring all the meerkats together. I don't know if most animals would do that. I think that this is a book that some of my friends might like. ™
This is a pretty high compliment coming from a kid who really struggles to make it though the simplest of books.
The book? ˜The Meerkat Wars ™ by H.S. Toshack (ISBN 978-0-9563236-2-0)
Great books, my kids (2 boys and 2 girls) also like R.L. Stine’s Rotten School books as well as many other series you’ve mentioned. Thanks for the great list.
These books aren’t only for boys. My daughter LOVES the Big Nate books, and my husband and I think that they are better than Diary of a Wimpy kid.
Thanks for the great list here! My son will enjoy some of these in a couple of years.
I’m a children’s librarian in a public library, and often we are asked for book recommendations for boys. For shorter chapter books that have appropriate content for younger readers, what’s really hot at our library are:
— Danny Dragonbreath series, by Ursula Vernon
— Frankie Pickle series, by Eric Wight
These two are part text story, part graphic novel, a very appealing blend.
Also really popular among reluctant readers are the Beastquest series, by Adam Blade. They are VERY short, and the ongoing plot is structured rather like the levels of a video game. There are lots in that series — over 50 last time I checked — and in Illinois, at least, you can find the first 24 or so in libraries (the series originates in England).
I’ve been asked for lots of recommendations over the years, and a couple of years ago I started writing them up in a blog, “Books for Boys”. It doesn’t do full reviews, but more like the online equivalent of what librarians call “book talks” — short introductions to the book and plot, just enough to entice, not enough to give away any spoilers.
My blog can be found at http://www.boysbookblog.wordpress.com.
My 10 year old son adores the Bone series by Jeff Smith. The librarian at his school recommended them. They are a graphoic novel, but they did get him interested in reading other types of books. When he does not want to read, I can always mention Bone and get him to start reading again. He has also enjoyed Janitors by Tyler Whitesides. There are only two books out that series right now, there will be 5 or 6. he loves them, they make him laugh out loud.