Countdown to STEADY DAYS: 7 More Days!
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The following is a guest post written by Caroline of Caroline by line.
Is there such a thing as a boy book?
As a teacher and
mother, I cringe at the idea of boy books, which imply there are titles meant
for some children and not for others.
While I feel strongly books are for
everyone, I can’t deny there are books boys tend to gravitate to and others
they typically avoid.
Here is a list of middle-grade and young adult titles (and
authors) that have a proven track record in the classroom.
The Bizarre:
(middle-grade)
Boys love weird things. Here are some titles that might grab
your son’s attention:
Whales on Stilts!
By M.T. Anderson
The Curse of the
Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar
The Wayside School series by Louis Sachar
Anything by Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Anything by Bruce Coville, author of My Teacher is an Alien
Anything by Daniel Pinkwater, author of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
Mysteries:
(middle-grade)
The Hank the Cowdog Series by John Erickson
The Chet Gecko series by Bruce Hale (noir lizard detective)
The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee
Stewart (MG/YA because of length and reading level)
Stories About
Everyday Kids or Extraordinary Kids in Everyday Situations: (MG/YA)
Anything by Andrew Clements, author of Frindle (MG)
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, by Jeff Kinney (MG)
Holes by Louis
Sachar (MG)
Anything by Jerry Spinelli, author of Eggs (MG)
Schooled by Gordon
Korman (YA)
Anything by Gary Paulsen, author of Hatchet
Anything by Roland Smith, author of Peak
Anything by Harry Mazer, author of Boy No More
Anything by William Durbin, author of The Broken Blade
Anything by Will Hobbs, author of Far North
Anything by Sid Fleishman, author of The Whipping Boy
Fantasy: (MG/YA)
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster (MG)
The Secrets of the
Cheese Syndicate, by Donna St. Cyr (MG)
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques (YA)
The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling (YA)
The City of Ember series by Jeanne Du Prau (YA)
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins (YA)
For more recommendations to keep boys reading, check out this post over at Ink Spells.
What books have been favorites of your boys?
**Caroline
Starr Rose is a mother, former teacher, and writer. An excerpt of her
current novel-in-verse is featured in Louisiana Literature magazine.
Caroline stays connected with her former students by leading
after-school book clubs. She blogs about writing, reading, and the publishing process
at Caroline by line.**
