As the mom of three boys and one girl, I've always been challenged to find chapter books that both genders enjoy. While I tried to sell my boys on Anne of Green Gables, they just weren't having it. Instead, they gravitated toward selections like Diary of a Wimpy Kid (which I loathe) comic books, and encycolpedic tomes on baseball, football, and basketball. In fact, I can't tell you the time we've wasted just wandering aimlessly around our local library branch having no idea what to even look for.
Getting my boys to roam the libary shelves in search of interesting, fun chapter books was a challenge.
But through the years, we've managed to find fiction that appeals to my boys' sense of adventure, and my sense of literary standards.
What books would you add to this list?
Getting my boys to roam the libary shelves in search of interesting, fun chapter books was a challenge.
But through the years, we've managed to find fiction that appeals to my boys' sense of adventure, and my sense of literary standards.
Here are 10 of my favorite recommendations for boy books:
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- The Chronicales of Prydain. I've recommended this series to so many folks because it's just that good. Take Narnia, add a dash of LOTR, and a sprinkle of fairy tale, and you have the perfect blend of adventure, intrigue, and magic.
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians. When my eldest discovered Percy, he didn't emerge until the final page of the final book was finished. He absolutely loved these books.
- Holes. Maybe you've seen the film, but the book should come first.
- Homer Price. Perfect for the beginning or struggling reader because each chapter is a story unto itself. My youngest, who struggled to read chapter books in the beginning, really flourished in his reading with these books.
- Far Out The Long Canal. If you've never heard of the author, Meindert DeJong, you have a treat in store. He was a Dutch-American author who wrote many children's books, often with Christian themes. I discovered his books as a child and kept my copies of his books for my own children. Many of his chapter books are rather short, which is wonderful for a child who is easily intimidated by the thickness of chapter books.
- The Twenty-One Balloons. Another classic adventure story your son will like.
- Adam of the Road. Perfect for any boy who is interested in the Middle Ages.
- My Side of the Mountain. Contemporary fiction about a boy on an adventure. Need I say more?
- A Boy At War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor. If your son is anything like my eldest, he loves all things to do with war. This is an excellent chapter book about WWII.
- Hatchet. The survival story of a 13 year old boy, stuck in the Canadian wilderness.
What books would you add to this list?