25 Terrific Books for Boys

The top picks of over 200 teachers, reading specialists, and boys themselves.

Picture Books and Easy Readers

Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry G. Allard; Illustrated by James Marshall. Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co; (1977). ISBN: 0395252962. 32 Pages. Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a substitute. "Rarely has the golden rule been so effectively interpreted for children."

Oliver Button is a Sissy, written and illustrated by Tomie De Paola. Publisher: Voyager Books; Reissue edition (1990). ISBN: 0156681404 . Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	Oliver Button would rather read, dance, and draw pictures than play football like the other boys. His classmates' taunts don't stop him from doing what he likes best, and his practice and persistence pay off in the end--when Oliver Button is a star.

Owen by Kevin Henkes. Publisher: Greenwillow; (1993); ISBN: 0688114490. 32 pages. Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	For young children, a beloved blanket is like a lifeline. And that's exactly how Owen feels about his baby blanket, fondly named Fuzzy. The Owen-Fuzzy relationship is cruising along smoothly until a nosy neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, leans over the fence and asks his parents, "Isn't he getting a little old to be carrying that thing around?" With kindergarten just around the corner, Owen's parents wonder if he should in fact relinquish his prized Fuzzy. Kevin Henkes uses his signature mouse characters and jewel-tone watercolors to explore the antics and foils of one mouse-boy, one rag-blanket, and two parents wondering how to help their son kick the habit.

The Seals on the Bus by Lenny G. Hort; Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.; (2000). ISBN: 0805059520. 32 pages. Reading Level: Read aloud, infant to preschool.
	A jaunty spin on the song "The Wheels on the Bus," this delightfully silly sing-along, read-aloud picture book is sure to amuse youngsters and animal aficionados alike. Seals, of course, do not go round and round like their predecessors the wheels. They go "errp errp errp." The tiger on the bus goes "roar roar roar," and the geese go "honk honk honk." When the many rabbits on the bus go "up and down," complete mayhem erupts, as, by this time, the bus is filled with seals, rabbits, geese, and a tiger. What? Room for a monkey and vipers, too? Sheep, and even skunks? In the end, the people on the bus--crowded by the motley menagerie--go "help help help!"

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting; Illustrated by David Diaz. Publisher: Harcourt; Reprint (1999). ISBN: 0152018840. 36 Pages. Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	This is a story about cats -- and people -- who couldn't get along until a smoky and fearful night brings them together. The Los Angeles riots made author Eve Bunting wonder about what riots meant to the children who live through them -- and what we can all learn from such upheavals. Winner of the 1995 Caldecott Medal.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Publisher: Viking Press; (1962); ISBN: 0670654000. 40 pages. Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	This 1963 Caldecott Medal winner is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats's illustrations, using cut-outs, watercolors, and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats's gentle tribute.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf and Jon Scieszka; Illustrated by Lane Smith. Publisher: Puffin; Reprint (1996). ISBN: 0140544518 . 32 pages. Reading Level: Ages 4-8.
	"There has obviously been some kind of mistake," writes Alexander T. Wolf from the pig penitentiary where he's doing time for his alleged crimes of 10 years ago. Here is the "real" story of the three little pigs whose houses are huffed and puffed to smithereens... from the wolf's perspective. This poor, much maligned wolf has gotten a bad rap. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, with a sneezy cold, innocently trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make his granny a cake. Is it his fault those ham dinners--rather, pigs--build such flimsy homes?


Intermediate and Middle Grades

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Publisher: Hyperion Press; (2002). ISBN: 0786817070. 304 pages. Reading Level: Age 12 and up.
	The first in a series. Eoin Colfer describes his new book, Artemis Fowl, as "Die Hard with fairies." He's not far wrong. Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back. Fantastic stuff from beginning to end, Artemis Fowl is a rip-roaring, 21st-century romp of the highest order.

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1) Lemony Snicket. Publisher: HarperCollins; (1999). ISBN: 0064407667. 176 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12
	Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Publisher: Yearling Books; Reprint (2002). ISBN: 0440413281. 256 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, is his father. Guided only by a flier for one of Calloway's shows--a small, blue poster that had mysteriously upset his mother shortly before she died--Bud sets off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never laid eyes on. And, being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl." Correta Scott King Author Award Winner.

Climb or Die by Edward Myers. Publisher: Hyperion Press; Reprint (1996). ISBN: 0786811293. 192 pages. Reading Level: Ages 10-13 (and up).
	After a car accident in a snowy Colorado pass seriously injures their parents, athletic fourteen-year-old Danielle and her brainy younger brother, Jake, must scale a mountain to find help.

Crash by Jerry Spinelli. Publisher: Random House; Reprint edition (1997). ISBN: 0679885501. 176 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. Publisher: Hyperion Press; (2002). ISBN: 0786808284. 262 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. But before our protagonist escapes, Avi makes sure that we're thoroughly briefed on the injustices of feudalism--the countless taxes cottars must pay, the constant violence, the inability of a flawed church to protect its parishioners, etc. Avi then folds in the book's central mystery just as the boy is leaving: "Asta's son," as he's always been known, learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents' origins--and fates--might be more perplexing than he ever imagined. Newbery Medal Winner, 2003.

Holes by Louis Sacher. Publisher: Yearling Books; Reprint (2000). ISBN: 0440414806. 240 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	" If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character--that in fact the warden is seeking something specific--the plot gets as thick as the irony.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. Publisher: Knopf; (2002). ISBN: 0375821813. 304 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	Roy Eberhardt is the new kid--again. This time around it's Trace Middle School in humid Coconut Grove, Florida. But it's still the same old routine: table by himself at lunch, no real friends, and thick-headed bullies like Dana Matherson pushing him around. But if it wasn't for Dana Matherson mashing his face against the school bus window that one day, he might never have seen the tow-headed running boy. And if he had never seen the running boy, he might never have met tall, tough, bully-beating Beatrice. And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East Oriole Avenue. And if he had never discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime. Apparently, bullies do serve a greater purpose in the scope of the universe. Because if it wasn't for Dana Matherson...

Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka. Publisher: Viking Press; (1991). ISBN: 0670836222. 55 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12.
	One in a series titled Time Warp Trio. Joe receives a magic book for his birthday present from his uncle. Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons, and vile-smelling giants roamed the land.

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan. Publisher: HarperCollins; (2002). ISBN: 066236029. 224 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	Laugh-out-loud funny. Jake Semple is a scary kid. Word has it that he burned down his old school and then was kicked out of every other school in his home state. Only weeks into September, the middle school in Traybridge, North Carolina, has thrown him out, too. Now there's only one place left that will take him -- a home school run by the most outrageous, forgetful, chaotic, quarrelsome family you'll ever meet. Each and every Applewhite is an artist through and through -- except E.D., the smart, scruffy girl with a deep longing for order and predictability. E.D. and Jake, so nearly the same age, are quickly paired in the family's first experiment in "cooperative education." The two clash immediately, of course. The only thing they have in common is the determination to survive the family's eccentricities. Newbery Honor Book.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke; Illustrated by Christian Burmingham. Publisher: Chicken House; (2003). ISBN: 043942089X. 376 pages. Reading Level: Ages 9-12 (and up).
	Imagine a Dickens story with a Venetian setting, and you'll have a good sense of Cornelia Funke's prize winning novel The Thief Lord, first published in Germany in 2000. This suspenseful tale begins in a detective's office in Venice, as the entirely unpleasant Hartliebs request Victor Getz's services to search for two boys, Prosper and Bo, the sons of Esther Hartlieb's recently deceased sister. Twelve-year-old Prosper and 5-year-old Bo ran away when their aunt decided she wanted to adopt Bo, but not his brother. Refusing to split up, they escaped to Venice, a city their mother had always described reverently, in great detail. Right away they hook up with a long-haired runaway named Hornet and various other ruffians who hole up in an abandoned movie theater and worship the elusive Thief Lord, a young boy named Scipio who steals jewels from fancy Venetian homes so his new friends can get the warm clothes they need. Of course, the plot thickens when the owner of the pawn shop asks if the Thief Lord will carry out a special mission for a wealthy client: to steal a broken wooden wing that is the key to completing an age-old, magical merry-go-round. This winning cast of characters--especially the softhearted detective with his two pet turtles--will win the hearts of readers young and old, and the adventures are as labyrinthine and magical as the streets of Venice itself.


Teen Reads

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones. Publisher: HarperTrophy; (2001) ISBN: 0064473457. 304 pages. Reading Level: Age 12 and up.
	Abdullah was a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer. His father, who had been disappointed in him, had left him only enough money to open a modest booth in the Bazaar. When he was not selling carpets, Abdullah spent his time daydreaming. In his dreams he was not the son of his father, but the long-lost son of a prince. There was also a princess who had been betrothed to him at birth. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Publisher: Publisher: Tor Books. ASIN: 0812589041. 349 pages. Reading Level: Age 13 and up.
	In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Back on Earth, Peter and Valentine forge an intellectual alliance and attempt to change the course of history. This futuristic tale involves aliens, political discourse on the Internet, sophisticated computer games, and an orbiting battle station. Yet the reason it rings true for so many is that it is first and foremost a tale of humanity; a tale of a boy struggling to grow up into someone he can respect while living in an environment stripped of choices. Ender's Game is a must-read book for science fiction lovers, and a key conversion read for their friends who "don't read science fiction."

A Matter of Profit by Hilari Bell. Publisher: HarperCollins; ( 2001). ISBN: 0060295139. 288 pages. Reading Level: Age 12 and up.
	Strangers in a bizarre land -- that's what Ahvren's people, the Vivitare, are. They are the conquerors, the rulers now, of the T'Chin confederacy. But Ahvren is no longer sure what that means. After spending two years fighting a brutal war on another planet, here -- where not a single shot was fired -- victory doesn't seem quite so...victorious. Ahvren welcomes the peace, but he doesn't fully trust it. How could all these people surrender so easily? Are they all cowards? Not likely. And his mistrust is not unwarranted: Rumors abound of a plot to assassinate the Vivitare emperor. But Ahvren's disdain for war is even greater than his mistrust of peace. The last thing he wants is to rejoin the emperor's fleet and conquer the next planet. So he strikes a bargain with his father. If he can uncover the plot to assassinate the emperor, Ahvren can choose his own path. It's a challenge that will take more wits than strength, and Ahvren's not sure he's up for it. But it's also the most important test he's ever faced and his success is vital. For not only does the emperor's life depend on it, so does Ahvren's.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Publisher: Harpercollins Juvenile Books; Reprint ( 2001) ISBN: 0064407314. 288 pages. Reading Level: Age 13 and up.
	" Monster" is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. But was Steve really the lookout who gave the "all clear" to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this innovative novel by Walter Dean Myers, the reader becomes both juror and witness during the trial of Steve's life. To calm his nerves as he sits in the courtroom, aspiring filmmaker Steve chronicles the proceedings in movie script format. Interspersed throughout his screenplay are journal writings that provide insight into Steve's life before the murder and his feelings about being held in prison during the trial. "They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can't kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment."

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Publisher: Prentice Hall; Reprint ( 1997). ISBN: 014038572X 180 pages. Reading Level: Age 13 and up

	According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967.

Slam! by Walter Dean Meyers. Publisher: Scholastic; Reprint ( 1998). ISBN: 0590486683. 266 pages. Reading Level: Age 13 and up.
	Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up. Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman. Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.; (1998). ISBN: 0805055827. 160 pages. Reading Level: 13 and up.
	When sixteen-year-old Brent Bishop inadvertently causes the death of a young woman, he is sent on an unusual journey of repentance, building wind toys across the land. In his most ambitious novel to date, Newbery winner Paul Fleischman traces Brent's healing pilgrimage from Washington State to California, Florida, and Maine, and describes the many lives set into new motion by the ingenious creations Brent leaves behind.