Summer Lovin'......boys favorites

I've found it much more difficult to find quality books for boys than for girls. The majority of new books in the library seem to be written for girls only. The books that do seem to have boys in mind most often fall into a sorcery category. We've managed to find some gems, but they are nearly always older publications. Here is a brief list of some of our favorites. It is not a comprehensive list at all, but just thew few that immediately came to mind when I quizzed my boys.

Mysterious Benedict Society

An absolute must! This one has been a favorite of all of my children. My 8 year old daughter and my 15 year old son were fighting over it at the same time. The 36 year old Mama even loved it. It's just a great book and you really need to add it to your reading list if you haven't already.

My Side of the Mountain

This one is a favorite of my boys. I made it required reading for school, but they both came to me with money in hand to ask me to buy the rest of the series for them to read in their spare time. This was the first time they ever asked for literature. I told them to keep their money, it was on me. And my book-lovin' heart soared.

Ordinary Boy

This is the first book in a 3-book series and my boys LOVED it. It's about an ordinary boy growing up in a town full of super-heroes. I never actually read it, but my sons insist it is incredible.

One Week of Danger

When I asked my oldest son what his favorite book of all time is, he told me this one. I picked it up at a yardsale when he was 6. He's 15 now and he's read it at least a half-dozen times. It can easily be read in an hour. It's about two boys who are kidnapped by Indians and their daring escape. Definitely a boy book.

The Sisters Grimm

Okay, less of a boy book, but my 12 year old son has really enjoyed this series. It's about two sisters who discover that they are descendants of the famous Grimm brothers and that the fairy tale characters are real. That sounds rather girlish, but they are full of adventure. I enjoyed them somewhat myself. To me, they're just "meh", but they aren't terrible so I've let them keep reading. There are quite a few books in this series. I think Joel is up to book 8 now. They're silly and juvenile. But they're fun. The main character is a snot who learns some lessons about showing respect. If you have a younger child reading it, I'd recommend discussing this.

The Hunger Games

Again, a book with a girl for the main character, but lots of adventure and loved by my boys. And myself. And my husband. I know it's not everyone's favorite because of the killing, but I recommend reading it for yourself before judging. The deaths were neither gratuitous nor grotesque. It made for VERY interesting conversations in our house, so I wouldn't recommend handing it over without reading it yourself and being ready to chat. We had some great talks about relationships because the main character, Katniss, seems to have some sort of disorder. Also, it was very interesting that God was never a character in the books. It was as if they lived in a world without any spiritual realm whatsoever. This really needs discussed if you plan to let your kids read them. If these conversations are included, I highly recommend them for boys over 12.

My friend, Shanna, has posted some other great titles for boys. Be sure to check them out!

This is all that immediately comes to mind. How about your boys? Do they have any favorites? I'm always looking for new titles to add to our list.

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