I am lucky that both of my boys are very avid readers. Many of their friends are not. Cory, my 10-year-old son has more time for reading than his older brother, Greg, who is consumed by schoolwork. Cory has one friend, Josh, who reads as voraciously as he does. It's always interesting to watch them together talking about books and sharing what they read. Cory's teacher told me last week that he often rushes through his schoolwork to have more free reading time as they are allowed to open a book as soon as their work is done.
Moms at baseball games, birthday parties and school events often tell me how hard it is to get their boys to read. Because of this, Cory and I pulled together this list of books that he thinks are GREAT Boy Reading. Yes, these titles also will appeal to girls, but they will capture the attention of boys, who often are much more reluctant readers. Please note that while Cory is ten, many of these books will appeal to older boys as well, since he is a precocious reader.
Here you go:
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
The Gatekeepers series (only book one is out now) by Anthony Horowitz
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
Wright 3 by Blue Balliet (series)
Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo
His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman
Spiderwick series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey
Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Maximum Ride by James Patterson (first in a series)
Peter and the Starcatchers by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
The Lionboy Series by Zizou Corder
A note here. Stephen, one of Cory's pals, does not enjoy reading. One night when he was over Cory gave him a copy of The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp and told him to try it. Months went by, but then the boys HAD to read a book for school. Stephen read Kropp and said to Cory, "I never will doubt you again when you tell me to read a book. That one is really good."
Moments like that inspired me to share this list. We will keep adding to it. I hope it helps you connect a boy you know with a book.
