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The top five books or series for boys…right now

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Spencer Campbell

Read Time 10-12 Minutes

 

Those reading this post will probably attest and confirm the difficulty with finding good books for boys. As a teacher, and father of five boys this problem is on my mind constantly. How do I get boys to read?

I am not saying that I do not have hesitant girl readers, but the hesitant boy readers consistently outweigh the girls.

The following list is what I think are the most popular books or series that are available for boys to read at this current time.

Apologize the list didn’t show up… I will finish and repost tonight

 

Mike Lupica Books

I love that Mike was a sports writer before writing books for young adults. I am a sports fanatic and aspiring writer. Here is his bio-

Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider’s knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular “Shooting from the Lip” column, which appears every Sunday.

He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2.

In 1987, Lupica launched “The Sporting Life” column in Esquire magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including Sport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men’s Journal and Parade. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation.

Mike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on Wait‘Till Next Year, and wrote The Summer of ’98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back and Shooting From the Lip, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including Dead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far and national bestsellers Wild Pitch and Bump and Run. Dead Air was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, “Money, Power, Murder” to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on Imus in the Morning since the early 1980s.

His previous young adult novels, Travel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, and the summer hit for 2007, Summer Ball, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a “serial Little League coach,” a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.

I don’t know if Mike saw a gap in young adult sports writing, or if he was just writing about what he knows. Either way I love that he is filling a gap in young adult writing.

 

The Hunger Games 

I don’t recommend this book for all middle school age kids. There is quite a bit of violence and a there are some adult themes throughout the book: brutality, alcoholism, revolution, antiestablishment, child labor, and many others. I am not saying that I am pro or con on any of these themes, just that they are evident. Even more interesting, is the Pg-13 rating that the director is trying to get for these movies.  I think this is a series where parents should know the maturity of their child and judge books accordingly.  I personally feel that The Hunger Games will dominate the box office for the next 3-4 years. JMHO.

 

 

 

Alex Rider Series 

I have only read one book from the Alex Rider series and absolutely loved it. From the Alex Rider website:

Name: Alex Rider
Age: 14 years
Appearance: Alex is well built, with short fair hair and brown eyes.
Early Life: A few months after his birth, Alex’s parents, John and Helen Rider, were killed in a plane crash. Alex was then raised by his uncle, Ian Rider. They travelled widely, throughout the UK, Europe and the Americas (see holiday destinations for more information); Alex learned many of his special skills on these trips, such as rock climbing, scuba diving and foreign languages.
Current status: Alex lives in London with his legal guardian, Jack Starbright. He attends Brookland School.
Likes and dislikes: Alex is a supporter of Chelsea FC and a keen sportsman.
MI6 status: After the death of his uncle, Alex began to work with MI6 on special assignments. See mission files for more information.

Imagine being the youngest MI6 agent, with the coolest gadgets, and the responsibility of traveling the world fighting bad dudes.

I Am Number 4… Lorien Legacies

We read this for the Book Whisperers last year. I like the book much better than the movie, but it was o.k. The main characters of this book are in high school and the language can be a little High School in some parts. This book follows many traditional formats…. Unknown person has to save the world, with a little bit of romance and a few side kicks to help. The books are very well thought out and were originally written to be a series, so the individual books make sense and should flow throughout the series.

 

Daniel X Series by James Patterson

This is another book that we read during the Book Whisperers last year. I liked this series for two reasons.

First, the chapters are short and sweet, I mean two pages most, sometimes three.

Second, James Patterson is a fabulous writer and Daniel is a funny character.

This is just a peek from one of the chapters.

 

Here are some other books your boys want to read…

This is part of a list if from boysread.org. 

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