Natalie Whipple, writer and blogger-friend, wrote an awesome post that ran very close to my heart. It was about the (mis)conceptions that boys don’t like to read, or stop reading when they reach puberty (if not before). I agree with her very well made argument that keeping boys reading means making sure writers write and parents find books that boys want to read.
This is an issue I feel so passionate about – connecting young readers to good books they’ll love, so they will continue to read – that I . . . created a blog about it! (cue: Ink Spells)
Natalie’s readers are passionate, too, and chimed in with the books their boys love to read, and a list was born. I greedily copied all the commenter’s suggestions because that very morning my 11 year old came to me and said “Mom, I’m out of books again.” I had plans to scour the list for MG books and troop off to the library, but I realized that, soon enough, I would have young teens looking for those elusive YA boy books. Did I mention that I love YA books? I do. Just not for my MG readers, yet. I will tuck away these YA suggestions for the day when Dark Omen enters teenage-hood and I officially lose my mind.
So, below I have taken the suggested reading list of Natalie’s commenters and separated them into MG and YA. I’ve also added information about the reading level and age ratings, where available.
Let me be clear: I have not read/reviewed these books for age appropriateness (beyond separating them into MG and YA) – except for hyperlinked books, which have been reviewed. There are many books on the MG list that would not be appropriate for younger (8-10) readers, just as there are many books on the YA list that would not be appropriate for younger teens (13-15). Some of these older teen books have very mature themes, with graphic violence and explicit sex being some of the less disturbing aspects. There are also some books that are commonly considered MG (Ender’s Game, Hunger Games) due to the tween protagonists, that I have put on the YA list due to content.
Ultimately, you know your child, and are best able to make suitable choices for them. But make the effort to find books they enjoy – it is so important that children keep reading, even after they enter the teenage years, even if they are boys! It is an investment in our future.
This great article talks about why kids stop reading when they reach puberty. It’s not because they have too much homework, and it’s not because the books are too difficult (clearly – see below), it’s because they can’t find books that they want to read. Kids need our help to find books they will enjoy reading, and Ink Spells is here to help you.
See the lists below. If the books are a series, I’ve indicated that, but only listed the first book. Leave a comment if you have additional suggestions – I will add them to the list!
One more note: Is anyone as horrified as I am that the average reading level for the YA books (5.3) is LESS than the average reading level for the MG books (5.4)? I understand that half of high school kids are reading at a Basic Level, which is a tragedy in itself, but still – can’t we expect more from our teens? Aren’t the kids who are reading for pleasure almost by definition, reading at a higher level than these YA books provide?
p.s. Thank you also to The Rejectionist for more suggestions for the Wee Nippers!
Download a PDF of the full MG+YA list here
Middle Grade Books (ages 8-12): Title, Author
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|---|---|---|
| Into the Woods (The Warriors series), Erin Hunter | 2.3 | n/a |
| Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, Lisa Yee | 3.8 | n/a |
| Only you can save Mankind (Johnny series), Terry Prachett | 3.9-4.4 | 9+ |
| Scary Stories, Alvin Schwartz | 4.1 | n/a |
| The Fire Within (The Icefire series), Chris D’Lacey | 4.1 | n/a |
| Bunnicula, James Howe | 4.2 | 9+ |
| The Pendragon Series, D.J. MacHale | 4.4 | 10+ |
| Bromeliad Trilogy (Trucker, Diggers, Wings), Terry Prachett | 4.4 | n/a |
| Things Not Seen, Andrew Clements | 4.5 | 10+ |
| Hurricane, Terry Trueman | 4.6 | n/a |
| The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson series), Rick Riordan | 4.7 | 9+ |
| Virus on Orbis 1 (The Softwire series), PJ Haarsma | 4.7 | n/a |
| Fablehaven, Brandon Mull | 4.8 | 9+ |
| Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles), Suzanne Collins | 4.8 | 9+ |
| Tom Swift and the Flying Lab (Tom Swift series), Victor Appleton | 4.8-5.7 | 8+ |
| Among the Hidden (The Shadow Children series), Margaret Haddix | 4.8-5.6 | 9+ |
| Joey Pigza swallowed the key, Jack Gantos | 4.9 | 11+ |
| The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp (trilogy), Rick Yancey | 4.9 | 11+ |
| Beyond the Deep Woods (The Edge Chronicles), Paul Stewart | 4.9 | 9+ |
| The Forests of Silence (The Deltora Quest series), Emily Rodda | 5.0 | n/a |
| Artemis Fowl (series), Eoin Colfer | 5.0 | n/a |
| Dull Boy, Sarah Cross *plot contains profanity and violence* |
5.1 | n/a |
| Airborn, Kenneth Oppel | 5.1 | n/a |
| Stormbreaker (Alex Rider series), Anthony Horowitz | 5.1 | 11+ |
| The Neddiad, Daniel Pinkwater | 5.1 | n/a |
| Shadow Thieves(series), Anne Ursue | 5.1 | n/a |
| Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson | 5.2 | 9+ |
| Dragonspell (Series) by Donita K. Paul | 5.2 | n/a |
| The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives (series), Michael Buckley | 5.2 | n/a |
| The Warrior Heir (The Heir Series), Cinda Williams Chima | 5.3 | n/a |
| Hurricane Song, Paul Volponi | 5.4 | n/a |
| The Castle of Llyr (The Chronicles of Prydain), Lloyd Alexander | 5.4 | n/a |
| Frindle, Andrew Clements | 5.4 | 9+ |
| Dragon and Thief (Dragonback Adventures) by Timothy Zahn | 5.4 | n/a |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling | 5.5 | 9+ |
| The Thief Queen’s Daughter, Elizabeth Haydon | 5.6 | n/a |
| The Keeper of the Grail, Michael Spradlin | 5.6 | n/a |
| Hatchet, Gary Paulson | 5.7 | 11+ |
| Mister Monday series, Garth Nix | 5.7 | 8+ |
| The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Narnia series), C.S. Lewis | 5.7 | n/a |
| The Amulet of Samarkand series, Jonathan Stroud | 5.7-5.9 | 9+ |
| Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, Jordan Sonnenblick | 5.9 | n/a |
| The Fall series, Garth Nix | 5.9 | 9+ |
| The Journal of Curious Letters (the 13th reality series), James Dashner | 6.0 | n/a |
| Dark Magyk (The Septimus Heap series), Angie Sage | 6.0 | n/a |
| Savvy, Ingrid Law | 6.0 | 9+ |
| The Naming (The Pellinor series), Alison Croggon | 6.3 | n/a |
| The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events series), Lemony Snicket | 6.3-6.7 | 9+ |
| The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel, Michael Scott | 6.4 | 10+ |
| The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken | 6.5 | na |
| DragonHaven, Robin McKinley | 6.6 | n/a |
| The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien | 6.6 | 9+ |
| Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin | 6.7 | 10+ |
| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling | 6.7 | 9+ |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling | 6.7 | 9+ |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling | 6.8 | 10+ |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling | 6.9 | 12+ |
| The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger’s Apprentice Series), John Flanagan | 7.0 | n/a |
| The 10 Greatest . . . (Fill in the Blank) series | 7.1+ | n/a |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling | 7.2 | 10+ |
| Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling | 7.2 | 11+ |
| The Cry of the Icemark, Stuart Hill | 8.0 | n/a |
Young Adult Books (ages 13+): Title, Author
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Candor, Pam Bachorz | 2.9 | n/a |
| Paranoid Park, Blake Nelson | 3.7 | n/a |
| I Am The Messenger, Markus Zusak | 3.9 | 14+ |
| Thirsty, M.T. Anderson; | 4.2 | n/a |
| Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant | 4.3 | n/a |
| The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking series), Patrick Ness | 4.4-4.6 | 13+ |
| Feed, MT Anderson | 4.4 | 14+ |
| The Recruit (The Cherub Series), Robert Muchamore | 4.5 | n/a |
| Outsiders, S.E. Hinton | 4.7 | 13+ |
| The Last Thing I Remember, Andrew Klavan | 4.7 | n/a |
| Inexcusable, Chris Lynch | 4.9 | n/a |
| Lord of the Flies, William Golding | 5.0 | n/a |
| Unwind, Neal Shusterman | 5.0 | 13+ |
| The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss | 5.1 | n/a |
| The Book Thief, Markus Zusak | 5.1 | 14+ |
| Monster, Walter Dean Myers | 5.1 | 13+ |
| Saint Iggy, K.L. Going | 5.2 | 14+ |
| Nation, Terry Prachett | 5.2 | 11+ |
| The Discworld books, Terry Prachett | varies | adult/YA |
| The Maze Runner, James Dashner | 5.3 | 13+ |
| Hunger Games (series), Suzanne Collins | 5.3 | 12+ |
| Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman | 5.4 | n/a |
| Howls Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones | 5.4 | 9+ |
| Deep Secret, Diana Wynne Jones | 5.5 | n/a |
| The Beet Fields, Gary Paulsen | 5.5 | n/a |
| Notes from the Midnight Driver, Jordan Sonnenblick | 5.5 | n/a |
| Ender’s Game (series), Orson Scott Card | 5.5 | 12+ |
| Here Lies Arthur, Philip Reeve | 5.6 | 12+ |
| Eragon series, Paolini | 5.6-7.8 | 10+ |
| Dune, Frank Herbert | 5.7 | n/a |
| The Seventh Son (Alvin Maker saga), Orson Scott Card | 5.7 | n/a |
| The Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan | 5.9 | n/a |
| The Sledding Hill, Chris Crutcher | 5.9 | 12+ |
| East, Edity Pattou; | 6.1 | n/a |
| The Fellowship of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien | 6.1 | 12+ |
| The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien | 6.2 | 12+ |
| The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien | 6.3 | 12+ |
| The Book Of Lost Things, John Connelly | 6.5 | n/a |
| Sleeper Agenda and Sleeper Code,Tom Sniegoski | 6.8 | n/a |
| The First King of Shannara (The Shannara series), Terry Brooks | 6.9 | n/a |
| Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy), Garth Nix | 7.3 | 12+ |
| Rats Saw God, Rob Thomas | 7.4 | 14+ |
Wow, Susan. This is really great! Thanks for putting all this work into it.
One thing I noticed, The Crystal City is actually the sixth book of the Alvin Maker saga. In case you wanted to include the whole thing.
Right you are! Not sure how I goofed that, but thanks for the catch!
I was trying to put the first book of the series in for each listing, to make it easier for searching.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great list! Thanks for putting these all together. I would just add that Fablehaven is one of the best series I've read in a long time for MG. I didn't see it on your list, but I would definitely recommend it.
Fablehaven is on my TBR list – and I will definitely add it to the list above. Thanks for stopping by!
(and how cute is that pix of your little guy, on your blog??)
I would also add "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix which is the first of seven in the Shadow Children Series. I just finished reading the entire series in less than 2 weeks. It's a compelling story that your boys might enjoy.
Kim – I just recently discovered Margaret Peterson Haddix, but she is a fantastic writer, after my own heart with those compelling "Among The Hidden" books! I didn't put her on the list, because I've already reviewed her books, but on second thought, perhaps I should add my reviewed books to the list . . .
Thanks for the suggestion!
Yes – Haddix is a great one too. I think I have almost all of these books in my classroom 🙂
If you don't mind, I'm going to link this to a post I have running over at Steadymom.com later this month.
Oh and "Percy Jackson and the Olympians". That's a great one.
Wow – The JRR Tolkien books are only a 6.2-ish reading level? That surprises me – I know lots of adults who have given up on those 🙂 Great list, Sue – many thanks!! I am desperate to find some books that my boy munchkins will like (my girl munchkin is too easy :)).
Jemi – I am so grateful to my boys' teachers who have such well-stocked libraries in their rooms. That way I only have to keep them supplied at home!
Caroline – Link away! Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading your article, so let me know when it posts!
Southpaw – My son is quite enamored with Percy, and the movie is coming out 2/12/10! I've been thinking I should review it as well, but I haven't gotten to it yet. So, I'll add it to the list above, for now!
Elizabeth – I'm glad you're finding it useful! Reading level is partially a measure of vocabulary, and Treebeard and ringwraith probably don't count as advanced vocab, even if they are great words! Tolkein shows that you don't have to use complex vocab to spin a masterfully complicated tale. Still, with reading levels below 5th grade level for many of these teen books . . . well, it just makes me sad.
What about the Artemis Fowl series? They are relatively easy to read and my brothers loved them when they were tweens.
Eoin Colfer is a master of the 5th grade boy genre, and I reviewed Artemis Fowl – and loved it! I think I'll have to add in my reviewed books to the list above!
Thanks for the suggestion!
I'm curious about your thoughts on the series about the teen-age spy Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz. My twins (who are 8) can't get enough of these books.
Which brings up my second question: What about kids reading books beyond their age-level? They're gobbling them up, but the subject-matter is more mature? (This came up again when my 11-year-old daughter wanted to read the Twilight series.) I've taken a hands-off approach, (and in the case of my girl, she's been good at knowing her own limits and set aside the third book in the Twilight series until she's ready for the sexy content), but I'm curious how others handle this?
Rachael – I have heard of the Alex Rider books, but we haven't read them. Another one for the TBR pile!
And kids reading above age level: that's what this blog is all about! It is so important (and difficult) to keep advanced readers well supplied with books that: 1) challenge their reading level/comprehension, 2) they love and 3) that aren't filled with teen angst and/or mature/graphic subject matters we don't want our 8-12 year olds exposed to. I've been trying to screen my advanced reading boys books for years, and a lot of the material in this blog has spun out of that search for good books that will let the kids remain kids.
p.s. congrats on finishing NaNo!
Love the lists! Funny that while my 10 year old son reads a TON of books, he hasn't read most of the ones mentioned. I just read The Ruins of Gorlan to see if I thought he would like it, and I think it will be a hit. Cool battles as well as friendship themes, and nothing too scary so far. I think he'll read it after he finishes the third Mysterious Benedict Society book. I'm always kind of surprised that most people don't mention, or even seem to have heard of, Suzanne Collins' Underland Chronicles. The Hunger Games gets attention, but not her first series, which my son loves. I've read it all to him several times and he's read it to himself a couple of times too. That series and the Chronicles of Narnia are his favorites.
Mark me as one who hadn't heard of Underland Chronicles – another one for the list! But we've been through Narnia a few times. A Boy and His Horse was a tough slog, but Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, of course, is spectacular.
Thanks for the tips!
Great list! I would add the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins. Awesome books. And the Alex Rider books are great, too.
How did I miss Gregor? Thanks for the suggestion!
Susan wrote: … a lot of the material in this blog has spun out of that search for good books that will let the kids remain kids.
Then you can count me as a new subscriber!
P.S. Ditto on the Nano kudos!
"Gregor the Overlander" and the "Underland Chronicles" are one and the same. Just different ways of naming the series. Glad to see another vote for it!
Just a couple of, hopefully, helpful corrections. THE ASK AND THE ANSWER and THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO are in the same series. NATION is a standalone novel, which has nothing to do with DISCWORLD, except sharing a creater. And THE HUNGER GAMES is the first in a series. The sequel is already out.
Yeah, sorry about the nitpickery, but I can be really perfectionistic about stuff like this.
Rhonda – thanks!
Dannieunderhill – thanks for the corrections! This is what happens when I haven't read the series personally myself. Thanks for the assist.
Great list! Here are a few books I enjoyed, which all have male main characters:
1) The Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson – first one is called Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. (middle grade)
2) Shade's Children by Garth Nix (not related to the wonderful Abhorsen series)
3) Leviathan – Scott Westerfield (the Uglies series is also good but not sure if boys would be interested, although my husband enjoyed it!)
4) Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
5) Little Brother – Cory Doctorow
E.H. – Great suggestions! I'm reading Uglies right now and am loving it! Westerfeld is awesome. I'll add them to the list!
Thanks for stopping by!
An impressive list! I just "stumbled upon" your blog, and I really like it. I'll add it to my list of blogs I'm following.
You included many that my students, my kids, and I love(they are young adults now, but in our house we never get too old for the occasional middle grade fantasy). One of our all-time favorites that I didn't see on your list is the Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo. Her latest is Charlie Bone and the Shadow. I've reviewed it on my blog.
Ruth Donnelly
http://readatouille.blogspot.com
Ruth – Ah, Charlie Bone! How could I have left that one off? My kids have read it and liked it a lot. Thanks for the rec!
And welcome! I'll have to check out your blog as well!
Awesome post! I have a fifteen year old brother who refuses to read almost every book I suggest and it drives me crazy, because I am such a book lover. I've gotten him to read the Harry Potter series and earlier this summer, I loaned him my copy of Go Ask Alice, which he liked, much to my surprise.
My next mission is to get him to read John Green. I think his books, Looking For Alaska in particular, are very boy/girl friendly. And I know it's a little older, but Catcher in the Rye is another book that a lot of boys I know have read and liked. 🙂
@Brittany Catcher in the Rye drove me crazy, but your brother may like it. I would def encourage him to try Hunger Games! And good for you for not giving up! 🙂
I don't know if you'd still consider adding anything but I've always thought that Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief would be excellent for boys.
Also Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book could go on the MG list.
I've always heard that boys prefer non-fiction and so assumed that's where their reading went to around puberty. My guy friends now say they just skipped to adult thrillers & adventure novels (Clive Cussler is beloved). My father is the reader of my parents and has always had intelligent suggestions for us but when he was growing up I'm not sure it there was such a thing as YA he gave me a love of Non-fiction, my brother gifted me with a love of comics (he is actually totally weird though and often reads our "girly" books we've banned him from Meg Cabot though.)
@lalaith7 Here's the updated list (which has Turner's book, but mysteriously not Gaiman's). I love that you banned your brother from Meg Cabot! LOL
I'll have to look into Clive Cussler for my new Young Teens reads!