While gender doesn’t determine if a book is great or not, it does help if children can identify with some of the characters in the stories. This is especially true for reluctant readers. The books in this particular category are noted for the predominance of boys as main characters.
Published: 2019 Theme: Fathers and Sons Best for: 9 and up "I decided to revolt. I mean, wiping up dog vomit, nearly drowning in an Australian tropical thunderstorm, drinking tea with mild and sugar, and I haven't even told you about the forty-five minutes of Mr. Barkus's word problems." A great coming- of-age book, as well as dealing with family drama, with lots of humor.
Published: 2019 Theme: Father and Son reconciliation Best for: 9 to 12 "It's hard, sometimes, reconciling the difference between what you really feel about something and what you think you're supposed to feel." A slow-starter with a very unconventional ending worth staying with.
Published: 2002 Theme: Nature Adventure and Adoption Best for: 9 to 12 "I felt unbound. I was free as the wind. And I wasn't in just any old canoe, but one I had made myself. She floated, she sped, she was unreal." A great book by a classic children's book author, about adoption, and self-sufficiency in nature.
Published: 1982 Theme: Self-acceptance Best for: 8 to 11 "Milo wondered how in the world wearing a stalk of broccoli around his neck could possibly help make him perfect..." This children's book is perfect medicine for any young person thinking they need to be perfect! Silly but convincing...
Published: 2017 Theme: Light-weight Science Fiction Best for: 9 and up "I've got a doctorate in astrophysics and a black belt in karate," the woman replies, poking me hard in the chest with her telescope. "So sit down before I knock your block off." This book does a great job of making both space and science fiction, very readable and enjoyable.
Published: 2018 Theme: Healing through books Best for: 9 and up "It's better to read in the library. Sitting at my favorite table... reading and listening to the sound of other folks turning pages makes me feel I'm in a house full of company I don't have to talk to." A beautiful and lyrical small book set in 1946, exploring the loneliness that comes from being uprooted from South to North.
Published: 2019 Theme: Adventure in Rural Kenya Best for: 12 to 14 "Yeah, no one here has food allergies." Hannah's eyes shifted and narrowed. How is that possible? We're worried about what food to let in our schools and here they're worried about having food at all." In this semi-fictional children's book, we are inspired to extend ourselves to other cultures, to learn more about them, and to help when we can
Published: 2005 Themes: Mythology, Courage, Loyalty Best for: 10 and up "The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur." This wildly popular children's book series, based on Greek mythology is non-stop action, not for the faint of heart...
Published: 2017 Theme: Wildlife Best for: 10 and up "I'm a coward. There, I've said said it now. I'm a coward. It's true. Dad never actually said it out loud but it was always in his eyes." This is a wonderful children's book, that combines growing up with standing up for your own values.
Published: 1997 Theme: Reality Check and Humor Best for: Boys 9 to 11 "Now running away from home in the fourteenth century was by no means an easy thing to do. Everyone in the village would know exactly who you were... Nobody would be sitting inside watching television." A funny book with a serious message- maybe knights are not all they appear to be on the surface, and war is war, never nice.
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