Books for Boys

Real boys read Moby Dick.

Amy Sarig King's ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES should be read by all kids, of all ages, especially the adults!

Updates coming soon. Thank you for your patience.

Let’s not contribute to the compartmentalizing of.people and culture: a “boy book” does not mean, in our estimation, a book only for, with, or about boys. Most well-rounded males have grown up with a strong understanding of the beauty and power of females, too. And one of the finest series of children's books for boys is Megan McDonald's Judy Moody.

I still think Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series (the original sequence) was superior to Harry Potter. Not that Rowling's series wasn’t good…

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, the series (not the movie). Then, watch it again. All the important life lessons are there, without the oversimplification (“you can do anything, just because you’re you”) of most messages for kids over the past decade or so.

One YA writer worth checking out:
Jeff Zentner.

They may not be books, but they can make you think as much as the best stories…. Studio Ghibli animated films are tremendously beautiful, fascinating, and intelligent. They are being shown in theatres the next few months, as well, so check them out. Next month: Ponyo. Rewarding for people from age 5 to 95.

A good middle grade book for boys trying to do good for themselves, their friends, their families: Ellen Hopkins' What About Will.

Video game suggestion: Dragon Quest XI. Good storytelling, fun turn-based JRPG. Lots of reading involved, too, all of which asks the player to remember elements of narrative as they proceed.

Excellent middle grade reading: Ellen Hopkins' WHAT ABOUT WILL