Books for Boys to Read
Jonathan has always been a good reader. The reality is, though, it’s not an activity he gravitates to for general pleasure. I want to change that. I want to encourage him to read, to want to read, not for research (which he does love doing) but simply for pleasure or inspiration. I want him to open a book and travel to other worlds, explore oceans and fly through clouds while exploring the pages of a good book.
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I want him to know that it’s o.k. for boys to be smart, strong and courageous. I want him to know that boys can be brave and scared at the same time. I want him to know the fun of opening the pages of a book and finding adventure.
He’s read E.B. White and Daniel Defoe, he’s read Encyclopedia Brown and he is now enjoying The Mysterious Benedict Society. He’s also reading Minecraft Books, comics, historical fiction and encyclopedias. The point is to put reading materials in his hand so that he can find the genres that he loves the most.
That’s why I’ve selected 25 boy books that I want him to read. Some he has already read the rest will be on his reading list over the next several years. These are the books that I think every boy should read, the ones that are great works of literature which can inspire and encourage boys to be the best boy that God has uniquely created them to be.
25 Boy Books
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Adam of the Road
- Adventures of Huckleberrry Finn
- Encyclopedia Brown
- Gulliver’s Travels
- Magic Tree House
- Moby Dick
- Old Yeller
- Oliver Twist
- Sign of the Beaver
- The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- The Hardy Boys
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- The Red Badge of Courage
- The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
- The Swiss Family Robinson
- The Time Machine
- The Trumpet of the Swan
- The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Treasure Island
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- White Fang
I remember in college being frustrated in American Lit class. I was very frustrated that this guy, the professor, insisted on telling me what the true meaning of The Chrysanthemum was. In my opinion, great works of literature don’t need an explanation. They are works of art that speak to the reader’s heart, to be received by the reader as a gift. It might mean something different to each and every reader and the reality is, it should. Because, each reader approaches the gift with different opinions, backgrounds and needs.
That’s why I want to introduce my son to great works of literature. So he too can receive the gift that has been offered in whatever way he chooses to receive them. That is the beauty of great literature.
What boy books do you want for your boys? What are their favorite ones?
For more great book ideas, see this Book & a Movie Series from Adventures in Mommydom.
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Well said.
Thanks Joyce.
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare is worth adding to the list! I just read it with my oldest. It is beautifully written and things to think about long after the story is finished.
We have that one, I’ll need to do another post of 25. Thanks for letting me know that it’s a good read.
Elephant and piggie: for early readers. Such fun to read aloud
A to Z mysteries. Great way to introduce little boys to new genre
Spiderwick chronicles. Strong male and female main characters
Farmer boy
Oooh I love Farmer Boy! Truly I’m going to have to write another post of 25 great books for boys. You are so kind for sharing your tips for early readers, I’m a bit outside that level right now so I didn’t think about sharing that range. Maybe next time I’ll break some down by age/reading level.
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Hi, I would like to copy and print this list. Because they are all links I don’t seem to be able to do that.
Can you help me?
Thank you
Hi Peggy,
That is a security feature I have in place to prevent copying my content for the purposes of re-using elsewhere on the web. You can bookmark the page, pin the post to pinterest, or you can if you wish take a screenshot of the list. I hope these suggestions help.
I agree that these books are great! I had forgotten about so many of them. One question/suggestion – are any of these stories about non-white boys? We need to add some diversity to our library.
Thanks for the suggestion! These were chosen for their quality, not diversity. For this specific list, Sign of the Beaver is about the relationship between a white boy and a Native American boy. But, I will try to pull together a list that teaches more cultural diversity.
Hint hint, some of these books also have movies….
Yes!! And your book & movie series would be a great resource here. I’ll link it above.
What a great list of boy books! We have read most on this list, and they are truly classics.
Ah, thanks for commenting. I love that these classics can still be inspirational today, don’t you?
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