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GREAT BOOKS FOR BOYS click
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A sample of books from "Great Books for Boys"
Arranged by age
Fortunately by Remy Charlip. Ages
2-7
One day—fortunately—Ned got invited to a birthday party,
but—unfortunately—the party was hundreds of miles away.
"Fortunately a friend loaned him an airplane. Unfortunately
the motor exploded." So starts Ned's series of fortunate and
unfortunate incidents and near-misses before he finally reaches
the birthday party. Each double-page spread of a fortunate event
appears in cheerful colors, while those about unfortunate happenings,
such as encountering with sharks and tigers, is in black and white.
Listeners immediately catch on to the book's alternating use of
"fortunately" and "unfortunately," and join
in as the pages turn. A rollicking journey with a happy conclusion.
The Great White Man-Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale by Margaret
Mahy. Illustrated by Jonathan Allen. Ages
3-7
In this quirky crowd-pleaser, a boy named Norvin wishes he had the
beach at Caramel Cove all to himself, so that he could "shoot
through the water like a silver arrow," something he is excels
at. Oddly, Norvin looks a lot like a shark, so he constructs a plastic
dorsal fin, straps it on, and swims through Caramel Cove. Everyone
runs screaming from the water, leaving the cove to Norvin for days.
When swimmers return to the water, Norvin pulls his trick again.
This time the joke is on him, in a funny twist that reveals his
trick. Exaggerated cartoon-like pictures will have readers laughing
out loud.
The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg. Ages
3-8
The fun begins when Louis gets a tadpole for his birthday from his
Uncle McAllister in Scotland. At first it lives in a jar like any
tadpole. But soon it outgrows the jar, then the sink, then the bathtub.
Louis sneaks it into an indoor school pool for the summer, where
he teaches it to dive and fetch large things. When school starts
again, Louis needs a new home for his huge pet or it will have to
go to a zoo. Luckily, Louis consults his friendly librarian and
they come up with a glorious plan to keep the tadpole near Louis.
Zany, frenetic pictures underscore Louis's delight, his parents'
long-suffering patience, and the pink-spotted, gigantic tadpole's
sweet nature. This appealing fantasy continues to be popular year
after year.
The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. Ages
3-8
Children are entranced by this unusual tale of nonconformity.
As the story opens, Pinkwater's bright, childlike illustrations
show the street where Mr. Plumbean lives, where all the houses are
the same, boxy and dull brown. One day a bird carrying a can of
orange paint--"no one knows why"--drops it on Mr. Plumbean's
house and makes an orange splot. To the horror of his conformist
neighbors, instead of painting over the splot, Mr. Plumbean paints
his house in an explosively colorful way, then landscapes the boring
yard with palm trees, a hammock, and an alligator. One by one the
neighbors (unfortunately, only males) try to talk him out of it
but after the talks, they transform their houses to fit their dreams:
a ship, a castle, a hot air balloon, and more. The short, polished
text reads aloud beautifully, and the pictures will inspire children
to imagine houses that "look like all their dreams."
Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures by Cynthia
Rylant. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. Ages
3-8
In seven short chapters with pictures on every page, Henry gets
his dog Mudge, learns to love him, and then almost loses him. The
simple text, which is lyrical and funny, speaks directly to children.
Before Mudge came, Henry worried on his walk to school about "tornadoes,
ghosts, biting dogs, and bullies." Once he has the huge Mudge
with him, Henry thinks about "vanilla ice cream, rain, rocks,
and good dreams." Cheerful, humorous pictures show the friendship
of this sympathetic pair. The first in a wonderful series.
Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin' Cowboy by Andrea D. Pinkney.
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Ages 5-9
This picture-book biography tells the remarkable story of an African-American
cowboy who became famous for his rodeo skills. Bill Pickett, son
of a former slave, was fascinated with cowboys when he grew up in
Texas in the late 1800s. As a boy, he came up with the idea of "bulldogging"
cattle by biting their upper lips to subdue them. At fifteen, he
left home and fulfilled his dream of becoming a cowboy. His increasing
skill with cattle and his famous "bulldogging" earned
him a place in the rodeo circuit, then he joined a show that took
him as a star attraction to Europe, Canada, and South America. The
scratchboard artwork suits this action-packed story about the role
of Black Americans in the West.
A Gathering of Garter Snakes by Bianca Lavies. Ages
6-10
Stunning photographs follow the life cycle of red-sided garter snakes
in Manitoba, Canada, where thousands winter in limestone caverns
and migrate ten miles in the spring. Piles of the snakes swarm out
of the cavern, then mate before continuing their journey. On their
trip to local marshes, which takes them through a small town, they
get into people's houses. An amusing photograph shows a woman chopping
onions, smiling at a snake stretched out on her counter, while more
graphic photos depict a snake eating a frog still visible in its
mouth, and a snake giving birth, expelling a bloody sac along with
the baby snakes. The large, well-focused photographs and the straightforward,
informative text are a combination likely to appeal to many children.
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated
by Lane Smith. Ages 7-11
This lively book combines elements to attract even reluctant readers:
adventure, magic, slapstick humor, and zany illustrations. The narrator
Joe is celebrating his birthday with his pals Fred and Sam when
Fred opens a book from Joe's magician uncle. When he wishes they
could see knights, the three are suddenly transported back to the
time of King Arthur, where a huge Black Knight is about to attack
them. By luck, they defeat him, then face a challenge at King Arthur's
court to fight a giant and dragon. Sam comes up with a clever solution,
after which they stumble into a way to get home. Funny dialogue,
with "gross" descriptions of the giant, will have readers
laughing their way through this first entry in "The Time Warp
Trio" series.
The Pool Party by Gary Soto. Illustrated by Robert Casilla.
Ages 8-12
Ten-year-old Rudy Herrera comes from a tight-knit family in Fresno,
California, who work together in the summer doing yard work for
wealthy people. Rudy knows how to have a good time whether he's
working or hanging around with his pal Alex. When he gets invited
to a pool party by a wealthy classmate whose yard the Herreras tend,
he and Alex go looking for an innertube for Rudy to bring to the
party. The huge innertube leads them to several comical disasters
as they ride it down a river and Rudy rolls inside it down a hill.
Thanks to Rudy's good nature, even his disasters turn out fine.
His family enjoys his high spirits, and he has a particularly good
relationship with his understanding father. Laced with Spanish phrases,
this story draws an engaging picture of a Hispanic boy and his family.
Dog Friday by Hilary McKay. Ages 9-12
Ten-year-old Robin Brogan, whose father died in a car accident two
years earlier, lives with his outspoken mother in half of an old
house which they run as a bed-and-breakfast, barely making ends
meet. Their quiet life is disrupted first when Robin is injured
by a dog and develops a fear of dogs, then when the Robinson family,
who are always in an uproar, moves in to the other half of the house.
The bed-and-breakfast business takes a downturn when the Robinson
children hang a figure made of pork chop bones wired together on
the house's sign. But they make up for this problem by placing an
odd yet appealing ad for the bed-and-breakfast in the local paper.
Robin, with the help of his new friends, not only comes to like
dogs but finds a stray dog, Dog Friday, which he hopes to keep.
Laugh-out-loud situations combine with a warm sense of humanity
in this outstanding British comedy.
Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World by George
Shannon. Illustrated by Peter Sis. Ages 9-12
Few children can resist the lure of "mini-mysteries" or "stories
with a hole." In this enjoyable volume, each of the fourteen short
stories gives the reader a puzzle to solve, with the solution on the following
page. For example, in the Ethiopian tale "The Cleverest Son,"
a father announces he will leave his farm to the one of his three sons
who take the coin his father gives and buys something that will fill a
whole room. The first son buys straw and the second buys feathers, but
the third buys two small things that fulfill the room completely. Most
children love stretching their minds on such puzzles. Well-documented,
with delightful illustrations by Peter Sis, this is a crowd pleaser. Also
enjoy More Stories to Solve and Still More Stories to Solve.
To the Top of the World: Adventures with Arctic Wolves by
Jim Brandenburg. Ages 9-13
Extraordinary color photographs of an Arctic wolf pack make this
an unusually memorable nature book. Brandenburg, who spent months
camping on Ellesmere Island at the top of North America to take
his photographs, narrates his adventures in a conversational style,
explaining how the wolves reacted to him and how he got certain
unusual shots. Through text and photo, he introduces the wolf pack,
including the six puppies that he photographed during their second
and third months. He discusses wolf behavior and how they adapt
to their harsh environment. Brandenburg's warm feelings for these
social animals, who rarely seemed to mind his presence, is contagious.
Highly recommended.
Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard. Illustrated
by Ken Marschall. Ages 9-14
This popular volume combines history and technology as it reviews
the tragic voyage of the Titanic, and describes exploring its remains.
The section on tragic sinking uses cross-section diagrams, photographs,
and paintings to show what happened when an iceberg hit it in 1912.
The text draws the vivid accounts of a few survivors to make the
scene come to life. Oceanographer and adventurer Ballard then relates
the story of his expeditions to find the ship and photograph its
remains. Diagrams depict the equipment and vehicles used, and eerie
underwater photographs show their findings. The excellent interaction
of text, photographs, and diagrams make the information easy to
grasp in this enthusiastic account.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul
Curtis. Ages 10-13
The mood of this fine novel changes when the Watsons, an African-American
family, go from Michigan to Alabama near the story's end. Early
on, a humorous tone prevails as ten-year-old Kenny describes his
skirmishes with his irascible older brother Byron, who teases Kenny
mercilessly about his "lazy eye," and tricks him over
and over again. Byron also gets into trouble when, admiring his
good looks, he kisses the car's frozen rearview mirror and his lips
stick to it. And when he tries a new hairdo that his parents hate.
Hoping that time with his grandmother will straighten Byron out,
his parents load up their car and drive into the worst trouble the
family has ever known, in the turbulent South of 1963. This Newbery
Honor Book draws a vivid picture of a time, place, and memorable
family.
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil
War Spy by Seymour Reit. Ages 10-13
During the Civil War, a remarkable woman named Emma Edmonds disguised
herself as a man, using the name Frank Thompson, to serve in the
Union Army, one of about four hundred women who passed as male soldiers.
For two years, she fooled everyone around her except for a chaplain's
wife. A skillful spy, she went on eleven missions behind Confederate
lines to collect information on troop size and plans, disguised
as an old back man, a handsome Confederate sympathizer, and a matronly
Irish peddler. Her army career ended when she was hospitalized and
her secret discovered. This dynamic biography intrigues male and
female readers alike.
Holes by Louis Sachar. Ages 10-13
In this unusual blend of reality and fantasy, a boy named Stanley
Yelnats is sent to a detention camp, although he hasn't committed
any crime. He slowly makes a place for himself at the bizarre camp
where the boys have to dig holes everyday, because the warden is
looking for some unnamed object. Stanley blames his bad luck on
a family curse, brought on by his pig-stealing great-great-grandfather,
and through a series of odd twists, Stanley himself lifts the curse.
Legends from the wild West, an old lullaby, fields of onions, and
Stanley's own good heart are just a few of the unlikely elements
that combine to make a strange but appealing story with a complicated
plot.
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. Ages
10-14
From one of the today's best fantasy writers comes a delightfully
intricate and imaginative tale about a wizard named Derk and his
family. The setting is a magic world whose population of wizards,
enchantresses, elves, dwarfs, dragons, griffins, and even flying
horses are being blackmailed to perform for tours of pilgrims from
a world much like ours. Derk finds himself appointed the Dark Lord
for one season, with the assignment of organizing armies and scaring
the tourists. But everything that can go wrong does, throwing the
whole world into chaos. Likable characters struggling against evil,
a complicated plot, and touches of humor add up to an outstanding
fantasy. Don't miss it.
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals. Ages
13-14
In 1957, fifteen-year-old Melba Pattillo was one of nine African-American
students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
She tells her painful story in a matter-of-fact voice, but the events
themselves will grip readers and stir their anger. The hatred that
the white citizens directed towards the students were unrelenting.
Pattillo relied on her remarkably strong mother and grandmother,
but worried about the suffering that the integration caused them.
Guarded by soldiers, the black students were still in danger from
sticks of dynamite, threats of lynching, and acid sprayed in their
eyes. Beals' suspenseful, well-written story brings an immediacy
to this shameful chapter in our history, which every reader should
know about. Highly recommended.
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© 2003, Kathleen Odean, all rights reserved.
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