The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Every boy wonders and hopes that his toys secretly come alive when he isn’t watching. For his birthday, Omri gets an old cupboard from his brother and a plastic Indian figurine from his friend. He is unable to unlock the cupboard until his mom gives him a key she has held onto since her childhood. Omri is in for the surprise of his life when he discovers that locking the Indian, and then other figurines in the cabinet brings them to life. His initial excitement is short-lived however, as he must struggle to keep the secret of the cupboard’s magic, come to the realization that he’s playing god with real people, and decide what to do with his “creations.” It’s the kind of magical, well-written book that will weaken the resistance of even the most reluctant reader.
The Blue Star by Tony Earley
The Blue Star is a sequel to Tony Earley’s Jim the Boy, but this is the better of the books. Many books set in the World War II era, written by authors who never experienced it first hand, try too hard to recapture the setting by pumping every aspect of the characters’ lives full of drama and importance. But Earley seems to get the tone just right, understanding that life still went on in many of the usual ways, with many of the usual feelings while the storm of war gathered. The story follows a teenage boy in a small town who falls for a girl who’s beau has already enlisted in the service. Simple, quiet, excellent.
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Boys saves horse. Horse saves boy. So begins this classic tale of grand adventure and classic boy/animal bonding. Young Alec Ramsey is shipwrecked with Black, a wild horse, and the two end up stranded on a deserted island. Boy and horse are rescued and brought to the States. A retired horse trainer sees great racing potential in Black if his wildness can be harnessed. Together he and Alec work to turn Black into a thoroughbred, all leading to the race of the century when Black takes on two champions as the proverbial and literal “dark horse.”
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Journeying back to America from the West Indies in 1942, 11 year old Phillip is blinded and set adrift when the boat on which he rides is torpedoed by Germans. Phillip ends up on a life raft with Timothy, an old black ship hand, and Stew Cat. Exiled together on a small island, Phillip must deal with his blindness, overcome his prejudice towards his fellow castaway, and learn how to survive and stand on his own two feet. A classic tale of adventure, tolerance, self-reliance, and friendship.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
Even if a boy isn’t that big into fantasy literature, he can still enjoy The Lord of the Rings series. J.R.R Tolkien masterfully creates a world where hobbits, dwarfs, and elves join together to fight the forces of evil. Loyalty, duty, and bravery are reoccurring themes throughout the three books. And the story’s main protagonist, Frodo Baggins, teaches us that we often don’t choose our calling in life, it chooses us. And when it does, give it all you got.
The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden
The American Boy’s Handy Book for the modern age. Sturdy, well-designed, and tactilely (is that a word?) pleasing, the book contains fun hands-on projects like making secret inks and a bow and arrow, how-to’s on various games like marbles and chess, and interesting boy knowledge about clouds and poems and battles. Of course one criticism of the book is that it seems like nostalgic men buy and read it more than actual boys, but it’s worth a purchase even on the slimmest chance that it will at least momentarily unhook your kid from the tethers of his Xbox.
The Little Britches Series by Ralph Moody
With a name like “Little Britches” and a reputation for being akin to Little House on the Prairie for boys, one might be tempted to skip this series. But that would be a big mistake. Packed full of lessons in the values cherished by the Americans of yesteryear, is may be the best series for boys you’ve never heard of. In 1906, at the age of eight, Ralph Moody and his family struck out for the frontier and the ranching life in Colorado. After a lifetime of triumph, heartache, and honest toil, he decided to write down his experiences in this autobiographical series. Follow little Ralph as his father schools him in the lessons of manliness, good character, responsibility and resiliency, and prepares Ralph to take his place as The Man of the Family.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Warmer than typical sci-fi, touching on the battle between good and evil without being heavy-handed, A Wrinkle in Time is an unique book that easily won a place in the hearts of kids everywhere. Charles Wallace and Meg Murry are a brother and sister who have special gifts but are written off by others. Together with neighbor Calvin O’Keefe, and aided by three angelic beings, they go in search of their missing father who has been trapped on an alien planet controlled by an evil, disembodied brain. An interesting enough plot to keep a younger boy reading, enough symbolism and allegory to keep an older boy thinking.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Did you ever try to run away from home? Did you tie a red bandanna to a stick, throw in some Oreos, and head down the street? You probably didn’t get very far, but you always wondered what it would have been like to strike out and keep on going. My Side of the Mountain is the story of boy who not only hears the call of the wild, but heeds it. Who not only hides out in the wilderness, but thrives there. 15 year old Sam Gribley takes up residence in the hollow of a tree and learns to survive along along with a pet falcon. Need I go on? You had me at falconry, My Side of the Mountain, you had me at falconry.
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
If you think about Family Circus when you think about comics, you’re missing out on some of the many excellent graphic novels out there. Arguably one of the best, and an excellent introduction to the form is Maus. It would seem no platform was less appropriate to tell the tale of the Holocaust than comics, yet somehow the juxtaposition of something we associate with frivolity with one of the gravest periods in history makes the tragedy more powerful and real than any number of more serious tomes on the subject.
Related Posts
-
Manvotional: Boys Wanted
-
The Art of Manliness Podcast Episode #14: Men to Boys and the Making of Modern Immaturity
-
Manvotional: A Manly Boy
-
Manvotional: Thomas Carlyle’s Advice to Young Men
-
Share:
- Tweet
-
Email Story to a Friend
-
-
Print
← Previous Comments
Books I enjoyed as a kid included “The Great Brain” series by John Dennis Fitzgerald, and the Tom Swift Jr. books (very similar to the Hardy Boys, but with many high-tech toys).
+1 for the Count of Montecristo – probably not a book to get someone interested in reading, but a great adventure story. Picked this one up around 8th grade, because it was the biggest book in the library, but it held my interest to the end.
Tom Brown – both his nature books and personal biographies
Ray Bradbury – Martian Chronicles are the best for boys, IMO. Originally printed in Playboy, but since collected into books more likely to be found in the school library
I’ve been trying to figure out which Knights of the Round Table I read as a boy forever and I finally did! Thanks for including this in the list– I was actually hoping that you put it on there for boys. Incidentally– the manly man with the manly mustache John Steinbeck had this to say of King Arthur and his knights which I absolutely agree with:
“My feeling of nobless oblige, and any thought I may have against the opressor and for the oppressed came from this secret book.”
If you’re mentioning Heinlein, why not _Have Spacesuit, Will Travel_? A young man finds a way to get a spacesuit, and from there . . .
100 comments already, but I can’t help but add “By the Great Horn Spoon!” I loved that book growing up. A young boy and his butler sneak off to California during the Gold Rush to find their treasure. I loved that book growing up.
A recent discovery, which I would recommend for both boys and girls, is Arthur Ransome’s “Swallows and Amazons” series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons). There are 12 books in the series, written mostly in the 1930′s.
Every single book by Roald Dahl is pure gold. Danny the Champion of the World and Fantastic Mr. Fox are fabulous too:)
all quiet on the western front?
catcher in the rye?
the great gatsby?
it’s like this cat?
johnny tremain?
kidnapped?
Wow–someone else remembers The Great Brain series? Man, I hadn’t thought of those in AGES. LOVED ‘EM!
Without reading all the other comments, I have to add that I enjoyed the “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” series better than the Hardy Boys, and pretty much any of Heinlein’s “juveniles” are ones I still re-read over and over again today.
“And in the name of gender-neutrality, teachers are foisting books on boys that they simply do not like.”
I don’t think gender-neutrality plays too much of a role as to why boys don’t read – the majority of books ARE written for young boys. Trust me, it’s much, much harder to find a book for a young woman that treats her as intelligent, adventurous, and courageous than it is to find a similar book for a young man. Some boys simply won’t read a book without a male protagonist while girls are more likely to just appreciate a good story – female authors know this. Just ask Hinton, Lowry, Banks, and George. When J.K. Rowling began the Harry Potter books, she was a single mother with a young daughter – why are the books not about Harriet Potter?
Other than that minor quibble, great list. Many books on here my father enjoyed, I enjoyed, and now my kids do too.
Rumble Fish should be there for sure!
Also liked the Hitch Hiker Guide to the Galaxy at a young age even though you might miss some of the references..
Great list….Thanks for reminding me of My Side of the Mountain. Loved that book and am going to track it down again. Couple of of other suggestions:
Call it Courage by Armstrong Perry – flat out my favorite book until I was about 12 or 13.
A Day in the Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Papillon by Henri Charriere – read it in the 7th grade when I bought it through the school book catalog. Led to some great conversations with my father and his seven brothers.
Tarzan of the Apes – Read the story and find out about the real Tarzan. The entire series is great and veers off into serious sci fi and fantasy territory. Pretty much anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs is great.
later.
While this is a pretty good list, a lot of the older titles are a REALLY hard sell, at least at the middle school. Howard Pyle? The Chocolate War? I’ve had boys return these with a mistrustful gleam in their eyes. No Anthony Horowitz or Gordon Korman? Thanks for the list, though– it’s always good to have other opinions.
Has anyone mentioned The Yearling by Marjorie k. Rawlings? One the best coming-of-age and boy-and-animal books out there. And what about Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli? And the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, although new, deserve to be on every boy’s list.
No Ayn Rand?
I started reading Louis Lamour when I was in 4th grade. They are great books and I even read the walking drum to my son while my wife was still pregnant with him!. He got to the point where he would start kicking and “sword fighting” as I put whenever I started to read it at nights!!!
Martian Chronicles is number one. Maniac McGee is number two (even better for younger boys). And though its not fiction I really like 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens which really inspired me, taught me a lot and entertained me.
Hatchet and Ender’s Game are absolutely essential too so thanks for including them.
Hatchet and Ender’s Game are absolutely essential too so thanks for including them. Really, any Gary Paulsen books are excellent. And the Adventures of Doctor Doolittle will rock the socks off any boy, or person in general. The book, so vastly different in setting and quality, completely puts the movie to shame and doesn’t have a bunch of annoying innuendos and tawdry humor.
The first edition of the Boy Scouts Manual is available for free from Project Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/29558
I always got a kick out of the Encyclopedia Brown Series. Good young detective books and a little more readable than The Hardy Boys for younger kids.
I have to say that I love seeing the books that I loved as a kid on this list. The Chronicles of Narnia were my favorite. I’ve probably read them each at least five times. James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were two that I loved also. Roald Dahl had such a way with writing that made me feel like I was actually in the story. I wish young men would pick up books again and read. I think if those of who want to live as true men mentor the next generation to be real men, the future will be a good deal brighter.
I didn’t see this one listed, but “Nick of Time” by Ted Bell is a very new book that was written to inspire adventure in young boys. My 11 year old son and myself really enjoyed the book. It is a good page turner.
For Boys who love Baseball you have to try any books by Matt Christopher like the Home Run King.
If you like Hardy Boys you may like the Tom Swift books.
I’ve read most of these as a child, a lot of others that aren’t on the list, but we all have different influences.
I’m really surprised that The Hatchet was on the list. I thought that was the biggest waste of 48hrs I’ve ever had. Then again I was forced to put down The Hobbit and read it in grade 7. The thought that a 13 year old kid didn’t know how to survive by himself irritated me. I’d been spending weekends up in the woods behind my house since I was 10 and building fires since I was 7. The fact that it took him a week to figure out that you had to put the spear into the water first is what really got me though. It’s like the kid never took a science class or observed the world around him. And yes, 15 years later I still hold this resentment. The book irritated me that much.
The Space Trilogy by CS Lewis is awesome and has good Christian meaning.
-Out of the Silent Planet
-Perelandra
-That Hideous Strength
Wonderful mix of modern and classic books for boys. I look forward to turning to it when my 12-year-old is looking for his next read.
I would say that some of my favorites would be:
White Fang by Jack London.
The Earthsea Triology by LeGuin.
Later it became anything by Dean Koonts, Cussler and L’amour.
I agree with the Louis Lamour post, the “Last of the Breed” is an amazing story of the adventure/survival type for any teenage boy. Also, Lamour’s shourt stories are excellent in the way that he truthfully protrays life in many aspects. Mainly, because he lived through many of the settings. “Education of a Wandering Man” is a great book for anyone to read that really had a hard time in school because he shows that not everything you learn in life is learned in school (as society would have you think, nowadays). Life is out there for learning, enjoy it.
i love the tarzan book its great babe xx]
I read “My Side of the Mountain” three or four times! Great book. I think I could read it again today and I’m 52 years old.
i appreciate your list. regarding c.s. lewis and the chronicles of narnia…so what if it is a christian allegory. jesus was about as manly as it gets. the dude took a beating, a roman flogging, and extreme body trauma that would have made any dude whimper like a girl scout….what’s more is that he didn’t have to, but chose to for the salvation of man. very manly if you ask me….
You have many good listings, but should also include the Historical Fiction collection of G. A. Henty. These are now in public domain and can be obtained from Project Guttenberg or from Amazon.com as Kindle edition e-Books.
Great list…but how can you have a list of books for boys and not have any books by G. A. Henty. Unthinkable!
John Christopher’s “Tripods” series was all the rage back when I was in sixth grade:
The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire.
A great sci-fi adventure about growing up, camaraderie, and the ultimate sacrifice.
Also recommend Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree for similar reasons.
Eh, sorry no booklist on a site with “manliness” in the title that lacks a single Hemingway novel is a sham. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? You mean you couldn’t have even mentioned “farewell to arms” or “death in the afternoon”? Needs more “manly” books.
Notable omissions:
The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter (on my personal list, that would be #1)
Alongside Night, by J. Neil Schulman
Wildside, Jumper, and Helm by Steven Gould
Red Planet and The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein
The Warrior’s Apprentice, and other Miles Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold
Ender’s Shadow and most of the other sequels to Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Santiago, by Mike Resnick
Norstrillia, and The Best of Cordwainer Smith, by Cordwainer Smith
H.M.S. Ulysses, by Alistair MacLean
This may be a book list for boys, but it contains most of MY favorite books. I can’t believe it’s got The Thief of Always on it! I read that book out loud to my 6th and 7th graders over and over–always their favorite book. I also taught Ender’s Game to 9th graders. Now you’ve given me a few more to find and devour. The only one I agree is actually just a “boys” book is Lord of the Flies. I hate that book.
Wow. All 5 pages and not one G. A. Henty novel. I fondly remember reading Louis L’Amour’s western novels and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes mysteries. I also think Stephen Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle is a better telling of the Arthur legend, although perhaps better for older readers.
Robert Ruarke’s “The Old Man And The Boy” would be a great addition to your list. And the follow-up “The Old Man’s Boy Grows Older”. Thanks for the list.
G.A. Henty wrote a very lengthy list of accurate historical novels especially for boys, ranging from the Punic Wars up through the late 1800′s. Also a genius new author, N.D. Wilson has published a trilogy that brings the magic of British authors like Tolkein and C.S. Lewis here to American boys through the main character, Henry York. The three titles are 100 Cupboards, Dandelion Fire, and Chestnut King. Which reminds me to mention N.D. Wilson’s first book, Leepike Ridge, the adventures of a 12 year old boy who inadvertently ends up stuck in a cave (the ordeal of which has a feel of Homer’s Odyssey). Which leads me to say that the Illiad and the Odyssey ought also to be on a boy’s reading list.
Against the Fall of Night (or The City and the Stars) by Arthur C. Clarke are great too!
For those who think “Hatchet” or “My Side of the Mountain” are not relatable for urban or suburban boys now, “Slake’s Limbo” is a story similar to My Side in which a kid runs away to live in the subways of NYC.
http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/slakes.html
I feel compelled to add one more book to your excellent collection. ‘T-Model Tommy’ from Stephen W. Meader, had a great influence on my life during those periods when I was practicing entrepreneur. I date back to an era that includes the ‘Great Depression’, when there frequently weren’t any ‘all ready made jobs’ available.
This is a fascinating thread. Its introductory comments (“What’s the problem?”) are instructive to an old man like me. Part of the problem may be biological, i.e., today’s boys’ language skills develop slower that girls. Maybe it is sociological. Maybe boys see reading as a passive and thus sissy activity. Maybe boys lack male reading mentors-their librarians and teachers are often female, and it’s mom that reads to them. I wonder though.
I am in my early 70′s. I grew up in an era when, to use a cliche, “men were men.” WWII and Korea saw to that. But I learned to read by the time I was 5 years old. In fact, boys who couldn’t read were looked down upon by other boys. How could you know what was in the Sporting News or on that 78 RPM record label if you couldn’t read. When I wasn’t playing basketball, or football, or selling newspapers, I very often went to the local library.
Yes, the female librarian there recommended books, but she never forced any of them on me. (I liked her and thought she was cool because she smoked, always in the ladies room secretly, of course, never in the library proper. But I knew.) My parents watched what I read but never forced any books on me either.
Here are a few I sstill remember fondly. All are non-fiction works that I chose on my own to read. They are likely out of print (I understand Neider’s book was republished in 2000) and would be considered quaint by today’s standards.
High Conquest (The Story of Mountaineering) by James Ramsey Ullman. Great Shipwrecks and Castaways by Charles Neider. The Occident, and The Orient, both by the once famous but now forgotten explorer Richard Halliburton. Outdated? Perhaps. Spellbinding for a boy or a young man? Most definitely. Also, I read every issue of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics that I could “appropriate” from my older brothers.
Finally, a question: Great poetry is anything but unmanly, so shouldn’t some poetry be on this list? Probably not. It should be kept separate. But someday I would like to see a list of manly poems (or poets, or both) on this website. The WWI British poets would be a great starting point.
1984. Animal Farm. Brave New World. The Sovereignty of God. The Last Kingdom. Bones of the Hills. The South Was Right. That Devil Forest (Gen. NB Forest) A Good Man is Hard To Find.
The Education of Little Tree–Forrest Carter. (He also wrote the story of Josey Wales–not for young boys; and also “Watch For Me on the Mountain,” a can’t-put-it-down book on Geronimo. Little Tree is a fantastic book for boys–growing up as a Cherokee.
More Indian stories:
“The Story Catcher” and “The Horse Catcher”–both for boys, by the great author Mari Sandoz, who wrote “Cheyenne Automn”–not for boys.
I loved James Willard Schultz’s books of his life among the Blackfoot:
“My Life as an Indian,” “Blackfeet and Buffalo,” “Why Gone Those Times?,” and many more.
And his novel, “The Quest of the Fish-Dog Skin,” is perfect for boys. He is a great story teller. He did what a boy would dream of: left his home among stuffy New Englanders and went to live with the Indians.
A lot of boys like the OZ series, which is an American classic.
Oops–that should be “Cheyenne Autumn,” of course.
Other than the tripe by Lupica, it’s a great list. Happy to see Calvin & Hobbes included.
Whole-heartedly agree about poetry. Robert Service’s poems about the Yukon during the goldrush (Cremation of Dan Magee, etc) are as manly as anything I’ve ever read.
My favorite books as a boy were Robinson Crusoe and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Great list. I’d add Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” as another great graphic novel. Batman! C’mon!
I have read quite a few american author books.
of course everyone has their own fav list.
Is E.Hemmingway / Somerst M / or the amazing vet books of James Herriot included in this list.
Herriot has been my fav series which i treasure.
Is Good Earth type books too young for kids to read, I read it when i was about 13 and it did leave an impression.
Thanks for the book list, I will browse in my local library / Gutenberg.
signing off from half way around the world
Regards
I would have expected to see the Harry Potter collection from J.K. Rowling mentioned. She has been attributed to have had an extraordinary influence on reading, both for boys as well as girls since the first volume was published.
I don’t know what it was about Hemingway’s the Old Man and the Sea that got my son reading by himself, but apparently I couldn’t read it fast enough for him and so he took it over until he finished it, he was about 9 years old then.
Also V.S Reid, the Young Warriors was a favorite of mine, which I read to all three of my kids as soon as they were old enough to understand, then they read it again and again on their own. It is a coming of age, clever resistance of young boys, story of honesty, integrity, forgiveness and overcoming personal weakness that I loved. Also nice to see a different kind of hero – this time from the Caribbean.
I’m a girl and I read The Graveyard book and loved it!!!! :)
I also read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Eragon series, Indiana Jones series, THE FIRE WITHIN series, Fablehaven series, Harry Potter series, and The 39 Clues series. :)
I personally find non fiction writing more satisfying
I find the library or second hand bookshops are great refuges of interestingness in towns and cities .there are plenty of all sorts of age groups in second hand bookshops including young men and nice girls too and charity shops where you get great stuff for very little money , there are some gems there if you look diligently and hard enough
reading is a great way to relax and learn about the world and can be a great sorce of empowerment and education
in my local secondhand bookshop
there are plenty of ‘lads’ there hanging out talking ,playin chess or whatever
the library ios also a great place to find out whats happening in your local area
including other actiovities , groups and possibilities of education
my local also has dvds to borrow now
I got ‘ the magnificent seven ‘ recently
now that would be a movie to recommend to young men
I’m usually thrilled by the selection of books in secondhand shops
and the value for money is unbelievable, one visit can keep you goin’ for months
reading is definitley way to learn and relax
and it improves your ability to articulate what you want to say
your writing and oratory skills
I’d recommend this guys stuff for empowerment and self suffiency
he grew up without a father and a recoverted alcoholic but over came it and became a self made succcesful man and geat modern teacher
http://www.drwaynedyer.com/
and after all the internet is about reading and writing anyway
reading is a cosier easier less stressed /pressurised way to study and learn
and there this social network for readers
http://www.goodreads.com/
worth checkin out
must be on my way
things to take care of elsewhere
take it easy
good luck everyone
I’ve started collecting books from both this list and the 100 Manly Books list.
Out of all the selected pieces I’ve read so far (about 10, considering I’m only 14), I must say that Ender’s Game found its way to becoming my new favorite.
These are great selections, and I hope to keep reading more of them and eventually finding a suggestion for them. Thanks.
Great List! If you’re having trouble getting your son to read try the Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz. My son couldn’t put these down and would request the next one as soon as he was done with one. The key to getting your kids to read is finding what genre they enjoy reading. As a rule my son reads tons of non-fiction stuff – trains, planes, cars, etc. When he was younger he hated fiction and never wanted to read. Thank goodness I figured out he loves non-fiction. Now he reads both and reads all the time!
← Previous Comments
Comments on this entry are closed.