The School Library Journal recently presented a webcast discussing books suitable for boys, who are very often reluctant readers. Presenting their recommended lists of titles were representatives of three publishing companies: Cheryl Herman, marketing director of Random House Listening Library, Margaret Coffee, marketing director of Egmont USA, and Paula Ayer, editor with Annick Press. The moderator was Ed Spicer, School Library Journal.editor.
The following titles are suitable for middle-grade readers (children ages ten through thirteen) and slightly younger readers(chapter books for children ages eight through ten). Although the books were written to make reading fun for boys who don't really like to read, girls should find them fun too.
Annick Press middle-grade nonfiction
Bones Never Lie by Elizabeth MacLeod
How modern science has helped solve the mystery of the demise of seven historical figures, including King Tutankhamen and Napoleon among others.
Before the World Was Ready: Stories of Daring Genius in Science by Claire Eamer
Eight stories of scientists ahead of their time, including Ignaz Semmelweis who believed washing hands can prevent the spread of disease, among others.
Bodyguards! From Gladiators to the Secret Service by Ed Butts
Meet the heroes, villains, and bunglers hired to protect others, including the bodyguard who saved the life of Alexander the Great and the jujutsu-trained female bodyguards who protected suffragettes.
It's a Feudal, Feudal World: A Different Medieval History by Stephen Shapiro.
Infographics and humor tell the facts of life a thousand years ago in Europe, and the Middle East, including what life was like for kids.
Duped! and Robbers! in the It Actually Happened series by Andreas Schroeder
True stories of the most daring scams and heists in history including the story of D. B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane, demanded $200,000 and parachuted to safety.
Crazy About Basketball by Loris Lesynski
Forty poems about basketball techniques, training, and teamwork.
Annick Press middle-grade fiction
Horrendo's Curse by Anna Fienberg
What happens when horrible, nasty pirates kidnap a twelve-year-old boy who was born to be polite, kind, and gracious?
Kenta and the Big Wave by Ruth Ohi
Based on events during the 2011 tsunami in Japan, Kenta's prized soccer ball is swept away by the waves and washes up on a beach on the other side of the world.
Random House - New Audio Books for Fall 2013
Middle-grade fiction
Al Capone Does My Homework (Al Capone series) by Gennifer Choldenko (originally published by Dial Books)
In 1935 a twelve-year-old boy moves to Alcatraz where his father has taken a job at the prison. This is a coming-of-age story with historical appeal.
Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody (originally published by Knopf Books for Young Readers)
A retelling of the Robin Hood story.
The City of Death by Sarwat Chadda (originally published by Arthur A. Levine)
A fantasy quest novel in the spirit of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.
The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson (originally published by Knopf Books for Young Readers)Historical fiction with adventure and mystery, the boy hero of this story helps a British doctor (John Snow) discover the cause of cholera during the London cholera outbreak of 1854.
Paperboy by Vince Vawter (originally published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Story about the coming of age of an eleven-year-old boy who is great at baseball but who has a stutter he struggles to overcome.
Egmont USA Chapter Books - Fiction
Guinea Dog and Guinea Dog 2 by Patrick Jennings
Rufus wants a dog but his parents give him a guinea pig instead, a guinea pig that acts like a dog.
Egmont USA middle-grade fiction
Dognap, Lucky Cap, My Homework Ate My Homework by Patrick Jennings
Three more humorous stories from Patrick Jennings.
The Jaguar Stones, Book Three: The River of No Return (The Jaguar Stones series) by J & P Voelkel
Max and Lola's adventures mixed with life lessons, archaeology, and Mayan culture.
What I Came to Tell You by Tommy Hays
Story about a boy coming to terms with the loss of his mother.
Vordak the Incomprehensible: Time Travel Trouble (Vordak series) by Scott Seegent
Spoof on superheroes with evil mastermind and quite unsuccessful villain Vordak.
The Code Busters Club, Case #3: Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure by Penny Warner
The adventures of four kids who love playing with codes and solving puzzles in The Code Busters Club interactive mystery series.
