Summer Reading Fun: Great Books for Boys

You might have read "Encyclopedia Brown" books when you were a child; the first book was published in 1963. The main character is a 10-year-old boy who solves mysteries in his neighborhood as he discusses the cases with his police chief father. Your 7 to 12-year-old will love working on cases with Encyclopedia (his real name is Leroy). Clues are spread abundantly through each mystery (there are 10 per book) and the reader gets to answer the question "How did Encyclopedia Brown know that?" at the end. So not only will your child be using reading skills, he'll be practicing problem solving and deductive reasoning skills as well.

Start with book one, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective then read the books in any order.
Find more Encyclopedia Brown books by Thomas J. Sobol here.
Pre-order Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFO, to be released October 14, 2010.

The original Hardy Boys series began in 1927 with publication of The Tower Treasure. Thus began what might be considered a legendary series of books loved by millions of boys (and girls) for over 80 years - and still going strong even after a rewrite or two (one in 1959, another more recently). Teenagers Frank and Joe Hardy never run from danger or adventure and solve case after case, in book after book, often working with their detective father.

Suggested for ages 9 to 12, the Hardy Boys series is written on about a fifth grade reading level.

Find the complete Hardy Boys series of books here.

Did you ever read a book and wished it had a different ending? Then the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series of books is for you!

Throughout each book, the reader is asked to make decisions about what should happen next. With each decision comes a page number for the reader to go to next. If he doesn't like that particular turn in the plot, he can go back and make a different choice. If he doesn't like the ending, your reader can start over and make different choices along the way, just to see what will happen. Kids love these books since they have a say in not only the ending but the plot.

This is another series that you might have read as a kid; The Abominable Snowman (Choose Your Own Adventure #1) was published in 1979. Many of the books are in the process of being updated and several titles are now available in e-book format. Your child won't have to worry about running out of reading material if he likes these books as 185 titles were published between 1979 and 1998.

This is another series recommended for ages 9 to 12. Again, some younger children and some older will enjoy reading these fun books.

See all the books in the Choose Your Own Adventure series here.

I've included "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" in the "adventure" category, though it would certainly fit in "science fiction" or even "mystery" as well. This is a five-book series, with the first book published in 2005, that became a phenomenal bestseller and has been compared to the Harry Potter series, though more "hip" and "urban." The hero, Perseus (Percy) Jackson discovers that he is the son of a Greek god and a mortal woman. The stories revolve around Greek mythology - and what boy wouldn't enjoy that!

This series is designed for readers in grades 5 through 9, though some younger and many older readers (i.e. teachers and parents) will enjoy the books as well.

Start with The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) and read the books in order.

Find all five titles in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series here.

P.S. Yes, there's a movie, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. If they haven't seen it, be sure they read the books first.

Although the idea of a person "morphing" into an animal seems pretty silly to practical, skeptical parents, the idea is one that kids really grab onto. Add aliens and you have an irresistible combination. That's why the "Animorphs" series a good one for kids who don't really like to read.

There are 54 books in this series. Bet your kiddo will be keeping track of every one he reads. For ages 9 to 12, or grades 4 (or even 3) to 10.

Start with The Invasion (Animorphs #1) then read the series in any order.

Find all the Animorphs books here.

Since the books involve aliens, I've included these series in the "science fiction" category. Author Bruce Coville has written dozens of books for kids, some are a bit scary and some are more suited as read-alouds for younger children. I've chosen the "Sixth Grade Alien" and "My Teacher is an Alien" for summer reading fun for boys in grades 3 to 6. These books are fun, light reads.

I love this description of the first book, I Was a Sixth Grade Alien: " The aliens have finally made contact! But when the first ambassador from another planet arrives, he insists that his son, Pleskit Meenom, be treated like any other citizen on Earth. Which is why Pleskit has become the first purple kid in Ms. Weintraub's sixth grade class." Picturing a purple kid sitting at a school desk in a "normal" classroom just makes me laugh. The series will make your children laugh, too. More importantly, the first book will make him want to pick up and read the next, and the next.

Read I Was A Sixth Grade Alien first.

Find the complete Sixth Grade Alien series of books here.

Find all of Bruce Coville's books here.

These two books are not from a series of books, but two big books with lots of chapters full of activities to keep boys (and their dads - and even their sisters and moms) occupied for hours upon hours all year long. Boys will love reading both of these books, but the books won't tie them to their favorite reading chair indoors. Instead, they'll be encouraged to pursue outdoor activities, some of which they never would have thought of on their own.

The first book is one my sons owned and enjoyed, The American Boy's Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It, Centennial Edition. This book was first published in 1882 by one of the founders of the Boy Scouts. This edition, updated, copyright 2008, is full of activities such as "How to Make a Voice Disguiser," "Snares for Quail," and "How to Make a Boomerang." Some of the projects are rather old-fashioned and even outdated, but part of the fun is in learning how things used to be done.

The American Boy's Handy Book is a book that all boys should own. The sections of the book are organized by season, but what better time to spend time with the book than during the summertime.

In an interview, Author Conn Iggulden said this: ". . .the whole 'health and safety' overprotective culture isn't doing our sons any favors. Boys need to learn about risk. They need to fall off things occasionally, or--and this is the important bit--they'll take worse risks on their own." Thus, The Dangerous Book for Boys was born.

The book includes dog tricks, star maps, and even educational subjects such as grammar and poetry. Essential gear includes a Swiss army knife, compass, a box of matches, a magnifying glass and more, not so different from the earlier American Boy's Handy Book. Indeed, the book begins with instructions for the greatest paper airplane in the world, an old-fashioned concept but something every kid should know. This is a great book for both dads and sons, and one that will keep a curious child occupied for hours.

Your children may already be familiar with "The Magic School Bus," the television show or the books. If he enjoys learning about nature and science, this would be a very fun summer book series to read. This series is for slightly younger kids, ages 6 to 9, but the topics are interesting to older children as well.

In the books, Ms. Frizzle leads her class on field trips in a school bus that takes them to places they never would have imagined traveling, such as inside the human body or to the floor of the ocean. The crazy artwork is entertaining and the topics are truly educational while being presented in a fun way that appeals to kids. Even adults might learn a thing or two about science from these books.

If your child enjoys learning about science-type topics from dinosaurs to the senses, he just might devour this entire series over the summer.

Find "The Magic School Bus" series of books here.

P.S. Obviously Ms. Frizzle and her school bus are fictional, but this series is included in the Nonfiction section because of the science facts that are taught in the book. (But you knew that, right?)

For a boy who loves doing science experiments, here are a couple of books worthy of a read. The first is Janice VanCleave's 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments. And how about this one: Janice VanCleave's 202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping, and Bouncing Experiments. Both are from the author's "Science for Every Kid" series and the titles alone, I think, have "boy" written all over them. Remember that reading doesn't have to be in big book spurts. Little section spurts, one experiment at a time, work just fine.

The books are for ages 8 to 12 and can be read and used by kids, with their parents' permission of course.

Find more Janice VanCleave science books here.

Find more science experiments and projects books from other authors here.