Then, at work today, I had an interaction with a young man who was looking for a good science-fiction book. Although I did manage to find one or two, suggestions don't come as quickly (for me anyway) for boys as they do for girls. I don't get nearly enough practice making recommendations for the guys so in this post I'll toss out a few of my favorites. If you're interested in further reading for all cool dudes, check out the Guys Read website for suggestions and news on all things male and reading.
Fiction
I don't know about you, but I've certainly noticed that most boys go through a gross out stage. They enjoy dancing on the line between being a little outrageous and all out disgusting. This particular picture book feeds that type of humor. In addition to the classic question-and-answer that we've all experienced on the playground ("Do you know what?" "Chicken butt!") the author expands into a series of silly rhymes that kids and their parents will find hilarious. The dynamic illustrations only add to the fun. The only word of warning I will add is that this book is compulsively readable...and you may find yourself the "butt" of a certain joke many times over.
As the author is sitting by his fireside one dark and stormy night, he hears a scratch on his door. When he opens the door, he sees a very damp and shaggy dog bearing a manuscript. After the animal disappears into the night, the author opens the manuscript to reveal that the dog has written his memoirs and brought them to the author in the hopes of being published. The resulting book is "Bunnicula" and if you like animals and haven't picked it up, you are seriously missing out. Our hero, Harold the dog, lives with his family and fellow animal, Chester the cat. It is a peaceful and quiet life until one evening when his family brings home a strange rabbit. Soon after the rabbit joins the family vegetables start showing up completely drained of their juices. Harold and Chester must work together to solve the mystery of the strange occurrences before any more food meets a grisly end. Readers will especially enjoy the personalities of Harold and Chester, which are pitch perfect for their species (Chester especially captures the catlike "I'm surrounded by morons, utter morons" philosophy). This chapter book is a fantastic read-aloud option.
Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson
Lily Gefelty's father works for a real, honest to goodness Mad Scientist. When Lily overhears that the scientist intends to take over the world through particularly nefarious means (Mind controlled whales. On stilts. With laser beam eyes. Oh yeah), Lily and her two best friends decide to foil the villain through any means necessary. Although the tongue in cheek humor may be a bit mature for younger readers, older kids who have loved "Captain Underpants" and "A Series of Unfortunate Events" will adore this humorous take on the common crazy-scientist-taking-over-the-world convention.
Were any of you aware that Suzanne Collins wrote another series before her insanely popular "Hunger Games"? Me either. It wasn't until I was casting about for an alternative to Harry Potter that I stumbled upon this gem of a book. Eleven-year-old New Yorker Gregor and his baby sister never dreamed that anything extraordinary existed beneath the floors of their apartment building. It isn't until one day when the siblings fall into an open grate in their laundry room that they discover the underland. The underland is a fantastical world where enormous talking rats, bats and cockroaches live in uneasy peace with humans. When Gregor and his sister enter the picture, the underlanders are on the brink of war. Only an overlander referred to in an ancient prophecy can save underlanders from complete destruction. With a prophesied hero, action packed battles and a satisfying amount of books in the series, "Gregor the Overlander" is a fantastic book to add to your reading lineup
H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute for Villainous Education) by Mark Walden
I have always loved series that buck the mundane and try something entirely new. Author Mark Walden takes the anti-hero to a whole new level when he writes "H.I.V.E.". Thirteen-year-old Otto Malpense has always known that he is far more intelligent than the average boy. After all, at thirteen he not only runs the orphanage where he grew up, but has also embarrassed the Prime Minister of Great Britain on national television - and gotten away with it. Otto can't imagine his life ever changing until he wakes up suddenly on a plane flying over a vast ocean. Otto and the other people on the plane have been kidnapped and forcibly enrolled in the Higher Institute for Villainous Education, where they will all learn to use their skills to become super villains. No one has ever been able to escape the volcanic island where H.I.V.E. is located, but Otto and his new group of friends are determined to try. A note of caution, this series is occasionally difficult to find as it was originally published in Britain. Fortunately, it is being re-issued here in the United States with new covers (and thank goodness - the first book ends on a cliff-hanger).
It is far in the future and life outside of great cities has become almost unsustainable. All cities are fully mechanized, rolling on wheels or walking on legs across the surface of the globe. In order to survive, the largest cities do something called "municipal Darwinsim". Huge cities will chase down smaller cities and towns and consume them like food, stripping the towns of everything that is needed to sustain life. Once upon a time, "prey" was plentiful, but small cities have gradually almost completely disappeared from the landscape. It is in this world that we meet Tom, a lowly apprentice who works for the Guild of Historians in London, which has become the magnificent Traction City. Tom has played hooky from his apprenticeship in order to meet his hero, adventurer Thaddeus Valentine. When Valentine is confronted by known assassin Hester Shaw, Tom steps in front of his hero in a valiant effort to save him. In the process, Tom falls out of the city and becomes stranded in the Out Lands with Hester. In his quest to return to London with Hester, Tom will discover some grim truths that London's leaders have been keeping from the people of the city. This series is a fantastic read-alike for fans of Scott Westerfeld's "Leviathan".
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hern
In a fantastical version of feudal-era Japan, youth Takeo witnesses the death of his entire village at the hands of a cruel warlord. After his escape, Takeo is adopted by a different warlord – the noble Lord Otori. It is within the household of Lord Otori that Takeo discovers he was born to a special tribe of assassins, all of whom inherit supernatural abilities. Among these gifts is the ability to move in complete silence and to become invisible. As he learns to control his gifts, Takeo must seize his destiny as the man who will overthrow the warlord who slaughtered his family and step into a position of power in his world. This is the first book in a trilogy and is appropriate for older teen readers and adults.
Nonfiction
Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
This basic picture book has long been one of my favorites. Remember when I talked about the "gross" factor that so enchants young lads? Well, as you can see from the title alone, this is another book that they may enjoy. However, this book it great as it explains - without excessive humor or disgust - the whys and hows of #2. Gomi's illustrations are beautifully simple - one knows exactly what they are without excruciating detail. If you are looking for a perfect way to explain this particular bodily function without having to resort to uncomfortable humor or difficult vocabulary, give this book a try.
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
History has, unfortunately, a bad habit of being presented in a way that is guaranteed to bore most people to tears. People and places seem very far away indeed. Bragg has written a book that changes all of the above. This book will appeal to the people who live for those gross moments when things squelch, smoosh and squish. "How They Croaked" gives all the nasty details of the deaths of nineteen famous figures from history. From Marie Curie to George Washington, readers can see some of the downright messy ways these people left this world. In spite of some gorily gruesome passages, the author is able to share some fascinating bits of history and humor in a way that is anything but boring.
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