50+ Books for Boys Aged 8 - 14 years. Here are the best titles to start!

50+ books for boys! Provide your son with a diet of different books these holidays!

June 27, 2019

Developing a love of reading has alot to do with giving your son a choice in what he reads. But while free reign of ‘whatever he wants to read’ can be a good thing, I think most of us despair at our children’s reading selections at various times. I’m referring to the ‘toilet humour’ or cartoon types of books that they will read and re-read and re-read again! Boys do love these books for their escapism, simple plots (or lack of plot!) and avoidance of having to analyse a story/characters/theme etc. However, if you asked your son what would happen if he chose to eat only cake for the rest of his life he would see the benefits of why we need a range of different foods. Reading is the same – his brain needs a varied diet of different books. Here is a range of books to try to extend his taste into other genres. Aim to try some of these out on your 8 to 14 year old sons!

Mystery

This may not seem an obvious choice for boys, however many mysteries offer a fast-paced storyline, excitement, puzzles and suspense. Another benefit is that the reader is removed from their everyday life into that of a different character. Click here for an easy-to-print list of suggestions.

Humour

Humorous books do have their benefits – particularly with reluctant readers. Authors such as David Walliams, Terry Denton, Roald Dahl, R A Spratt and Matt Stanton have written books bursting with laugh-out-loud humour. Silly storylines, peculiar characters and plenty of mishaps and misadventures hold great appeal for boys. Here are some suggestions that your son will find irresistibly funny.

Fantasy

Harry Potter has had the strongest influence on this genre (One my son’s, however was intimidated by the sheer size of the book so I gave him the illustrated version – it was a winner!). Fantasy offers a chance for boys to immerse themselves in other worlds yet still follow the storyline of heroes battling evil, usually with a group of friends. Interestingly, fantasy can spark your son’s imagination, creativity and get him to look at real-world issues in a removed way, particularly in books that look at war, poverty or politics. Here are some titles to print.

Dystopian Fiction

The opposite of utopian fiction (based on a perfect world), dystopias are noted for the themes of an imaginary future world, tightly controlled inhabitants, conformity and a main character who is frustrated by the controls and acts in spite of them. What appeals to teen readers is perhaps the notion of survival and working together to benefit the whole community. As one teen says, “Reading about other worlds and imaginary cultures is exciting. It’s interesting to know that there are other ways to form a society — different from the way we have formed ours.” (Edward, aged 13) Here is an easy to print list of books.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the how and why of encouraging boys to read for pleasure (and over the holidays), here are some more links to explore:

Extra links and resources

The website https://insideadog.com.au/ is a great source for books for teenagers.

The novel Into the Sea is a first novel written by Australian Jay Laurie. (It is achieving great reviews for teen boys who love surfing. Some schools are adding it to their class reading list.)