# Recommend books for 10th grade boys who don't like to read **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 28, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416 "2004-04-28T02:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/1 "2004-04-28T02:39:25Z")
Mrs. Blue Sky will be teaching a literature class in the fall. The class will be made up of 15-16-yr-old boys who aren’t exactly keen on the idea of reading, but have to take the class. Long drawn novels are out. It’ll be a chore to get them to read anything and a 300+ page doorstop will not help. Something fairly modern would be good. It can’t be too controversial (it’s a church based private school). A lot to ask, I know, but I know the Dopers will come through. Many thanks from the missus and me. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/2 "2004-04-28T02:58:52Z")
Mark Harris’s BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY is a pretty painless, pretty short book (narrate by a semi-literate baseball player.) It’s a good, funny, moral, accessible novel. ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/3 "2004-04-28T03:02:35Z")
David Copperfield isn’t bad. Neither is War and Peace. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/4 "2004-04-28T03:37:11Z")
Cyrano de Bergerac. I’m serious. I’m currently reading that in my 9th grade English class, and Cyrano’s inability to get a girl because of his unattractive phyisical features is _very_ relevent in my life. Plus, since it’s a play you can have people act it out. And I’ve always thought that stories are more interesting and easier to understand if they’re in the form of a play or movie. Also, it’s short. 150 or so pages. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/5 "2004-04-28T03:52:36Z")
I don’t suppose Catcher in the Rye (she’ll want to tell them what it’s about) or The Count of Monte Cristo (same) would be possible? Similarly, book 4 of Virgil’s _Aeneid_ might be verboten? Lord of the Flies might also be interesting. Something from Arthurian legend might captivate them, depending on how much of the rescuing of damsels in distress they’re allowed to read (and how much of tthose damsels’ gratitude:D). ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/6 "2004-04-28T04:12:02Z")
John Steinbeck’s _The Pearl_? It’s been ages since I’ve read that book, but I remember reading it one summer vacation when I was probably of similar age as these boys. I couldn’t put it down. (Of course, I love to read, but if it weren’t very interesting, I wouldn’t have read the whole thing all in one sitting. And that’s what I did with _The Pearl_.) It is, IIRC, a relatively short book as well. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/7 "2004-04-28T04:27:38Z")
I’ve mentioned this book in another thread, but Cornelia Funke’s _The Thief Lord_ is fantastic. It’s set in modern day Venice and is about a bunch of homeless kids lead by a boy with a secret…it’s exciting and my fifth graders get mad everytime I stop reading…(I don’t want to think that they’re mad because they know that math comes after the story). Anyway, you can tie in all sorts of values like friendship and whether it’s ok to lie sometimes, etc. Plus, you can have them look up the places mentioned on the Internet…the book mentions places that really exist. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/8 "2004-04-28T05:57:56Z")
OK…you have to first find out what the kids’ interests are. I hate to say it, but the Harry Potter books have turned a whole new generation of non-reading kids into readers…and you can probably get the first book in paperback for a fairly decent price by now. Plus, after they have read the book, you can THEN show them the movie and watch how they notice every single detail that is in, or not in, the film. It is a good way of showing them that reading gives them a different viewpoint and idea than the film…characters sometimes are different in their mind than on the screen, some scenes are funnier/scarier/more interesting in the book than on film, etc. etc. It is a life lesson in the value of reading and though some might question the literary value of the Harry Potter series, it is a step in getting kids - both girls and boys, to enjoy reading for pleasure. I remember meeting a guy about 25 years old who never understood why someone should read the book if there is already a film. He should have had your wife teach him when he was younger! ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/9 "2004-04-28T06:15:59Z")
If _The Right Stuff_ doesn’t hold their attention, nothing will. There is a little off-color language and a short episode where the extramarital antics of the astronauts are hinted at, but certainly nothing a bunch of 10th grade boys haven’t heard before. ---
**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/10 "2004-04-28T09:49:30Z")
Find one with lots of pictures in it…worked for me 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/11 "2004-04-28T09:57:57Z")
Michael Crichton? He’s not a _bad_ author, and his novels are always pretty rip-roaring page turners. You can’t put down _Eaters of the Dead_. After that…maybe some Phillip Jose Farmer, or Poul Anderson? (_Riverworld_ and _Brain Wave_ are always fun.) Maybe even Ray Bradbury? Or, if you want to do the classics…Shakespeare’s _Titus Andronicus_? Nice ‘n’ gory. Or you might try [some of these.](http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/) ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/12 "2004-04-28T10:28:01Z")
Gillian Rubinstein’s trilogy Galax Arena, Terra Farma and the yet to be published Universicus, My 10yr old is an advanced reader and he loved the first two more than any book in a long time [Galax Arena](http://www.penguin.com.au/authors/author-title-details.cfm?found=1&startrow=1&formTitle=&formAuthor=&formKeyword=&formISBN=&formCategory=All&formImprint=All&formCountry=All&formAudience=All&formMedia=All&formOrigin=All&formOrderBy=Title&SBN=0141310243&Author=Rubinstein%20Gillian) Also her computer game trilogy, Space Demons, Skymaze and Shinkei might appeal to 15 yr old boys who aren’t keen readers ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/13 "2004-04-28T10:43:00Z")
Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow are GREAT easy to read novels. If they liked Ender’s game they can follow his exploits into Speaker for the dead. If not just for entertainment these books IMHO contain some pretty deep undertones. I can’t remember the individual names – but the tripod series(probably below 10th grade reading level, but they were quite entertaining). if I may put out an idea – I think it’s a good idea to use books that are in series. If they like one, then they’re more likely to read the sequels. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/14 "2004-04-28T11:33:31Z")
I’d vote for just about any of the Chris Crutcher novels. They are all about high school age boys who don’t quite fit in for some reason but who are involved with athletics. As a young woman who doesn’t like sports I still found them enjoyable. _However,_ some of them do deal with controversial issues, sometimes several in the same book. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/15 "2004-04-28T11:49:34Z")
Gary Paulsen’s books might be worth checking out. (Hatchet, The River, Monument, and a whole bunch of other titles.) I think my classes read almost every single one when I was teaching in a resource room. The reading levels might be a little less challenging than some books, but the concepts are appropriate to the age we’re talking about. I did A Day No Pigs Would Die with my students, too, but since it was fairly advanced for their reading skills, I ran off a chapter at a time for them to work on. Along about chapter 8 or so, I overheard some of the boys having a eureka moment, when one of them suddenly realized aloud, “Wait. A. MINUTE. She’s tricked us into reading a BOOK!” They couldn’t believe I’d done such a dastardly deed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/16 "2004-04-28T12:06:52Z")
Harry Potter might be a little young, but Phillip Pullman’s “His dark Materials” trilogy could be good…although on reflection, probably too controversial for church school. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time by Mark Haddon is a great novel, it’s writen from the perspective of a teenage boy with autism, and is very absorbing, as well as not being pitched to highly, or having naughtiness and bad language. Of Mice and Men is another short and sweet number. The Art of War? The Hobbit? I give up. I never read age appropriate books, so I can’t think of any really good, short books that don’t have sex/violence/swearing aplenty. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/17 "2004-04-28T12:51:24Z")
_1984_ is short, interesting, modern, and definitely part of the English canon. And unlike most of the above suggestions, it’s probably slightly above a middle school reading level, and it’s real, honest-to-God literature to boot. Not one of my favorite books, but it’s gripping enough and most people I know just love it. _Slaughterhouse Five_ is excellent (would that be too controversial?) Certainly a high school level book, although I couldn’t say for sure exactly what grade level it is. Once again, modern and worthwhile. _Catch-22_ is another interesting, funny book - and even if it’s a little longer than the other two I mentioned, it’s easy reading. Let’s see . . . _The Great Gatsby_ is kinda traditional for around that age, no? Also easy and generally well-liked . . . ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/18 "2004-04-28T12:51:58Z")
A collection of short stories would be perfect. You can finish it in one sitting. There will be completely new material to discuss each week. My uncle gave my cousin pornography to get him to read. It worked, and my cousin has not turned into Mr. Creepy on the street corner wearing a trenchcoat and little else. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/19 "2004-04-28T12:56:35Z")
I second **iamphuna** idea about stories on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Your wife could even tie the Grail story in with some Religious Studies classes and at the end she can introduce them to Monty Python 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/20 "2004-04-28T13:02:00Z")
I also enjoyed Ray Bradbury’s _Fahrenheit 451_ at that age. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416.md?page=2)