# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/21 "2004-04-28T13:35:26Z")
It might be a bit below their reading level, but _Summer of the Monkeys_ is a good one for people who hate reading. It’s by Wilson Rawls, the guy who wrote the gut-wrencher about the coonhounds, um, _Where the Red Fern Grows_ (depressing book, horribly depressing). It’s hilarious, and touching, and it deals with family dynamics, responsibility, and self-reliance. Wonderful book, and totally appropriate for your school. Turns my mother’s class of hate-to-read 12-13 yo boys into snivelling piles of jello by the end every single time. (She usually forbids them to read past the chapter before the deal with the pony, so they can read it together as a class. I’ve read the book a dozen times, and that scene still makes me cry.) _After The Rain_ is a good one, too. It’s about a teenage girl dealing with the impending death of her grandfather, as well as all the stresses and confusion about boys and all. Usually very relevant, as most kids that age have lost at least one grandparent, or have one in failing health. It’s very family-value oriented, and the only thing remotely objectionable I can think of is one scene where she tells a boy to make his own damn sandwich. That’s a Norma Fox Mazer, I believe. Jack London is usually pretty interesting, but might be below their reading level. O. Henry stories tend to be good ones. _Flowers for Algernon_ is usually good high-school fare, but the bits dealing with sexuality might be objectionable to the administration or parents. For poetry, she might try Shel Silverstein. There’s nothing objectionable in it, and it’s certainly more accessible and engaging to the non-reader than, say, Longfellow. Janice Holt Giles wrote some pretty cool historical novels set in Kentucky. My favorite is _The Believers_, but you might have better luck getting non-readers interested in _Hannah Fowler_. She’s got some really good short stories, too. I can’t remember the name, but the one about the guineas is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/22 "2004-04-28T14:48:47Z")
I’m thinking _Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card and possibly its companion novel _Ender’s Shadow_ which is essentially the same story told from a different character’s perspective. (an interesting excersise for both readers and writers). Not only is _Ender’s Game_ an excellent book with relatively intense moral themes\*, it is readable for any age level. I read it in the 5th grade, yet I have a couple friends who read it for the first time at age 25 and enjoyed it greatly. Plus a large section of the book is dedicated to describing a complex wargame. Boys like that stuff. 🙂 \*Such as: -Is it right to use and manipulate someone for a greater good? -If you do something bad without knowing (at the time) you were doing it, how should you feel when you find out? -What is leadership? What makes a great leader? -Are human children naturally moral or immoral? ---
**Author:** ![the.hyacinth.girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the.hyacinth.girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the.hyacinth.girl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/23 "2004-04-28T17:42:54Z")
What about some of Kafka’s short stories? Like “In the Penal Colony,” “The Hunger Artist,” or “The Metamorphoses”? They are short, great literature, and just bizarre enough to hold the attention of teenage boys. Ditto for the short stories of Borges. I’d also suggest \*The Great Gatsby \*. And what about _Don Quixote_? It’s actually an amazingly funny and entertaining book, and there’s an english translation out by Burton Raffel that is in nice, modern English and is very easy to read. ---
**Author:** ![the.hyacinth.girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the.hyacinth.girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the.hyacinth.girl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/24 "2004-04-28T17:46:25Z")
And Vonnegut! How could I forget? Teenage boys love him! I’d suggest either \*Deadeye Dick \* or _Galapagos_ rather than _Slaughterhouse Five_, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/25 "2004-04-28T19:00:07Z")
It’s not ever going to be called great liturature, but Douglas Adams “Hitchhiker’s Guild to the Galaxy” is a fun read, not an intimidating size, and fast moving enough to keep the attention of a non-reader. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/26 "2004-04-28T19:03:07Z")
Hmmm…howabout The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler. Sort of Lord of the Flies light - easier to read and a more readily identifiable milieu for most American kids at least. Teens seize control of a summer camp under the leadership of an intensely charismatic, intelligent, but somewhat disturbed teen demagogue, as told by the younger geeky kid that gradually rises to become the leader’s trusted, but highly conflicted, right-hand. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![stochastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@stochastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stochastic)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/27 "2004-04-28T20:54:21Z")
Another vote for _Ender’s Game_ (Hello Again beat me to it!) My 10th grade students are reading it in their English class. They can’t seem to put it down, especially when they’re supposed to be learning about the wonderful world of biology from me! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/28 "2004-04-28T21:01:32Z")
> [@](#): > > It can’t be too controversial (it’s a church based private school). This is completely blocking me. My kids go to the same kind of school and you wouldn’t believe how uptight the administration is about these things. I have to corrupt my kids at home! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/29 "2004-04-28T21:04:23Z")
I fourth _Ender’s Game_ and _Ender’s Shadow_. They’re both easily read and relatively short. Just stay away from the novels after each. I liked them but I doubt someone who doesn’t like to read would. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/30 "2004-04-28T21:11:13Z")
I’d suggest Orwell’s **Animal Farm**. Very short and easy, has a lot of meanings, and is definetly classic literature. I read it in 8th grade and loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/31 "2004-04-28T22:02:05Z")
> [@The Man With The Golden Gun](#): > > I’d suggest Orwell’s **Animal Farm**. Very short and easy, has a lot of meanings, and is definetly classic literature. I read it in 8th grade and loved it. Dang it, I was going to suggest _Animal Farm_. How about: _Lord of the Rings_ (long, of course), _The Old Man and the Sea_, _A Farewell To Arms_ or _Night_ (these two might not be age-appropriate), _The Golden Goblet_ (one of my favorite books when I was younger), _To Kill A Mockingbird_, _A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man_ (maybe not appropriate either), or anything by Jules Verne. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/32 "2004-04-28T22:11:34Z")
_Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner_ ? ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/33 "2004-04-28T22:13:48Z")
_the_ , not _a_ . Dumb dumb dumb. Anyway, it’s by Alan Sillitoe. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/34 "2004-04-28T22:24:02Z")
I can’t believe that after 32 posts no one has mentioned Robert A. Heinlein’s series of juvenile novels. _Rocket ship Galileo Starman Jones The Red Planet The Rolling Stones (trouble for Tribbles anyone?) Have Spacesuit will travel Tunnel in the Sky_ Plus a few others I have probably forgotten All of these are easy to read, plus they are fun to read. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/35 "2004-04-28T22:24:51Z")
Another vote for Harry Potter. And a suggestion, try audio books. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/36 "2004-04-28T22:39:59Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > John Steinbeck’s _The Pearl_ I loved **Of Mice and Men** , but \*\*The Pearl \*\* was pure torture, despite being short. Sherwood Anderson’s **Winesburg, Ohio** is an excellent short story cycle centering loosely on a young male character in a small town. Hemmingway’s **In Our Time** may also interest them, being about boxers and soldiers and such. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/37 "2004-04-28T23:52:33Z")
Two words: Kurt Vonnegut. I read _Cat’s Cradle_ and _Slaughterhouse Five_ in my 10th grade English class, and then went on a Vonnegut kick that lasted for several years. I don’t know if this would fly in a church school, but it’s also the perfect age to read Sartre’s _No Exit_. “Hell is other people”: teenagers know this better than anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/38 "2004-04-29T00:20:14Z")
My brother was a 10th grade boy who doesn’t like to read last year. Books that he ended up reading, and liking: **Ender’s Game** , and the **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy**. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/39 "2004-04-29T00:25:43Z")
1632 by Eric Flint. Very engaging. It’s about a town from West Virginia that gets transported to the 30 years war in Germany in 1632. It’s got lots of action, crazy stuff going on, and unpredictable events. A big plus is that it is a page turner with some history thrown in. And you can download it for free - [http://www.baen.com/library/0671319728/0671319728.htm](http://www.baen.com/library/0671319728/0671319728.htm) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416/40 "2004-04-29T00:53:40Z")
I am actually kinda stunned - Winesburg, Ohio? Slaughterhouse 5? Really!!! Don’t get me wrong, these are great books, but not for non-book-reading 15-year-olds… I agree with those that recommend Ender’s Game - great book. I would also recommend other sci-fi, like I, Robot and the Foundation trilogy by Asimov - simple, accessible, compelling. The key here is - what’s more important, getting the kids to read or getting them to read “important” books? For my money, getting them to read, period, wins every time - once they’re hooked, switch to the important stuff. They maybe too old, but what about Piers Anthony’s first Xanth books? A Spell for Chameleon is pulp trash, but addictive. Dune is the ultimate, but is a little long - although if they get hooked (like many do) it is all over. Think about the movies they might be watching - there are lots of books that are like those… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-10th-grade-boys-who-dont-like-to-read/242416.md?page=3)