# Top 100+ books for boys.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 16, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301 "2007-05-16T11:30:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/1 "2007-05-16T11:30:34Z")
[The List](http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1794683.ece)
[The Article](http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1796075.ece)
> [@](#):
>
> 1. The Top 10 of Everything 2007 by Russell Ash, Hamlyn (2008 edition available in the autumn)
>
> 2. Strange Powers of the Human Mind (Forbidden Truths) by Herbie Brennan, Faber
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> 3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, Black Swan,
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> 4. I Know You Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson, Penguin
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> 5. Guinness Book of Records 2007, Guinness (2008 edition available in the autumn)
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> 6. 101 Things You Need To Know (And Some You Don’t) by Richard Horne, Bloomsbury
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> 7. 101 Things To Do Before You’re Old and Boring by Richard Horne, Bloomsbury
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> 8. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by Robert LeRoy Ripley, Century
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> 9. The Boys’ Book; How to be the Best at Everything by Guy McDonald, Buster Books
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> 10. Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser, Puffin
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> 11. How to Spot a Hadrosaur in a Bus Queue by Andy Seed, Hodder
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> 12. How to Avoid a Wombat’s Bum by Mitchell Symons, Doubleday
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> 13. Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? by Mick O’Hare, Profile Books
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> 14. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Macmillan
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> 15. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Puffin
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> 16. King Solomon’s Mines by H Rider Haggard, Penguin
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> 17. Northern Lights (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, Scholastic
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> 18. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Bloomsbury
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> 19. Kidnapped (adapted by) Alan Grant, Barrington Stoke
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> 20. Treasure Island by R L Stevenson, Bloomsbury
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> 21. The Hobbit by J RR Tolkien, HarperCollins
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> 22. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Penguin
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> 23. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Penguin
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> 24. Like Father Like Son by Tony Bradman (ed), Kingfisher
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> 25. Unreal! by Paul Jennings, Puffin
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> 26. Flight by Kazu Kibuishi, Image Comics
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> 27. One Beastly Beast by Garth Nix, HarperCollins
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> 28. The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Puffin
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> 29. It Was A Dark and Silly Night by Art Spiegelman, HarperCollins
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> 30. Scientific Progress Goes Boink (Calvin and Hobbes) by Bill Watterson, Time Warner
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> 31. Talking Turkeys by Bejamin Zephaniah, Puffin
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> 32. Arthur and the Invisibles by Luc Besson, Faber
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> 33. The Spellgrinder’s Apprentice by N M Browne, Bloomsbury
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> 34. The Forgotten Spell (Spellcaster Gamebooks) by Louisa Dent, Wizard Books
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> 35. Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad) by David Eddings, Corgi
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> 36. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, Chicken House
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> 37. Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Bloomsbury
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> 38. Samurai (Saint of Dragons) by Jason Hightman, HarperCollins
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> 39. Blade of Fire (The Icemark Chronicles) by Stuart Hill, Chicken House
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> 40. Eldest by Christopher Paolini, Corgi
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> 41. Clash of the Sky Galleons (The Edge Chronicles) by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Doubleday
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> 42. Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess, Puffin
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> 43. The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer, Puffi
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> 44. Small-Minded Giants by Oisin McGann, Corgi
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> 45. Takedown by Graham Marks, Catnip
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> 46. Jango (Noble Warriors) by William Nicholson, Egmont
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> 47. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride) by James Patterson, Headline
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> 48. A Darkling Plain (Mortal Engines Quartet) by Philip Reeve, Scholastic
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> 49. Storm Thief by Chris Wooding, Scholastic
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> 50. Darkside by Tom Becker, Scholastic
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> 51. The Spook’s Secret (Wardstone Chronicles) by Joseph Delaney, Bodley Head
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> 52. The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven, Doubleday
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> 53. Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Bloomsbury
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> 54. Setting of a Cruel Sun (The Lost Souls Stories) by Alan Gibbons, Orion
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> 55. Nightrise (Power of Five) by Anthony Horowitz, Walker
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> 56. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, HarperCollins
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> 57. Breathe by Cliff McNish, Orion
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> 58. Devil for Sale by E E Richardson, Barrington Stoke
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> 59. The Intruders by E E Richardson, Corgi
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> 60. Blood Beast (Demonata) by Darren Shan, HarperCollins
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> 61. Crazy Creatures (Reality Check) by Gillian Arbuthnott, Barrington Stoke
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> 62. The Fighting Pit (Bear Kingdom) by Michael Coleman, Orchard
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> 63. Flanimals of the Deep by Ricky Gervais
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> 64. High Rhulain (Redwall) by Brian Jacques, Puffin
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> 65. The Dark Portal (Deptford Mice) by Robin Jarvis, Hodder
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> 66. Mouse Noses on Toast by Darren King, Faber
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> 67. Soul Eater (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness) by Michelle Paver, Orion
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> 68. Fall 1152 (Mouse Guard) by David Petersen, Archaia (Publication due in June)
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> 69. Nathan Fox by L Brittney, Macmillan
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> 70. Mines of the Minotaur (Companion’s Quartet) by Julia Golding, Oxford
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> 71. The Ship Between the Worlds by Julia Golding, Oxford
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> 72. The Black Book of Secrets by F E Higgins, Macmillan
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> 73. Here There be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) by James A Owen, Simon & Schuster
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> 74. Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, Scholastic
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> 75. Larklight by Philip Reeve, Bloomsbury
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> 76. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, Puffin
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> 77. Physik (Septimus Heap) by Angie Sage, Bloomsbury
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> 78. My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick, Orion
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> 79. Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton, Puffin
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> 80. Ptolemy’s Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud, Corgi
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> 81. Bloodline by Kevin Brooks, Barrington Stoke
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> 82. Johnny Delgado Like Father Like Son by Kevin Brooks, Barrington Stoke
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> 83. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer, Puffin
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> 84. Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, Puffin
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> 85. Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Macmillan
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> 86. Grk and the Hot Dog Trail by Joshua Doder, Andersen Press
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> 87. Final Lap (Traces) by Malcolm Rose, Kingfisher
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> 88. The Crime Lord (F.E.A.R. Adventures) by Jak Shadow, Wizard Books
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> 89. Tins by Alex Shearer, Macmillan
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> 90. Great Britain (Jack Stalwart) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt, Red Fox
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> 91. The Curse of the Nightwolf (Barnaby Grimes) by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Doubleday
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> 92. Montmorency’s Revenge by Eleanor Updale, Scholastic
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> 93. The Obsidian Dagger (Horatio Lyle) by Catherine Webb, Atom
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> 94. The Boy who was Wanted Dead or Alive – or both (Blart) by Dominic Barker, Bloomsbury
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> 95. Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Cavney, Bodley Head
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> 96. The Moomy’s Curse (Cows in Action) by Steve Cole, Red Fox
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> 97. Toonhead by Fiona Dunbar, Orchard
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> 98. The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Bloomsbury
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> 99. So You Think You Know the Simpsons? by Clive Gifford, Hodder
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> 100. It’s True You Can Make Your Own Jokes by Sharon Holt, Allen & Unwin
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> 101. Ryan’s Brain (Jiggy McCue) by Michael Lawrence, Orchard
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> 102. Measle and the Slitherghoul (Measle Stubbs Adventures) by Ian Ogilvy, OUP
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> 103. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People by Dav Pilkey, Scholastic
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> 104. Urgum the Axe Man by Kjartan Poskitt, Scholastic
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> 105. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, Doubleday
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> 106. Zip’s Apollo by Philip Ridley, Puffin
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> 107. The Great Cow Race (Bone) by Jeff Smith, Cartoon Books
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> 108. Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl, Puffin
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> 109. Once by Morris Gleitzman, Puffin
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> 110. Crusade by Elizabeth Laird, Macmillan (Publication due in June)
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> 111. Secrets of the Fearless by Elizabeth Laird, Macmillan
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> 112. The Highwayman’s Footsteps by Nicola Morgan, Walker
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> 113. Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo, Collins
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> 114. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, HarperCollins
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> 115. Rebel Cargo by James Riordan, Frances Lincoln
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> 116. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Bodley Head
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> 117. Divided City by Theresa Breslin, Corgi
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> 118. Game Boy (4u2read.ok) by Alan Durant, Barrington Stoke
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> 119. Stat Man (FYI) by Alan Durant, Barrington Stoke
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> 120. Lady Friday (Keys to the Kingdom) by Garth Nix, HarperCollins
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> 121. The Penalty by Mal Peet, Walker
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> 122. Dream On by Bali Rai, Barrington Stoke
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> 123. Goal 2: Living the Dream by Robert Rigby, Corgi
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> 124. Agent Orange (Spy High) by A J Butcher, Atom
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> 125. Sakkara (New Heroes) by Michael Carroll, HarperCollins
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> 126. Jimmy Coates: Revenge by Joe Craig, HarperCollins
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> 127. True Spy Stories (Usborne True Stories) by Paul Dowswell and Fergus Fleming, Spies (Publication due in June)
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> 128. The Flight of the Silver Turtle by John Fardell, Faber
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> 129. The Devil’s Breath by David Gilman, Puffin (Publication due in June)
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> 130. Double or Die (Young Bond) by Charlie Higson, Puffin
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> 131. Ark Angel (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz, Walker
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> 132. Meltdown (Special Agents) by Sam Hutton, HarperCollins
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> 133. Deep Waters (Zac Power) by H I Larry, Egmont
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> 134. The Fall (Cherub) by Robert Muchamore, Hodder
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> 135. Deadline by John Townsend, Barrington Stoke
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> 136. S.T.O.R.M. by E L Young, Macmillan
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> 137. The Hand of the Devil by Dean Vincent Carter, Corgi
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> 138. The Aztec Code by Steve Cole, Bloomsbury
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> 139. Bunker 10 by J A Henderson, OUP
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> 140. Sure Fire by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards, HarperCollins (Publication due in May)
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> 141. Bloodbones (Fighting Fantasy) by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Wizard Books
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> 142. Troll Blood (Troll trilogy) by Katherine Langrish, HarperCollins
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> 143. The Beast Within (Nemesis) by Catherine Macphail, Bloomsbury
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> 144. Avenger (Boy Soldier) by Andy McNab, Corgi
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> 145. Operation Typhoon Shore (Guild Trilogy) by Joshua Mowll, Walker
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> 146. Boffin Boy and the Invaders from Space (Boffin Boy) by David Orme, Ransom
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> 147. Time Runners: Freeze Framed (Time Runners) by Justin Richards, Simon & Schuster
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> 148. Flash Flood (Code Red Adventures) by Chris Ryan, Red Fox
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> 149. Book the Thirteenth: The End by Lemony Snicket, Egmont
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> 150. The Web of Fire by Steve Voake, Faber
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> 151. Smokescreen by Bernard Ashley, Usborne
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> 152. Mutant (Gr8reads) by Theresa Breslin, Barrington Stoke
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> 153. Being by Kevin Brooks, Puffin
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> 154. Billy Elliot by Melvin Burgess, Chicken House
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> 155. The Bone Room by Anne Cassidy, Barrington Stoke
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> 156. Moon Man by David Donohue, Egmont
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> 157. The Road of Bones by Anne Fine, Corgi
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> 158. The Thing with Finn by Tom Kelly, Macmillan
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> 159. Flush by Carl Hiaasen, Corgi
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> 160. Under the Skin by Catherine Macphail, Barrington Stoke
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> 161. Captives by Tom Pow, Corgi
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> 162. BurnOut by Robert Swindells, Barrington Stoke
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> 163. Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama, Gollancz
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> 164. Help I’m a Classroom Gambler by Pete Johnson, Corgi
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> 165. The Paradise Plot by Natasha Narayan, Egmont
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> 166. The Inventors by Alexander Gordon Smith, Faber
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> 167. Tide of Terror (Vampirates) by Justin Somper, Simon & Schuster
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> 168. Running the Risk (Shapeshifter) by Ali Sparkes, OUP
Thoughts. Additions. Discussion?
---
### Author:  [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/2 "2007-05-16T12:03:23Z")
Why would they have book 4 of the Belgariad, but no mention of the other books in the series?
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/3 "2007-05-16T13:28:40Z")
I think the Boy Scout Handbook should be on there.
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/4 "2007-05-16T13:45:58Z")
Whut? None of the Straight Dope books?
And why _A Hat Full of Sky_ of all the Discworld books?
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### Author:  [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/5 "2007-05-16T14:04:49Z")
Not nearly enough golden age science fiction. Every boy should read at least one of the robot books by Asimov, likewise _Stranger in a Strange Land_ by Heinlein, and let’s not forget _Childhood’s End_ and (a “young adult” but still wonderful book) _Islands in the Sky_ by Arthur C. Clarke. In fact, that last book is what got me into science fiction, which is a wonderful horizons-expanding literature. I might also suggest _Lord of the Flies_ and _Heart of Darkness_ for their morals on human nature. Finally, I’d suggest that everyone read _At the Mountains of Madness_ by H.P. Lovecraft, a great adventure story.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/6 "2007-05-16T14:10:33Z")
I was interested to see this list because I need some more books to read with my son. (Right now we’re reading Gary Paulsen’s Tracker, and the only joy we’re getting out of it at this point is by making fun of how Mr. Paulsen repeats himself a lot. The only joy. Making fun of Mr. Paulsen, I mean. Because he repeats himself a lot. Arrgh!)
I haven’t read too many of these, but I didn’t care much for the ones I have. Except for Lemony Snicket, and as \*\*O&OW \*\* said, why the last one of a series and not the whole thing?
---
### Author:  [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/7 "2007-05-16T14:12:50Z")
Strange list…I also wondered why they only had one book in a series? And the middle book at that. Looks to me like someone put this list together from a “top seller” kind of data list, not what books boys really **should** have. Some of them I agree with, but to me the list has too much fantasy, and not enough boys science fiction. I’d say some of the _Tom Swift_ books should be there…as well as _Hardy Boys_ and _The Three Investigators_. Give them some books that will let them figure stuff out along with the story. Along those lines _Encyclopedia Brown_ should be in there someplace.
_Edited to add:_
Good point **1point618** about _Lord of the flies_. I had forgotten that book. I’d also say _Swiss Family Robinson_ over _Treasure Island_. I suppose some of the books depend on how old the boy is. Asimov and Heinlein didn’t catch my eye until I was like…12 or so…so the list probably should be broken into some sort of age range.
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### Author:  [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/8 "2007-05-16T14:25:03Z")
_The Great Brain_ series by J.D. Fitzgerald?
The _Henry Reed_ series by Keith Robertson?
The _Alvin Fernald_ series by Clifford B. Hicks?
And Encyclopedia Brown, of course!
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/9 "2007-05-16T14:35:31Z")
Also, Holes by Louis Sachar should be on the list. And as for Heinlein, I’d add Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/10 "2007-05-16T14:43:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> 1. Northern Lights (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, Scholastic
This tipped me off to the fact that it’s a British list. (The American title is _The Golden Compass_.)
[QUOTE=1point618]
Not nearly enough golden age science fiction. Every boy should read at least one of the robot books by Asimov, likewise _Stranger in a Strange Land_ by Heinlein
[/QUOTE]
Abso-friggin-lutely, though I might have suggested one (or, heck, all) of Heinlein’s “juveniles.”
[QUOTE=fessie]
The Great Brain series by J.D. Fitzgerald?
[/QUOTE]
Yes indeed. Maybe it got left off because of the list’s anglocentrism?
There must, must, **must** be some Sherlock Holmes on the list.
And how about Jack London (_Call of the Wild_ or _The Sea Wolf_)? Jules Verne (_Around the World in 80 Days_)? Kipling (_The Jungle Books_)? That list skews really modern, and ignores the classics.
---
### Author:  [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/11 "2007-05-16T15:20:02Z")
Wow, that’s a long list that doesn’t have any context, it made me a little bleary reading through it. My gut reaction was “too much trendy, not enough classic” but then I realized that maybe this list was intended more for librarians (who presumably already know the hit parade of classics) than for parents/children, and it probably works okay that way.
I would have found this more helpful if it had been broken down by age level, and also by genre or theme. Areas that seemed to be lacking are science fiction, survival stories, and animal stories (doesn’t every young child need to be traumatized for life with “Where the Red Fern Grows”?)
Things I’d add (some have already been mentioned):
Holes
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (younger readers)
Looking for Alaska (older readers)
nearly anything by Pinkwater
at least something by Joan Aiken
Harriet the Spy (one of my favorites for recommending to boys)
The Dark is Rising (how do you have that much fantasy and _not_ The Dark is Rising?)
The Westing Game
no Prydain?
… you know, I realize that nearly all my suggestions are American, so perhaps I am showing my -centrism.
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### Author:  [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/12 "2007-05-16T15:43:15Z")
No _Gravity’s Rainbow_ or _Finnegan’s Wake_? Pshaw!
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### Author:  [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/13 "2007-05-16T15:44:39Z")
The Lucky Star series by Asimov and the EE “Doc” Smith Lensman books.
If he can make it through the Belgariad, he’s old enough for Alistair McLean, I’d say. The Night Without End might be a bit much, but The Guns of Naverone and Where Eagles Dare are about right.
All the Pat McManus, of course.
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### Author:  [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/14 "2007-05-16T15:44:54Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink]
Abso-friggin-lutely, though I might have suggested one (or, heck, all) of Heinlein’s “juveniles.”
[/QUOTE]
Good point, although I read Stranger when I was about 13, and I consider that part of my boyhood still. As someone else mentioned, the list doesn’t do a very good job of defining “boys”. One of my favorite “juvenile” books from Heinlein is _Tunnel in the Sky_, which probably fits up there with _Lord of the Flies_ as far as lost children books go.
> [@](#):
>
> There must, must, **must** be some Sherlock Holmes on the list.
>
> And how about Jack London (_Call of the Wild_ or _The Sea Wolf_)? Jules Verne (_Around the World in 80 Days_)? Kipling (_The Jungle Books_)? That list skews really modern, and ignores the classics.
Oh, if you’re going with Jack London, you can’t leave out his short story, “To Build a Fire,” possibly one of the most harrowing adventure stories ever. That one gave me nightmares growing up in Alaska. Also, I’ll give a +1 to Sherlock Holmes, The Great Brain, Encyclopedia Brown, Tom Swift, the Hardy Boys and other “detective” books.
---
### Author:  [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/15 "2007-05-16T16:09:50Z")
Two books I recall from my youth that I think should be on the list:
[Follow my Leader](http://www.amazon.com/Follow-My-Leader-James-Garfield/dp/0140364854) - about a kid who goes blind following a firecracker explodes, and learns to sue a seeing eye dog
[Then Again Maybe I Won’t](http://www.amazon.com/Then-Again-Maybe-I-Wont/dp/0440486599/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-0670152-8892053?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179331583&sr=1-2) - coming of age puberty story
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### Author:  [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/16 "2007-05-16T19:35:28Z")
What a strange list! I’m thrown off, for example, by Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything” being in the number _three_ spot. Not that I think it’s a bad book, but it’s a little advanced for what I’d think of as “boys.” I also assumed something like this would be mostly fiction. Why is the Guinness Book of World Records on there??
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle]
I was interested to see this list because I need some more books to read with my son. (Right now we’re reading Gary Paulsen’s Tracker, and the only joy we’re getting out of it at this point is by making fun of how Mr. Paulsen repeats himself a lot. The only joy. Making fun of Mr. Paulsen, I mean. Because he repeats himself a lot. Arrgh!)
[/QUOTE]
Funny; the first thing I thought when I saw the title of this thread was that I hoped it had some Gary Paulsen on it! I haven’t read Tracker, but I _loved_ things like “Hatchet” and “The River” when I was a kid. Very much my idea of a boy’s book.
Also, why isn’t J.K. Rowling on the list?
[QUOTE=1point618]
Also, I’ll give a +1 to Sherlock Holmes, The Great Brain, Encyclopedia Brown, Tom Swift, the Hardy Boys and other “detective” books.
[/QUOTE]
Seconded. I used to love that stuff.
---
### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/17 "2007-05-16T19:40:31Z")
[QUOTE=Rodgers01]
Funny; the first thing I thought when I saw the title of this thread was that I hoped it had some Gary Paulsen on it! I haven’t read Tracker, but I _loved_ things like “Hatchet” and “The River” when I was a kid. Very much my idea of a boy’s book.
[/QUOTE]
I read Hatchet a few years ago and don’t recall it having this problem. This problem where everything is repeated. Tracker is a book about a kid dealing with his grandpa’s death, so maybe Mr. Paulsen’s trying to create some sort of mood. A mood, or a feeling of depth or something. All it’s doing is giving us the giggles.
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### Author:  [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/18 "2007-05-17T00:02:40Z")
Nothing by Arthur Conan Doyle?
No Edgar Allen Poe?
No Jack London?
No Kurt Vonnegut?
No Jules Verne?
No H. G. Wells?
No Eric Frank Russell?
Not nearly enough science fiction, for sure…
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/19 "2007-05-17T00:14:48Z")
Give the lad a spine.
_The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_.
Never too early to expose the spawn to political ideas.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-100-books-for-boys/404301/20 "2007-05-17T00:49:59Z")
Well, the CLASSICS, yeah. Everyone **DirkGntly** said.
But also _The Forgotten Door_, by Alexander Key. Taught me how to live right.
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