# Books for a 10 year old boy



## SW (Dec 27, 2010)

I'm giving a Kindle to my son in less than a month on his birthday.  He'll be 10 years old.  

Where have the years gone?  

I'm looking for book recommendations.  He's quite the book worm and reads (and comprehends) well above his grade level, but that can present another problem entirely.  I'm not looking for books with more adult content geared toward teens and young adults.  

Here are some of the books he has read and enjoyed:

The Harry Potter series (which he is currently rereading)
The Percy Jackson series
The Red Pyramid
The Lost Hero  
Old Yeller
Where the Red Fern Grows
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
A Wrinkle in Time (I'm adding this and the sequels to the Kindle)

He also LOVES flipping through encyclopedias and reading about animals.  Right now he's into whales, but he's been into sharks and dinosaurs in the past.  I'm sure these things will come back into style for him soon.

I'm going to add as many of these as possible to his Kindle (bummer about the HP series not being in e-book format), but would love to hear of other books you think he would enjoy.


----------



## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Before Christmas, I was looking for suggestions for my nephew, who is right around the same age. Hopefully it might help:

Suggestions for a Precocious 10 Year Old Boy.


----------



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

It looks like he enjoys some science fiction and fantasy which was my thing at his age, so let me see what I can stir up:

Orson Scott Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker are a series set in an alternate colonial America where magic works

Piers Anthony is perfect for precocious boys. His Xanth series are traditional fantasy chock full of puns; Also, his Cluster series are science fiction and were much loved by me back in the day. Also, his Bio of a Space Tyrant series is available and more Sci Fi goodness ...

If you think he'd get into the whole barbarian thing, John Norman's Gor series are great. don't pay attention to the covers - they're misleading; it is full of misogynistic barbarians with scantily clad women in two-piece furs, but they're not sexual or anything like that - I read them at his age and its really more sword fighting than anything ....


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Terry Pratchett's _The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_, which though it sounds like a younger child's picture book, is really targeted more toward tweens/teens. If he likes it, he'll soon want to move onto the rest of the "Discworld" books, which while not young adult (except for the Tiffany Aching sub-series) is tame as far as violence, sex, or language go; but the relationships and themes get more adult.


----------



## PinkKindle (Sep 10, 2009)

My son just turned 11 and LOVES his Kindle. He seems to have similar tastes and also reads and comprehends above grade level -- but I also worry about adult content.

Some additional things he's really liked are (I'll link first books in series):

 The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan -- the 10th, and I believe final, book in this series will be released tomorrow.

 The Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage -- I think there are 5 of these out and I have the 6th on preorder. I know I got the first one free, but it probably isn't still free.

 The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart.

 The Dragon Keepers Chronicles by Donita K. Paul (and she had a few standalone books as well).

The Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

My son also really did well with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit. They also lasted longer for him than kids/young adult books (which was nice, because he flies through books and it's hard to keep up with him!), and though they were more adult in reading level, they didn't have any objectionable content.

Another author he really likes is Wayne Thomas Batson, who has several series. However, these would be considered Christian fiction, and I didn't know if that was something you were interested in. Anoher good author in that category is Bryan Davis.


----------



## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

A classic that might be a little young for him is "The Big Wave" by Pearl Buck.  But with the earthquake and tsunami, he might really relate to it as well.


----------



## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

If it is on Kindle:  All Creatures Great and Small (Jame Herriot).

ShadowMagic by John Lenahan -- sequel is out in about a month.  Great teen fantasy.  

Look into Jim C. Hines.  He has an anthology out (some of which I've read) and his work is generally quite appropriate for YA and adults.  I enjoyed his Goblin series (not so much the Princess one.)

Vivian Vande Velde has some great fantasy out and some is definitely on Kindle.  Some of her stuff is horror and while I've read some of it, I do avoid it because I don't like it. That may not be a problem for a boy...

Good luck!  Great gift!

Maria


----------



## Kim Richardson (Mar 20, 2011)

there is also:

Artemis Fowl (series)
The Bartimaeus Trilogy

Kim


----------



## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

I know I've suggested his book before, but my son (who is also 10) really enjoyed it:Scourge by David H. Burton

I'm pretty bummed the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series isn't available in ebook format either.  My son loves that series.

Your son might also like, The 39 Clues Book 11: Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman and Jude Watson (Jul 1, 2011) - Kindle eBook. My son has that series also and loves the puzzles and clues, trying to solve the mysteries at the end.

Hope these suggestions help!


----------



## Sarah Woodbury (Jan 30, 2011)

Ender's Game
Artemis Fowl
Lloyd Alexander books (don't know if they're on Kindle)
My Sparkling Misfortune
Anything by Diana Wynne Jones


----------



## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

When my son was ten, he loved THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster--really fun and whimsical and clever.

http://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394820371

Also, both of my sons loved the HANK THE COWDOG series; this has hilarious narration, almost as if Mark Twain or Will Rogers were a dog and telling a story.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_22?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=hank+the+cowdog+series&sprefix=hank+the+cowdog+series

Good to know that your 10-year-old loves reading!

Julia


----------



## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

While Xanth books are goofy and full of puns, let's not forget they have PG-13 aspects, certainly: naked girls, sexual curiosity, etc.  Be careful.  I love them, but there is a book called "The color of her panties!"

Artemus Fowl are excellent, as are the Septimus Heap.  I might recommend the Bartimaeus Trilogy, except that the main character dies in the end (sorry for the spoiler, but I have STRONG objections to that book being labeled as juvenile fiction and NOT YA).

The Children of the Lamp Series PB Kerr have a ton of kids' humor, but nothing objectionable.
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket -let's not forget these, they are PERFECT for a boy!
The Charlie Bone Series by Jenny Nimmo
Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull (he also has a great book out called The Candy Shop War)
The Christomanci Quartet by Diana Wynn Jones -almost all of these are about a young boy, so boys can identify!  Excellent fantasy books.
Roald Dahl is an old favorite for us, not including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there are several great books by him.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle books by Beverly Cleary  
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

I read on the other forum about Ender's Game... I'm going to say hold off on that one until your kid is in Junior High.  There are some very adult themes of killing, death and genocide in that series that are better left till your son is older.

This is all based on my own comfort level with what kids watch and view these days, I understand.  But there are a lot of great series out there that don't cross any lines, have a good moral, and are lots of fun to read.  I read them myself, because as a nanny, I was constantly trying to find age appropriate stuff for the boys I watched.


----------



## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

kCopeseeley said:


> While Xanth books are goofy and full of puns, let's not forget they have PG-13 aspects, certainly: naked girls, sexual curiosity, etc. Be careful. I love them, but there is a book called "The color of her panties!"


Yes, but Xanth has the  The Adult Conspiracy, meaning there's goofy innuendo but nothing hardcore.


----------



## PinkKindle (Sep 10, 2009)

kCopeseeley said:


> Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket -let's not forget these, they are PERFECT for a boy!


I was going to mention these, because my son is actually reading them now. I had gotten 10 of the 13 free on Kindle last Easter, and I finally convinced him to try reading them and bought the first one (which is one of the ones that wasn't free -- the 1st and two somewhere in the middle). However, please be aware that these are very, very short. I wasn't aware of this when I bought the first one or I don't think I would have paid the $6.99 for it -- I think it took my son like an hour to read it at most, probably less.  That's not a book -- that's a short story! So, although he's enjoying them (he fights every recommendation I give him but then ends up liking them all -- but that's a whole 'nother story!  ), I find it hard to recommend them for that reason. I probably will buy him the other 2 missing books and consider what I paid for those three to be paying for the whole series (since I got the rest free), but I wouldn't personally pay for the whole series at the current price.

I've been really wanting him to read the Fablehaven books. Brandon Mull also has a new standalone book (actually I think it is the first of a new series?) out that's gotten excellent reviews -- A World Without Heroes. This is my next battle!  I've seen the books in paperback at the store though -- they're nice sizeable books -- no 1-hour short stories here!


----------



## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth, Julia! I read it to my boys a long time ago and they enjoyed it too.

Also agree with the Charlie Bone series and Brandon Mull's The Candy Shop War (my boys loved this book!)

I'd been wondering about the Septimus Heap books...looks like I'll have to check them out!


----------



## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

MichelleR said:


> Yes, but Xanth has the  The Adult Conspiracy, meaning there's goofy innuendo but nothing hardcore.


No, nothing hardcore, certainly, but again, this is a 10 year old. This is personal, but again, I would hold off until Jr. High. But then again, I guess there is a lot of sexual curiosity at this age, so it might be a good time to have your kid asking you questions. I would at LEAST read one, before recommending it to my child. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to kid books, though. I would like to point out that the Xanth books are in the ADULT section of the library, not children's or YA.


----------



## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

PinkKindle said:


> I've been really wanting him to read the Fablehaven books.


The Lemony Snicket books ARE short. So are the Edge Chronicles, just a heads up. 
I can not recommend the Fablehaven books enough. I just finished the last book in the series and I am soooo impressed with Brandon Mull. He is everything age appropriate and tells the story from both boy and girl perspectives, so either gender will get a kick out of these books! They are going in my personal library for my son to read when he is old enough to get past Bob the Builder.


----------



## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

Oh look, another post from me.    It just occurred to me, but you said your son liked books with animals...
have you tried Brian Jaques' Redwall series?  They have main characters who are animals.  They are pretty great fantasy.  

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black are great because they have fairies and such catalogued like animals.  Great storylines, too.

All this talk of kids books makes me think I need to make a listmania on Amazon so I can just refer to my favorites.


----------



## laa0325 (Feb 21, 2010)

My son just turned 10 in February, and I agree that the time simply flew.  He loves his Kindle, and I hope yours does too. 

If your son likes sports at all, mine loved The Baseball Card Adventures.  I don't know how to make a link to Amazon, but some of the titles are Babe and Me, Jackie and Me, Roberto and Me.  They're about a boy in modern times who can travel back to the past to visit a player by holding his baseball card.


----------



## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

laa0325 said:


> If your son likes sports at all, mine loved The Baseball Card Adventures. I don't know how to make a link to Amazon, but some of the titles are Babe and Me, Jackie and Me, Roberto and Me. They're about a boy in modern times who can travel back to the past to visit a player by holding his baseball card.


If your son likes baseball, Michael Chabon has a GREAT book out called Summerland. I loved, loved, loved this book and I'm not even a baseball fan! Also, if anyone can get this as an audio book, it's read by the author who has a really interesting reading voice. 

It's obvious I have an addiction to children's fiction. hahahaha


----------



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

kCopeseeley said:


> No, nothing hardcore, certainly, but again, this is a 10 year old. This is personal, but again, I would hold off until Jr. High. But then again, I guess there is a lot of sexual curiosity at this age, so it might be a good time to have your kid asking you questions. I would at LEAST read one, before recommending it to my child. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to kid books, though. I would like to point out that the Xanth books are in the ADULT section of the library, not children's or YA.


I started reading them when I was 10 or 11 - but then it was a different time and my parents didn't worry about about such things ....

One of the other series I fell in love with as a boy about his age were Katherine Kurtz' Deryni novels. It's medieval fantasy complete with a young king, magic, wars, political and religious intrigue and all that goodness. there are 4 trilogies and a series of stand alone books - not all of which are on kindle yet. The later series may be too mature for a boy, but the first series is full of all the fantasy goodness young boys love .... I loved them at 10 and I love them at 45 ....


----------



## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I whole heartedly recommend the Milrose Munce books by Douglas Anthony Cooper.  Fantastic books


----------



## HDJensen (Apr 20, 2011)

I recommend the Skulduggery Pleasant books by Derek Landy. I write YA fantasy so I read a lot of books that would be appropriate for a 10 year old. This series is a great one that your son would probably love.


----------



## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

Cynthia, glad to year your boys also enjoyed THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH!!  There's just nothing quite like it--so original and clever.

Having said that, though, if you end up liking it, SW, you might also like some of the children's books by JAMES THURBER.  I remember he had a neat one called THIRTEEN CLOCKS that my kids enjoyed.

Such a fun topic!  A real trip down memory lane for us moms.  My little ones are now 16 and 12 and they choose their own reading material.  

Julia


----------



## Laura Ruby (Feb 22, 2011)

My all-time favorite book for kids this age is HOLES. I think this book is nearly perfect (except I don't think they have a Kindle version yet).



If he likes Rick Riordan, he might like Anne Ursu's Cronus Chronicles trilogy, also based on Greek myth. It's action-packed but also totally hilarious, and alternates between a girl and a boy. The first is THE SHADOW THIEVES:

url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GCFXY0/?tag=kbpst-20]







[/url]

He might enjoy MASTERPIECE by Elise Broach.



From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 4-8-Broach combines discussion about the art of Albrecht Dürer with a powerful tale of friendship in a novel that is entertaining and full of adventure. Marvin is a beetle, and he and his family live in the Manhattan kitchen that belongs to the Pompaday family. When James receives a pen-and-ink drawing set for his 11th birthday, Marvin discovers that he is a bug with artistic talent. Although he can't speak to James, they soon bond in a true interspecies friendship, and their escapades begin. Because of Marvin's wonderful drawing, presumed to be James's work, the boy is recruited to create a fake Dürer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to help trap an art thief. Marvin produces the forgery, but he soon realizes that the original artwork is in danger. Only by placing his life on the line and relying on James's help can he save the masterpiece. Broach's projection of beetle life, complete with field trips to the family's solarium and complex uses of human discards for furniture and meals, is in the best tradition of Mary Norton's The Borrowers (Harcourt, 1953) and similar classic looks at miniature life. Murphy's illustrations add perspective and humor, supporting the detailed narrative. A masterpiece of storytelling.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

Roland Smith has a lot of fun adventure books that boys seem to really like, books about rock climbing or searching for "cryptids" like Sasquatch, etc.


----------



## PinkKindle (Sep 10, 2009)

I can't believe I forgot to mention this series -- this series was really the first books that my son read that weren't school books (basically the first thing he read voluntarily), and they are really the reason he became a reader!

 The Ven Polypheme series by Elizabeth Haydon. Important note -- only the Ven Polypheme series by this author is for children/young adult (_The Floating Island_, _The Thief Queen's Daughter_, _The Dragon's Lair_) -- her other books take place in the same world, but they are definitely an adult series. I have read these myself, and they are really, really good, and my son loved them!


----------



## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Since he loves to read about animals, what about this series?


----------



## SebastianDark (Apr 3, 2011)

I'd suggest any of the Redwall books.  They're great because they're a series, and if he likes them he can just keep going and going and going.


----------



## SW (Dec 27, 2010)

You all are amazing!  Thank you for the suggestions!



I will look into all of these suggestions and buy some of it based on your recommendations!  Thank you!


----------

