Great Books for 10 Year Old Boys

Many more exceptional books of interest to 4th and 5th grade boys now exist than ever before.

Parents of 10-year-old boys faced with nightly required reading logs are accustomed to hearing "Mom, Dad, there's nothing to read. What am I going to read?"

When asked what type of books they most like to read, the majority of 4th and 5th grade boys prefer non-fiction. Space, science, 100 grossest things that annoy your sister, almanacs, WWII . . . the list of non-fiction is as varied and long as the list of favorite fiction is narrow and incredibly short.

For those young men at a solid 5th grade reading level, here are some recommended books for those nightly reading logs--already read and approved by real-life boys.

The Hunger Games Series
by Suzanne Collins

This is a good introduction to dystopian, post-apocalyptic literature. While the movie is rated PG-13, the original book series is appropriate for grades 5.3 and up, according to Scholastic Books, which made the series available to students long before Jennifer Lawrence was casted in the film.

Taking place in what was once North America, the nation of Panem is ruled by the evil Capital, which keeps its districts/states in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 to 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. When 16-year-old Katniss takes her sister's place in the games, she considers it a death sentence. Survival for her, though, is second nature. Choices must be made that conflict with humanity.

Pendragon Series
by D.J. MacHale
With 10 books in the Pendragon series, a prequel book, and other ancillary reading, the popular Pendragon series can fill reading logs for almost an entire school year! The series begins with everyday 14-year-old Bobby Pendragon, who is suddenly handed a mission by his Uncle: to protect space and time from a demon determined to end the human race. Equally surprised to learn that he is a member of an exclusive group of mysterious people called Travelers, Bobby continues to learn more about this epic battle over space and time as the series unfolds.

The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
The first book in the 5-book Percy Jackson and the Olympians series introduces Percy as a 12-year-old who discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and an Olympic god. Sent to a summer camp for demigods, he and his friends set out to prevent war between the gods.

The Cryptid Series
by Roland Smith
Let's let a boy from Amazon.com give his review of this book:

"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. IT'S FULL OF MYSTERY AND ACTION. IT'S FUNNY! THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE GRACE AND MARTY WHO ARE TWINS AND NEAR THE END OF THE BOOK THERE IS A BIG SURPRISE!"

Our fiction-averse son equally loved this series. Despite his ADD, he read through them quickly and refused to let me sell them to a used book store when he out grew them.

Among the Hidden (The Shadow Children Series)
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
This 7-book series is popular with boys, girls, and school curriculums. Haddix's series explores the world of the hidden--the third-born children who exist illegally in a world that only allows two children per family, with thirds being killed upon discovery. A great introduction to fiction as political commentary and dystopian societies.

The Harry Potter Books
by J.K. Rowling
This set of 7 books has captivated a generation of readers, boys and girls alike. For anyone not sure on the premise, the series follows the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter as he, his Hogwarts School friends and other members of the wizarding world prepare to battle the evil Lord Valdemort. A true good-versus-evil, boy-becomes-man adventure. Great gifts as a set or one book at a time.

The Cryptid Series
by Roland Smith
Let's let a boy from Amazon.com give his review of this book:

"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. IT'S FULL OF MYSTERY AND ACTION. IT'S FUNNY! THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE GRACE AND MARTY WHO ARE TWINS AND NEAR THE END OF THE BOOK THERE IS A BIG SURPRISE!"

Our fiction-averse son loved this series equally. Definitely worth a try.

Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor
By Harry Mazar
The 14-year-old son of an officer on the USS Arizona witnesses Pearl Harbor. Mistaken as an enlisted man, he is ordered into action to help with rescues during the chaos following the attacks. The first book of a World War II series that will be loved by those interested in history and/or WWII.

My Brother Sam Is Dead
By James Lincoln Collier, Christopher Collier
A classic tale of a family torn apart by war--the American Revolutionary War. With the colonies divided between Tories and Yankees, young Tim watches as his own family is torn apart. One day he will have to side with his father, a Tory, or his admired older brother Sam, a Yankee.

A Long Way from Chicago
by Richard Peck
Highly respected novelist Richard Peck brings the Great Depression to life with chapters that resemble short stories of Joey and his sister Mary Alice's nine years of summer visits with a larger-than-life grandma in rural Illinois. Features memorable and lovable characters, some laugh-out-loud moments, and some touching life lessons.

Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
Told from the viewpoint of preteen Moose Flannagan, this Depression-era tale chronicles his life as the child of a prison guard on Alcatraz, where Capone was incarcerated. At the time of the story, prison guard families lived on Alcatraz, with the children taking the ferry to school in San Francisco. Moose's father lands a coveted job on Alcatraz so that Moose's austistic sister can attend a special school. Unfortunately for Moose and his family, his sister, whose condition is kept secret, is denied admittance to the school, and life on Alcatraz begins to unravel for the Flannagan family. This serious topic is handled with such compassion and--at appropriate moments--humor that Choldenko's story wins the hearts of history-enthused boys. This is a great introduction to serious topics and to the issues at the heart of the depression.