| Boys don't read - hundreds of reports and newspaper | | | | 5. Operation Red Jericho, Joshua Mowill. |
| articles have made that clear. | | | | This book is written as a spy-journal, with lots of |
| The mantra of the literary community is to just get | | | | detailed maps and secret clues. The story is |
| boys to read anything, even the back of a cereal box. | | | | somewhat complex, which might make it more suitable |
| This message ignores the fact that literacy is not the | | | | to readers 10 and up; it's lots of fun, however, and |
| real problem. Boys can read - they just choose not to. | | | | there's never a dull moment. It's also a very beautiful |
| The dumbing-down of literature will not solve the | | | | book. You might need to pay a bit more, but your boy |
| problem of boys not reading. We need to inculcate a | | | | will like the look-and-feel. |
| love or reading. Let's not lower the bar and endorse | | | | 6. Touchdown Pass, Clair Bee. |
| mediocrity. Let's raise it. Are you happy when your kid | | | | Touchdown Pass introduces readers to one of the |
| is reading a comic book? Or would you prefer he bury | | | | great characters in American fiction - Chip Hilton. Clair |
| his nose in Tom Sawyer? | | | | Bee wrote the Chip Hilton series in the fifties and early |
| Below is a list of great books every boy should read | | | | sixties. This is the first book. Under no circumstances |
| before they're twelve, books that will capture their | | | | buy the new edition - stick with the original. You won't |
| imagination and motivate them to read more. It's a mix | | | | find the original in book stores. Go to or the used book |
| of old and new, and guaranteed to get a big thumbs | | | | section of or Barnes & Noble, and it's easy to find (and |
| up. | | | | cheap). A bit Pollyanna in tone, and perhaps dated, |
| 1. Chasing Vermeer | | | | Clair Bee practically invented the genre of the sports |
| A terrific action and mystery story surrounding the | | | | series. |
| disappearance of a priceless work of art. Two kids | | | | 7. Hockey Stories, Leslie McFarlane |
| find themselves at the centre of an international art | | | | Leslie McFarlane was the best-selling author of many |
| scandal. Boys will be drawn to the story's dramatic | | | | of the Hardy Boys books. He wrote these stories in |
| conclusion, as the heroes solve a crime that left the | | | | the 1930s, and they have just been re-released. The |
| FBI baffled. | | | | tone and terminology are slightly dated, but the themes |
| 2. Tiger, Jeff Stone. | | | | are timeless . All the short stories have a quirky, |
| Five young monks in China, trained by a kung-fu | | | | humorous side that makes them fun and worthy of a |
| master, are forced to flee the safety of the temple to | | | | read. This one is suitable for younger boys, even |
| find some secret scrolls. Each monk has mastered a | | | | strong-reading eight-year olds. |
| different form of fighting, all of which comes in handy | | | | 8. Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| as they battle their way closer and closer to their goal. | | | | Who hasn't heard of this one? Yet, it's not easy to find |
| Tiger is full of action, but also speaks to such issues as | | | | in bookstores. This is the first of a series. The rest of |
| self-reliance, friendship, loyalty, and truthfulness. The | | | | the Tarzan books are definitely B-list material. This one |
| author does a fine job of incorporating Chinese culture, | | | | is not. It's a magnificent book - compelling and exciting. |
| an element that many boys will be attracted to. | | | | The romance elements are vague enough to be |
| 3. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. | | | | appropriate for any kid. The length suggests a reader |
| I have included these two masterful tales from Mark | | | | who is 10+. |
| Twain as a single entry, but each deserves its own | | | | 9. Holes |
| spot. Tom Sawyer is the lighter of the two , although | | | | A young boy, wrongly accused of stealing, is sent to a |
| the book's ending involves an accused murderer | | | | youth detention centre. He is forced to dig holes in the |
| whom Tom confronts in a cave. Carefree adventures | | | | ground, along with his fellow inmates, supposedly to |
| are combined with humour and drama to make it a | | | | build character. Instead, the evil warden is using the kids |
| perfect read for any boy. You might want to wait until | | | | to find a priceless treasure. This is a story about |
| your son is 10 or 11 before you introduce Huck Finn. | | | | friendship and loyalty, and the character development |
| Huck drifts down the Mississippi with Jim, a run-away | | | | is noteworthy. It is also a major motion picture (not as |
| slave. Again, action, adventure, and humour are | | | | good as the book!) |
| combined, this time against the backdrop of American | | | | 10. Off the Crossbar, David Skuy |
| slavery. Tom Sawyer makes a guest appearance. | | | | Perhaps this is a biased entry, since it is my own. The |
| 4. The Time Machine, H.G. Wells. | | | | main character is Charlie Joyce, a boy who arrives in a |
| Younger readers will miss the subtleties of this classic | | | | new town after the tragic death of his father. A terrific |
| allegory of time travel and the decay of English | | | | hockey player, he tries out for the school team. This |
| society. They will certainly love reading about the | | | | marks the beginning of his troubles, as some of the |
| Morlocks, the subterranean descendants of the | | | | kids don't want the 'new kid' to play. It's full of |
| working class, and the Eloi, the simple-minded | | | | fast-paced action, climaxing in a hockey tournament. |
| representatives of the bourgeoisie. Wells was a | | | | Charlie battles - on and off the ice - first for a spot on |
| master storyteller, and his clear, easy style make this | | | | the team, and then to keep everything together, as |
| book very accessible. Boys won't put this one down, | | | | infighting and rivalries threaten to destroy the team's |
| as they learn, along with the time traveler, the truth | | | | chances. A book for boys who love sports. |
| about London's strange inhabitants. | | | | |