As Melissa is far from the first person to make this request of me, I thought I'd do a qick run down of some of my favorite books to share with middle-school boys. I've included a rough idea of the year in middle-school I'd recommend the book for. You'll notice, though, that I've left off some standard titles like Louis Sachar's Holes and Anthony Horowitz's Stormbreaker in favor of titles that might have flown a little further under the radar.
1. No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman: Wallace Wallace (yes, that's his real name) refuses to tell a lie, not even a little one. The consequences of this truthfullness policy come back to bite him, but Wallace manages to survive in this laugh-out-loud funny book. (6th - 8th)
2. House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer: Matt lives in the near future in a country between Mexico and Texas. The ruler of the country is a drug lord and Matt is his clone. This title gathered so many awards that the seals barely fit on the cover, but that didn't stop my former students from checking it out so often that I didn't need to shelve it. (late 7th - 8th)
3. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancy: I've already raved about this one in a post here, but let me take the time to once again say how much I love Alfred and his awkwardness. If James Bond was an out-of-fit, oversized teenage boy looking for the lost sword Excalibur, he'd be Alfred Kropp. (late 6th-8th)
4. Boots and the Seven Leaguers by Jane Yolen: All Gog wants is to see his favorite rock band play, but when his little brother is kidnapped, this teenage troll must become a reluctant hero on a quest. Funny and fun. (6th-7th)
5. The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence: This historical thriller brims with action as a teenage boy struggles to survive after his ship wrecks on the shores of a murderous village. (6th-8th)
6. Traitor by Andy McNab: A spy thriller co-written by a former SAS agent! Full-on action and a nice traditional feel combine perfectly with a modern day cast of characters. (7th-8th)
7. Accleration by Graham McNamee: This story about a 17-year-old boy who finds a serial killer's diary while working in a transit office's Lost-and-Found department is an engaging read and will capture readers until the last page. (8th)
8. The Last Apprentice, book one: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney: Another title I've raved about, but also another worth mentioning again. Good horror is so hard to find, but Delaney offers it up in spades in the first story about Tom, young apprentice Spook. (6th-8th)
9. Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper: Draper's books are consistantly lost in every library I've worked at--a sure sign to librarians of their popularity. This is the first book in her Hazelwood High Trilogy, a hard-hitting story about a drunk-driving accident and the effect it has on a school. (8th)
10. Heat by Mike Lupica: Another strong circulator for my library system, this sports story is about a pitching phenom on the run from social services. (6th)
11. The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris: Monty Python meets King Arthur is how a teacher once described this book, first in a long series, to me and she wasn't far off. (6th-8th)
12. Thirsty by M.T. Anderson: Chris is full of the usual teen angst: his parents are driving him crazy, his friends are idiots, the girl he likes doesn't even know he's alive...and he's turning into a vampire. Teen angst, with a kick. (8th)
13. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix: The first book in the Shadow Children series about a world where third children are banned and those that do exist must hide...or fight for their lives. (6th-7th)
14. Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin: Cameron's father is a serial killer. When he is killed, Cameron seizes the opportunity to create a family for himself by using the files his father kept on the boys he killed to pretend to be the son of the Lacey family. Dramatic and gripping, but also a fast read. (7th-8th)Now, I'm sure there are great titles I've missed or skipped or forgotten or just plain haven't read, so please write me and tell me what they are. What books do your middle school aged students, patrons, sons, cousins, etc. love to read?
