Five Books for “Boys who don’t read”
October 24, 2007
The Seattle library seems to think that boys fall behind girls in reading comprehension and reading for enjoyment; that boys tend to read more magazines and how-to manuals. So here’s five books that they suggest for young men.
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the “poor-ass” Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation. Alexie’s humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn’t pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt. A few of the plotlines fade to gray by the end, but this ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in equal measure. Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here.
- Grooves: A Kind of Mystery
Gr. 4-7. Brockmeier constructs a frothy, fanciful, and entertaining blend of science fiction and mystery, in which nerdy seventh-grader Dwayne Ruggles discovers that the ridges in his blue jeans (and in a certain brand of potato chips), if scratched with a needle, emit a message: a voice pleading for help. It turns out that wealthy entrepreneur Howard Thigpen, who pretty much owns the town and all its businesses, is torturing factory workers, who have embedded these messages in the products in hopes that, like a message in a bottle, someone will find them, decode them and help. Sure it’s a silly premise, but it also makes for a compulsively readable story with charmingly eccentric characters. Brockmeier delights in wordplay, and clever names abound (the Chinese restaurant is called Dim Sum and Then Some). Dwayne and his friends Kevin and Emily form an unlikely but effective crime-fighting trio, who may bring to mind Ron, Hermione, and Harry in the Harry Potter series.
- Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
The summer he turns 13, Jeremy receives a mysterious box with the engraved words “the meaning of life: for Jeremy Fink on his thirteenth birthday.” The box was left by his father, who has been dead for five years. It has four locks, but Jeremy finds no keys to open them. As Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, embark on a quest to find the keys, they travel across Manhattan from flea markets to fancy office buildings and museums, searching, as it turns out, not only for keys but also insights into science, religion, art, friendship, and family. The overlong plot lurches from one contrivance to another, and the end is a total setup, but readers will be hooked by the kids’ fast, funny urban adventure, as well as by the quest and the “existential crisis.” The many open-ended questions make this fun for group discussion: “Why are we here? Is that even the correct question?”
- Runaways Volume 1: Pride And Joy Digest
All young people believe their parents are evil … but what if they really are? Meet Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico - whose lives are about to take an unexpected turn. When these six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.
- The Action Hero’s Handbook: How to Catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills
Everyone wants to be an action hero–as smooth as James Bond, as clever as Captain Kirk, as tough as Charlie’s Angels. And now you can: The Action Hero’s Handbook is the ultimate guide to an action-packed lifestyle, with genuine step-by-step instructions on interrogating a suspect, catching a great white shark, performing the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, stopping a wedding, navigating a ventilation shaft, and much more. All information is reality-based and comes from a host of experts (including FBI agents, marine biologists, karate champions, wedding planners, and air duct cleaners). With more than 35 illustrations throughout, this dynamic little handbook will teach us all how to keep up with the Indiana Joneses.
It’s a far cry from the Hardy Boys, but as far as I’m concerned, anything that gets kids reading is good. What do you or your kids like?
- Posted in : Advice
- Author :russ
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