Even More Books for Boys

 

 The Roar by Emma Clayton

Twelve-year old twins, Mika and Ellie, live in a future behind a wall – safe from the plague animals beyond.   Or so they’ve been told.   But when one of them disappears, and the other takes part in a sinister virtual reality game, they begin to discover their concrete world is built on lies.   Determined to find each other again, they go in search of the truth. And as a strange sound in their heads grows to a roar, they find out that children and the planet have never mattered more.

 

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him – after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.

You might also like to check out Coraline, (the book and the film) and I can thoroughly recommend the film Stardust.

 

The Time of the Reaper by Andrew Butcher

They call it the Sickness. Nobody knows what causes it or where it comes from. Nobody knows why it only seems to affect the adult population but everyone knows that if you catch it and you’re over 18, you die. All around the world, teenagers like Travis, Richie, Mel, Jessica and Simon, find themselves thrown together and forced to cooperate. However, a world without rules is not the utopia many survivors thought it would be. Many find it difficult to adjust; factions form quickly; some want to use force (and weapons) to get what they want; others want to try to rebuild the world their parents left behind. Then, just as they begin to adjust to their new world something even more terrible happens. This is the first book in a trilogy. The story continues in Slave Harvest and The Tomorrow Seed.

 

 

The Magic Scales by Sam Wilding

 James’s father is missing. With no clue why his dad would run out on him and his mum, he hides out by an ancient stone circle to think. There, James discovers a dead stoat, crushed in an impossibly huge footprint. The mystery of what smashed the little animal leads James into finding Mendel, a wizard from another world called Denthan. Mendel has his own problems though. He’s trapped in the body of a goldfish and Denthan’s sun is about to die and destroy the planet. James is soon drawn into Mendel’s plight and hopes against hope that the goldfish can somehow help him find his dad.

 

 

The Joshua Files by M.G. Harris

When his archaeologist father goes missing after an air crash in Mexico, UFO-obsessed Josh suspects alien abduction. But after he discovers his dad was murdered, Josh is caught up in a race to find the legendary Ix Codex – a lost book of the ancient Maya containing a prophecy about the end of the world.

The adventure continues in Ice Shock and Zero Moment is due out early in 2010.

         

Zac’s Destiny by Lynne North

Zac is a fifteen year old stable boy whose life is turned upside down when he finds himself in the midst of demons, magic and a perilous quest. The land around Albemerle castle is under attack, and the only hope of survival for Zac and the people he loves is to find the great wizard, Aldric.

Men have already died trying.

 

 

Shadowmagic by John Lenahan 

A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century. Only a lot shorter. And funnier. And completely different. Conor thought he was an average teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand, spoke to him in ancient languages and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him. After that, things get pretty weird.

 

 

 

The Knife of Never letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never letting Go and The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness are two of my favourite books of 2009. This is science-fiction at its best. They are thoughtful and thought-provoking and hard-hitting and, like me, you’ll be anxious for the third and final book.

 

 

 

Spider by Linda Strachan

Spider is on his last warning. If he’s caught joyriding again he’ll be sent down, no questions asked. He’s trying to stick to the straight and narrow but his girlfriend Deanna and mate Andy reckon he should risk one last run.

 This has been by far the most popular book for boys on my classroom shelf this year.

 

 

 

The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world — where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets. Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. Arthur is safe — but his world is not.

 

 

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Science fiction at its zaniest.

For fans of the original Douglas Adams books, Eoin Colfer has just completed the sixth book in the series called And Another Thing.

 

 

 

Terry Pratchett

 

Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors. He is probably best known for his Discworld books. Try The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents or A Hat Full of Sky. Or you might like to follow the adventures of Johnny Maxwell in Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny and the Bomb and Johnny and the Dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s over to you.

Recommend your favourite book by writing in the comment box below.