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Daily Circuit Blog
Kerri Miller

14 books for teenage boys

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No sooner had I tweeted this:

Excellent Feminist reads for teens. Best kind of summer reading. http://t.co/JAYC9dkmYE

— Kerri Miller (@KerriMPR) July 9, 2014

Than Dr. Rebecca Shlafer responded to say I was skipping over some devoted readers.

@KerriMPR Best on the list for teen boys?

— Rebecca (@DrShlafer) July 9, 2014

So—I tasked our summer intern, Zoe, with calling a handful of bookstores in our own backyard to see what boys are reading. And then I made the “ask” on Twitter.

Here's a list that will entice your boys (10 years and up) to put down the XBox and pick up a book:

Renee at Common Good Books says she's selling a lot of copies of James Dashner's “Maze Runner” and John Grisham's Theodore Boone series. And she notes that the “Wildwood Chronicles” by Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, is coming on strong.

Julie at Red Balloon says “Going Bovine” by Libba Bray is still a favorite. "Bovine" gets mentioned every time I do a show about teen reading. And Patrick Ness's “The Knife of Never Letting Go.” Booklist pronounced the “cliffhanger ending” as “as effective as a shot to the gut.”

James at Sixth Chamber Used Books is going classic and he's come up with some books that teens have been reading for years. “Dune” by Frank Herbert is considered one of the most influential science fiction novels ever. Herbert's son and a co-author have kept the series going. And don't miss Robert Heinlein's terrific novel, “Stranger in a Strange Land.”

More titles from Twitter:

FEED my M.T. Anderson

— Christopher ZF (@christopherzf) July 9, 2014

Hey @KerriMPR - I vote for Gary Paulsen's Hatchet!

— Claire (@sparklingorange) July 9, 2014

Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell) is honest & treats teens w/ respect. Not exclusive to boys or girls. Loved it at 28. So great.

— Michael Peterson (@mpBoisvert) July 9, 2014

Plus a few more from Twitter:

  • “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George

  • “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie

  • “How to Stay Alive in the Woods” by Bradford Angier

  • "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson.

What would you recommend?