I’m no expert on books for boys, so I turned to people who are to create this list: librarians. Boys can read these books on their own or as part of a parent/child book club. Questions? Contact me at info@motherdaughterbookclub(dot)com.

Books for 7 and 8 year old boys

• Charlotte’s Web—E. B. White, Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig become friends.
• The Number Devil—Hans Magnus Enzensberger, a beguiling number adventure.
• The Real Thief—William Steig
• The Secret School–Avi
• The Trumpet of the Swan—E.B. White, Louis the trumpeter swan learns how to thrive despite being born without a trumpet
• The Year of the Dog—Grace Lin

Books for 9 and 10 year old boys

• A Necessary End—Nathaniel Benchley, a realistic depiction of a young Navy recruit in World War II.
• Across Five Aprils—Irene Hunt, a moving account of the effect of the Civil War on one family.
• Alibi Junior High—Greg Logsted, an undercover CIA agent’s son goes to middle school.
• And Then There Were None—Agatha Christie
• The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger by Jenny Meyerhoff
• Bat 6—Virginia Euwer Wollf, a story of lingering feelings of guild, racism, and patriotism in two small Oregon towns after World War II.
• Boy – Roald Dahl, a laugh-out-loud funny and serious memoir of Roald Dahl’s childhood that reveals his inspiration for some of his most infamous characters.
• Cabin on Trouble Creek—Jean Van Leeuwen, a frontier survival tale of two brothers.
• Children of the Covered Wagon—Mary Jane Carr, a 1934 tale about the old Oregon Trail.
• Code Talker—Joseph Bruchac, based on a story of the Navajo Marines in World War II.
• Cosmic—Frank Cottrell Boyce, a boy discovers the true meaning of what it takes to be a dad.
• Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio—Marguerite Henry, based on a true story of a courageous horse and his rider in the Palio race of Siena, Italy.
• Holes—Louis Sachar, Stanley survives at a boy’s work camp in the desert while solving a family mystery.
• Julie of the Wolves—Jean Craighead George, a survival tale set in Alaska.
• Red Scarf Girl—Ji-Li Jiang, a touching and informative memoir of life in China during the Cultural Revolution.
• Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan—Eric A. Kimmel, a collection of Samurai tales.
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer—Mark Twain, the 1876 boyhood classic.
• The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn—Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler, the first book in a Samurai mystery series.
• The Graveyard Book—Neil Gaiman
• The Great Brain series—John D. Fitzgerald, a 1960’s series reminiscent of Tom Sawyer.
• The Great Turkey Walk—Kathleen Kerr, a humorous tale of the Old West.
• The Heart of a Chief—Joseph Bruchac, an 11-year-old American Indian boy learns what it takes to be a leader.
• The Sea of Trolls—Nancy Farmer, a fantasy involving Vikings, berserkers and trolls.
• The Tale of Despereaux—Kate DiCamillo, a story of mouse and human love and redemption.
• Walk Across the Sea—Susan Fletcher, historical fiction of Chinese immigrants in California and a lighthouse keeper’s daughter.
• Walk the Wild Road—Nigel Hinton, historical fiction about a Polish boy during the late 1800s who must leave home to help support his family.
• War Horse—Michael Morpurgo, a World War I tale as told by an English farm horse.
• When the Hermit Thrush Sings—Susan Butler, science fiction tale of escaping a repressive society.
• Up Periscope—Rob Whte, based on a true story of a Navy frogman in World War II.
• Young Mac of Fort Vancouver—Mary Jane Carr, A 1940 story of a 13-year-old at Fort Vancouver.

Books for 11 to 13 year old boys

• A Year Down Yonder—Richard Peck, forced to spend a year in the country with her Grandma, Mary Alice eventually becomes Grandma Dowdel’s partner in crime.
• Al Capone Does My Shirts—Gennifer Choldenko, Moose and his family live on Alcatraz Island in the 1930s with his father who is a guard.
• Bloomability—Sharon Creech, Dinnie learns to live on her own at a boarding school in Switzerland.
• Bodyguard series—Chris Bradford
• Bright Candles: A Novel of the Danish Resistance—Nathaniel Benchley, a well-researched and moving story of the Danish Resistance during World War II.
• Cold Sassy Tree—Olive Ann Burns, a coming-of-age tale set in a turn-of-the-century Georgia town.
• Coraline—Neil Gaiman, a creepy story of a girl who must find her parents in a parallel world.
• Ender’s Game—Orson Scott Card, an action-packed science fiction story of the future of the human race.
• Fair Weather—Richard Peck, the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
• Fishbone’s Song—Gary Paulsen, a boy grows up in the wilderness
• Flipped—Wendelin Van Drannen, see how the same story can be told from two perspectives.
• Framed—Frank Cottrell Boyce, a boy working in his family’s mechanic shop in a smal town in England learns how to save his family and the town through famous art.
• Going Solo—Roald Dahl, the second of Roald Dahl’s memoirs, this one about his stint as a fighter pilot in World War II.
• Hoot—Carl Hiassen, Roy and his friends save burrowing owls from dishonest developers in Florida.
• How to Survive Middle School—Donna Gephart, David makes videos, navigates changing friendships, and figures out how to survive around bigger kids.
• Joey Pigza Loses Control—Jack Gantos
• Kensuke’s Kingdom—Michael Morpurgo, a tale of shipwreck and survival.
• Kimchi and Calamari—Rose Kent, Joseph works to figure out how he feels about family and traditions as the adopted Korean with Italian American parents.
• Millions—Frank Cottrell Boyc, Damien and his brother decide what to do with money that drops from the sky.
• Private Peaceful—Michael Morpurgo, poignant story of two brothers in World War I.
• Remember Me to Harold Square—Paula Danziger, teens go on a scavenger hunt in New York City.
• Spud—Jon van de Ruit, a boy comes of age in a boarding school in South Africea
• Stargirl—Jerry Spinelli, what happens to a girl who dares to be different than everyone else in her school.
• Story Time—Edward Bloor, social satire and black comedy about the perils of overemphasis of standardized testing in education today.
• Tangerine—Edward Bloor, a story of how families, communities and the environment act under stress.
• Time Stops for No Mouse—Michael Hoeye
• The Boy and the Samurai—Erik Christian Haugaard, sequel to The Samurai’s Tale.
• The House of the Scorpion—Nancy Farmer, futuristic story of cloning humans.
• The Man in the Ceiling—Jules Feiffer, a funny and thought-provoking story of a boy who wants to be a cartoonist, by the illustrator of The Phantom Tollbooth.
• The Once and Future King—T. H. White, the classic tale of King Arthur’s boyhood.
• The Phantom Tollbooth—Norman Juster, a witty and highly imaginative fantasy.
• The Samurai’s Tale—Erik Christian Haugaard, a riveting story of Samurai and feuding warlords in ancient Japan.
• The White Deer—James Thurber, a charming James Thurber fairy tale.

Books for Boys aged 14 and up

• A Matter of Profit—Hilari Bell
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, can Arnold escape the despair he sees all around him on the Indian reservation while staying true to his family?
• The Adrian Mole Diaries—Sara Thompson
• All But My Life: A Memoir—Gerda Weissmann Klein
• Blank Confession—Pete Hautman
• The Book Thief —Markus Zusak, a story about Leisl,the German people, and Death during World War II.
• Boy Nobody—Allen Zadoff
• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock—Matthew Quick
• Genius—Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen
• Godless—Pete Hautman
• Half Lives—Sara Grant
• I Am the Messenger—Markus Zusak, mysterious messages start appearing for 19-year-old Ed Kennedy after he foils a bank robbery.
• The Kite Runner—Khaled Hosseini, a story about loyalty and courage set in Afghanistan and the U.S.
• Light Years—Tammar Stein, can 20-year-old Maya make a new life at college in the U.S. and forget the suicide bombing that killed her boyfriend in Israel?
• Neverwhere—Neil Gaiman
• Templar—written by Jordan Mechner, illustrated by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland
• This Boy’s Life—Tobias Wolff, a memoir of Wolff’s boyhood.
• The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• West With the Night—Beryl Markham, a memoir of the aviatrix’s childhood in Africa, life as an elephant bush pilot, and being the first pilot to cross the Atlantic east to west.
• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape—Peter Hedges, Gilbert would love to escape his small town, but he feels trapped by family circumstances.
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson—John Green and David Levithan, two Will Graysons living near Chicago dealing with issues of friendship and identity.