Welcome to Part 2 of 110 Great Books for Boys! These are books your 10’s to teens will enjoy.
If you want book recommendations for younger kids, then visit 110 Great Books for Boys: Part 1 (age 3-10) .
There are some really great books in this selection: can’t-put-them-down/get-into-trouble-for-reading-too-late kind of books!
I’ve read many of them myself, but not all of them, so do check the Amazon reviews for each book, or look them up on these review sites: Common Sense Media or Plugged In.
Click the titles to go directly to books for your child’s age:
Or go to 110 Great Books for Boys: Part 1 (age 3-10)
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Great Books for Boys Age 10+
It’s difficult to assign an age for some of the following books. My boys read a lot of them when they were younger than 10, and still enjoy many of them now they are teens. You will know your own child’s reading ability and maturity.
Click the images and links to go to Amazon for more detailed book descriptions and customer reviews, or to make a purchase. You can also buy these books from The Book Depository, who offer free worldwide delivery.
The incredibly gripping story of Sean and Annie’s desperate escape from the potato famine and plague in Ireland, across the sea, to America. The author, Michael Morpurgo, is a prolific and well-loved writer. Other favourites include: Kensuke’s Kingdom and The Butterfly Lion. Check out Michael Morpurgo’s other books here. (Some of Michael Morpurgo’s books deal with emotional and real-life subjects, like war and death. He writes in a sensitive and heart-warming way, but do check reviews.)
Wolves of The Beyond is an amazing series based on the story of Faolan, the wolf pup, deserted at birth and left to die. Set in the world of The Owls of Gahoole (by the same author). It is both thrilling and stirring.
Fast-paced science fiction, that will leave your child asking for the sequel. Other books in the series are The People of Sparks and The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold. Themes of hope, learning and the search for truth.
Fascinating book for boys into electronics and gadgets.
A hugely popular mystery series, which now has several follow-up series: Series 1 = The 39 Clues, Series 2 = The 39 Clues: Cahills vs Vespers, Series 3 = The 39 Clues: Unstoppable, Series 4 = The 39 Clues: Doublecross.
The amazing true story of a village boy in pre-war Vietnam. Wonderful storytelling, full of jungle dangers and exploits. The accompanying book is Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam.
The Thieves of Ostia is the first in The Roman Mysteries series, a series full of intrigue, danger and excitement. Your child will learn a lot about Roman life, and will find these books hard to put down.
Thrillers for kids! The Conspiracy 365 series has one book for each month of the year. Each book is action-packed and ends on a cliff-hanger that will make your kids want the next book straight away. My boys devoured them.
Amazing story-telling in a series of over 20 books full of animal feud and battle. Meet Matthias the mouse as his dream of becoming a great warrior is about to be put to the test by the evil rat, Cuny the Scourge, and his savage army of rats.
A favourite for hours of world record browsing. Just to warn you: boys love to head to all the freaky, gruesome pictures – the world’s most body piercings, the world’s longest tongue, and the world’s furthest popping-out eyes, to name a few!
Fantastic fantasy series in which Will longs to become a knight but because of his small size is instead apprenticed to a mysterious Ranger, and embarks on a life of learning, danger and peril. This story of good vs evil is wonderfully written – my husband loves the series too! View the whole Ranger’s Apprentice series here.
Another wonderful information-and-picture-filled book from National Geographic Kids. Also in the series: 5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything 2
A book that Dads may remember! Still popular today with boys who love adventure, animals and the wild outdoors. Lots of suspense and excitement. View all 14 of the Willard Price Adventure series.
Shipwrecked off the coast of Japan in 1611, Jack Fletcher’s only hope of survival is to learn from his sword-master rescuer, and become a samurai warrior. Authentic martial arts adventure. In preparing to write this series, the author, Chris Bradford, trained in samurai swordmanship and earned his black belt in Taijutsu. View all the Young Samurai books.
Classic story of a magic cupboard that turns a plastic toy into a real Red Indian, and the adventures that follow. There are several follow-up books to The Indian in The Cupboard
A favourite history series, told in comic style, with all the gruesome bits left in! View all The Horrible History books. The Horrible History DVDs are also hilarious.
An equally favourite science series. Filled with gross and fun facts. A great way for your kids to learn! View all The Horrible Science series.
Yet another Horrible series. Kids love them! A fun way to learn about famous historical characters. View all the Horribly Famous series.
The most popular book series in the library I worked in – so well read, pages are falling out! Cat warriors, epic adventure and battle. There are multiple series. Will keep your child reading for months! View all the Cat Warrior books here.
Classic fantasy adventure by the master storyteller, Tolkien.
The amazing story of George Müller, a rebellious young man who encountered God and became father to 100’s of orphans. The stories of God’s miraculous provision are incredible. This series Christian Heros: Then and Now contains over 30 awe-inspiring stories of courageous men and women of God.
Apparently Garfield has over 17 million fans on Facebook! This is fun light comic reading! View lots more Garfield books.
A classic telling the beautiful tale of a boy’s friendship with a brown Alaskan bear which is threatened by the local community. Walt Morey has written many heart-warming tales of animal friendship and loyalty. View them here.
Action-packed adventure series, written by ex-SAS officer Chris Ryan. In Alpha Force: Survival five kids are marooned on a desert island and face killer komodo dragons, pirate attacks and sharks. Will they survive? View all the Alpha Force books.
First in the Mistmantle Trilogy. The story of Urchin an orphan squirrel and the special role he plays in the dramatic battle to save the Island of Mistmantle. Animal battles, intrigue and heroism.
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Great Books for Boys Age 12+
It’s difficult to assign an age for some of the following books. My boys read a lot of them when they were younger than 12, and have read many of them as older teens too. You will know your own child’s reading ability and maturity.
Click the images and links to go to Amazon for more detailed book descriptions and customer reviews, or to make a purchase. You can also buy these books from The Book Depository, who offer free worldwide delivery.
Jake travels through time on a quest to find his missing parents. Death-defying action, chases and rescues, and lots of history thrown in. Fun and exciting. View the whole History Keepers series.
Adventure fantasy award-winning book. Gen, a thief who boasts he can steal anything, is given the near-impossible task of stealing a priceless magical jewel. View all the books in The Queen’s Thief series.
I think the book cover says it all! This is a great boy series! View the whole Alex Rider series.
Sherlock Holmes for younger readers. Thrilling mystery and suspense. View all the Young Sherlock books here.
Comic storybooks for fun easy reading. Join Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy in their many adventures around the world. (I used to love reading Tintin too!) View all the Tintin comic books here.
A fantasy crime adventure, starring Artemis Fowl, a 12 year-old genius and master criminal. View all the Artemis Fowl books here.
Written by Christopher Paolini when he was only 15 years old, Eragon is an enthralling fantasy of boy and dragon, and good vs evil. At over 500 pages, it’s a good read! View all The Inheritance Cycle books.
Mystery thriller series based in Australia. Three teens stuck in a town with no cars, no phones, no internet. 100 days left to the end of the world. Exciting reading. View all The Phoenix Files books here.
Brilliant comic story books! Lots of action and humour. Great characterisation and word-play. I love them! There are lots and lots of Asterix books.
Beautiful story of Sam, a boy who runs away from city life, into the mountains. Spellbinding account of his struggles and joys as he learns to survive in the wild. View the other books in the series.
Science-fiction thriller. Saved from death, three teenagers are recruited by a secret agency to travel through time, to stop those who would change the past. Compulsive reading! View all the Timeriders seires.
Set in the Biblical times of the Judges, before Israel had a king. Fascinating fiction interwoven with historical and Biblical fact. A tale of war, battle and forgiveness. Also by Joanne Williamson: God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah
Michael Vey is a teen with electric powers. This unique ability attracts the attention of a powerful group of fiends who want to control him and his friends, and through them, the world. Read the rest of the Michael Vey series.
The hilarious true stories of Roald Dahl’s school years and time in Africa and the war. Great reading.
A fantasy adventure, likened to a futuristic Pilgrim’s Progress. Beautifully written, this book follows the quest of Marcus as he attempts to follow the mysterious PathOne as revealed by the Book Beyond Time. A story that will challenge pre-teens and teens re issues of faith and peer pressure.
The story of 4 teens left behind after the rapture, and their journey in faith, as they live through the end times. Whatever your theology, this series is thought-provoking and exciting, and will challenge your kids to a deeper relationship with God. View the rest of the Left Behind Kids series.
Fantasy fiction and Christian allegory. Dragonspell tells the tale of Kale, a servant girl, on a quest to recover a stolen dragon egg, whose true value she can only suspect. View all the Dragonkeeper Chronicles.
Connor is a 14 year old bodyguard! His assignment: to protect the daughter of the US President. Problem no 1: she doesn’t know that Conner is her bodyguard. Problem no 2: she doesn’t want to be protected. Problem no 3: she is about to be taken hostage. A fast-moving read. View the whole Bodyguard series.
A 13-year-old boy, armed only with a boy and arrow, the President of the United States, shot down in an icy wilderness, together in a race against a deadly enemy. By the same author: My Brother’s Secret and My Friend the Enemy.
Continuing from Tolkien’s The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings is the first in the famous The Lord of the Rings series. Fantastical lands, adventures and battles.
Riley is a Victorian orphan thrown into the 21st Century and on the run from his evil master. Excitement, mystery and humour…..from the same author as Artemis Fowl. View the other WARP books here.
Christian fantasy fiction, which some have compared to the Narnia series. Aidan, a lonely kid at a new school, discovers three ancient scrolls, and finds himself transported to another world, and a chilling battle of good vs evil. View the whole of The Door Within Trilogy
Timeless comic strips. A boy and his stuffed tiger and their misadventures. Lots of fun. View more Calvin and Hobbes here.
Comedy thriller! The Higher Institute of Villainous Education (H.I.V.E.) is a top secret school, which turns children with a gift for wrong-doing into master criminals. But what if some of them don’t want to be there? Twists and turns, and lots of fun. View the other books in the H.I.V.E series.
A gripping story – real, gritty and heart-warming. Emmanuel and his younger brother are on the run, with nowhere to go. A tale of immigrants, homelessness, and brotherly love. View the sequel In Too Deep here.
No one suspects kids. And that’s why CHERUB recruits and trains orphans between the ages of 10 and 17 to infiltrate some of the world’s master criminal and terrorist organisations. High-paced action. (Deals with real life issues like animal rights, drugs, child prostitution, terrorism, but in a way that is suitable for teens.) View all the CHERUB books here.
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Some Extra Books for Older Teens
It is difficult to recommend books for older teens because
- My older teens don’t read as much as they used to, or they read adult books.
- So many teen books contain excessive violence, girlfriend/boyfriend relationships, sex, and darker magic.
- What older teen boys like and what their mums like are often two very different things!
I do let my older teens choose their own books, but they are aware to be sensitive to what they are reading. At their age, I do have to trust their decisions to God. I’ll list a few books that my teens have enjoyed (and that, mostly, I have read too). Do check reviews on Amazon or Common Sense Media or Plugged In.
And I’d love to know if you have any other recommendations for teens. Leave a comment below.
Click the images and links to go to Amazon for more detailed book descriptions and customer reviews, or to make a purchase. You can also buy these books from The Book Depository, who offer free worldwide delivery.
Katniss Everdeen volunteers to replace her younger sister and represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death where there can only be one winner. This book is a thrilling read, hard to put down, though its violent scenes may be disturbing for some. View the whole Hunger Games Trilogy
Thomas finds himself in ‘The Glade’ with a group of other adolescent boys, and with no recollection of his previous life. He questions what no one else has questioned: why they are there, and how they can get out. And so begins his quest to take on the terrible Greivers, a mechanical-organic hybrid of monster, and escape the maze. View all The Maze Runner series books.
Society is divided into 5 factions, and Triss must decide where she belongs. But she has a secret. Who can she trust? And where will it take her? Yet another wildly popular dystopian book. View the whole Divergent series.
I enjoyed this book more than other dystopian teen books. (My boys enjoyed it too!) Day and June are two 15-year-olds, living in separate worlds. Day is the Republic’s most wanted criminal, June is the Republic’s most loved child-prodigy. When Day is accused of the death of June’s brother, June makes it her mission to hunt him down and capture him, little knowing that meeting Day will change her life. View the Legend Trilogy.
Christian fantasty fiction. An incredible story where dreams and reality collide. Every time Thomas Hunter sleeps he wakes in another world….when he sleeps there, he returns. In both worlds disaster awaits him. A fast-paced thriller with amazing Christian allegory. View the rest of The Circle Series.
Containing 16 books, the Left Behind series is an epic read! Whatever your teen’s end-time theology, these books will make them think, and stir a passion for the return of Jesus. The series is written for adults but is, I think, also suitable for older teens. Action-packed and very hard to put down.
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Well, that’s it! 110 great books for boys!
(Plus a few 100 more if they read every series.)
Hope your boys enjoy!
And if you missed it do check out:
110 Great Books for Boys: Part 1 (age 3-10)

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This post is linked up with Literacy Musing Mondays and Booknificent, and is featured as favourite post on Cozy Reading Spot.
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This is fabulous! I just pinned it along with a little tag that even though I’m a girl, I can’t wait to read a bunch of these and share them with my girls! So many look great! I’m very excited for your girl series to come.
An author you might want to check out is Annie Douglass Lima. She has a middle grade series called The Annals of Alasia that I think is great for boys (and girls) ages 10 and up, and a young adult series, The Krillonian Chronicles, that is well-written and clean. I really enjoyed the first book and the second was good but a bit too violent for me personally, but I know older teen guys would love it. Here’s my amazon affiliate link to her author page if you’re interested: http://amzn.to/1Wb7WOh.
Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday this week!
Tina
Thanks so much Tina! My daughter enjoys a lot of these books too. As do I 🙂 I’ll check out your book recommendations. I hadn’t heard of either. Always good to find a new author. My kids run out of books too quick. I’ll pop on over to Booknificent Thursday when I have a girl’s list compiled! Working on it now.
Love this list! Thank you so much for sharing it with The Cozy Reading Spot!
Great to have you Marissa 🙂
We must have some real similarities in book taste! I love the WYAM Christian Heroes series, too! Thanks for sharing at the #LMMLinkup.
You’re welcome Leslie. Great to have you visit!
“Even though I’m a girl…” I did also read and LOVE all the books about Alex Rider and Artemis Fowl when I was in that same age bracket, and even now, over 10 years after first reading them, I still sometimes go back to them!
Just goes to show that a well-written book is always good 🙂
Yes…can’t really divide books into girls and boys books! I just have so many great books on my list, have to split them somehow. Hope to do a similar list for girls soon. Thanks for stopping by!
My goodness! What a comprehensive list!
Enjoy 🙂
Looks like a great list! I’m only familiar with a few of them like Redwall, Divergent, Lord of the Rings, My Side of the Mountain and a few others, all great books! I’m visiting from #LMMLinkup! Thanks for linking with us.
Welcome Gayl. Yes…it’s a great list. Hope your kids enjoy some of the new suggestions!
Thank you Jo! I had given up buying books for my two but this has sure got me re-inspired! I good list for Christmas presents, and may be some to suggest for my school to purchase too!
Great! I’m so glad Caroline.