Recommend a book for 10-11 yr old boys.

[Rock chick]

Like the fool I am, I have rashly agreed to run a reading club in my school for two half-hours a week. The older lads here (and everywhere, I think) have an aversion to reading, and we're trying to find a way to engage them before they vanish into secondary school.

I’d welcome any suggestions as to how to interest the lads as well as book recommendations. We're going to Kindle-up too.

I’m thinking of finding books with relatively short chapters and I’m planning to read a couple, with the children following, and stopping at an exciting bit. I was then going to ask them to read a bit, and give them a couple of chapters to read at home before the next session. (Sadly, I think Triskellion is a bit advanced..... )

So, help!

I’m thinking Malorie Blackman, Benjamin Zephaniah, Michael Morpego….boy heroes, different races and social groups – maybe a few funny short stories…all suggestions for books and strategies gratefully received!

[Mary]

Hats off to you RC - that's a great project to take on.

Will get my thinking cap on.

[RichardAKing]

Having only got experience of reading to grandchildren who were interested, I have not got many useful suggestions. Maybe you could use Mark's contacts to have some of the authors visit the group once it gets going.

[smudge]

The book I recall adoring at age 10-11 is Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner and also The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. They may be a little too dated, perhaps.
  Same goes for the classics I suppose.

Maybe some ideas here?
http://nosycrow.com/blog/and-now-best-books-for-10-year-old-boys

[ravenscross]

Recent ones that seem to get the attention are the Young Bond books. But my favourite at that age were the Stainless Steel Rat stories.

[Jayne]

How about The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly?

[clashcityrocker]

Tolkien's The Hobbit?

[Rock chick]

Great ideas, people, thank you - now, how best to get them interested.....?

[ravenscross]

Tasers or cattle prods?

[scary claire]

Good luck RC. I'd try the Adam Blade books, they fly off the shelves in Skipton, and perhaps Darren Shan. Sorry Dave, I'd say the Hobbit has way too many pages for reluctant readers. (It has way too many pages for me too)

[Linda L]

Percy Jackson series is very popular at work, also Diary of a wimpy kid series.  All ages seem to read them

[chelbel]

Ok, Eirin is 10 and LOVES to read. I just had a look at her desk to see  what she is currently reading and the list is this...

Skulduggery Pleasant "The Faceless one" by Derek Landy (she has almost all of the Skulduggery series)

Dirty Bertie (about three of these) A few of her favorites are "Worms", "Fleas" and  "Burp"

I see she is re-reading Percy Jackson and the last Olympian. Loved these and learnt an awful lot about the Greek Gods to boot.. (she can list them off and tell you all about them now)

And her latest love is Michael Morpurgo. We bought her the full set of his work recently and she loves him. And his books are real.

Hope this helps xxx

[chelbel]

Oh, P.S. Eirin also really loves Enid Blytons
The Faraway Tree and The Famous Five Series

[Kevin Wignall]

Oh, I'm offended, particularly after meeting a 10 year old at Bath Festival on Friday who loved "Blood".   "K walks off in high dudgeon".  Seriously, that 10 year old was very advanced.  If the boys are below their reading age try Mr Gum by Andy Stanton which is a lot of fun.  Otherwise, if they're street-smart you could try the Robert Muchamore "Cherub" books - these are for slightly older boys, but deal with real urban issues in a thrilling way (the boys are agents in the war on gangs/drugs, etc, but the books have to be read in order).  And "The Enemy" by Charlie Higson could go down very well - zombie novel.  Good luck with it, Carol. K

[Kiwicraig]

Books I was reading around that age (as a 10-year old boy): The Hardy Boys series, some Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit, the Narnia series, Asterix, Roald Dahl (plus plenty of others that are less memorable). I first read the Lord of the Rings at about 11 or 12.