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Great Books for Boys: More Than 600 Books for Boys 2 to 14
BOOKS THAT WILL MAKE BOYS WANT TO READ!
Parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians--we need a tool that guides us to the books that will inspire boys to read and keep them coming back for more. Now Kathleen Odean, a former member of the Caldecott and Newbery Award committees and author of the groundbreaking bestseller Great Books for Girls has compiled and annotated a unique collection of more than six hundred books--picture books, novels, mysteries, biographies, sports books, and more--that will fascinate and educate boys. Here are classic characters such as Frog and Toad, Bilbo Baggins, and Encyclopedia Brown; new favorites such as Bingo Brown, Martin the Warrior, and Harry the Dirty Dog; and real-life inspirations such as the Wright brothers, Jackie Robinson, and Jacques Cousteau.
The boys who discover reading from the books in this invaluable volume will witness a wide range of role models--and embark upon an adventure that will fuel their dreams for the rest of their lives.
Parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians--we need a tool that guides us to the books that will inspire boys to read and keep them coming back for more. Now Kathleen Odean, a former member of the Caldecott and Newbery Award committees and author of the groundbreaking bestseller Great Books for Girls has compiled and annotated a unique collection of more than six hundred books--picture books, novels, mysteries, biographies, sports books, and more--that will fascinate and educate boys. Here are classic characters such as Frog and Toad, Bilbo Baggins, and Encyclopedia Brown; new favorites such as Bingo Brown, Martin the Warrior, and Harry the Dirty Dog; and real-life inspirations such as the Wright brothers, Jackie Robinson, and Jacques Cousteau.
The boys who discover reading from the books in this invaluable volume will witness a wide range of role models--and embark upon an adventure that will fuel their dreams for the rest of their lives.
396 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 10, 2008
What Kathleen Odean means by the title of this book is that this is a selection of books that she thinks are great for boys. In other words, it doesn't include all books that boys might enjoy, for example, series fiction or books about Lego superheroes. In addition to containing books with "excellent prose, fully developed characters, and strong plots", the author chose to include books that help shape boys' values. For example, she chose books that model strong friendships between boys, have caring male adults, and show strong female characters, and without sexist content. She included many adventure stories, humor, books about science and nature, biographies, and poetry books. The selection is useful for finding books that boys who already like reading might enjoy. It needs updating though, since it is now 10 years old.
The book is organized by reading ability (i.e. Picture stories, Beginning Readers, Middle Readers, and Older Readers, and then by genre. Each entry has a descriptive paragraph describing the book and illustrations, and the age range that the author thinks is appropriate. The last section contains resources for parents, with information on libraries, encouraging children to read, magazines, and books about sex. The book is definitely directed to parents and librarians rather than to kids themselves. Because the entries are long, it would be difficult to use for on the spot reader's advisory, but would be good for librarians to read in order to get better acquainted with the books she recommends. It would also be helpful as a reference for plot summaries. Prior to writing this book, the author also wrote a similiar volume, Great Books for Girls. Her selections are based on experience as a librarian, and she has served on the Caldecott and Newbery award committees.
Glynis Thomas, writing in the Library Journal (9/15/98), wrote that this books helps "sort out the good from the dogmatic, the mediocre, and the bad." She liked the diverse selection of books and thought that it would help boys solve problems and cope with a variety of situations. A Booklist review described and praised the book, saying it has a good mix of "content and commentary". The reviewer liked the fact that no out-of-print titles were included, but wished the author had included ISBN numbers. Both reviews were useful, since they described and evaluated the book thoughtfully.
The book is organized by reading ability (i.e. Picture stories, Beginning Readers, Middle Readers, and Older Readers, and then by genre. Each entry has a descriptive paragraph describing the book and illustrations, and the age range that the author thinks is appropriate. The last section contains resources for parents, with information on libraries, encouraging children to read, magazines, and books about sex. The book is definitely directed to parents and librarians rather than to kids themselves. Because the entries are long, it would be difficult to use for on the spot reader's advisory, but would be good for librarians to read in order to get better acquainted with the books she recommends. It would also be helpful as a reference for plot summaries. Prior to writing this book, the author also wrote a similiar volume, Great Books for Girls. Her selections are based on experience as a librarian, and she has served on the Caldecott and Newbery award committees.
Glynis Thomas, writing in the Library Journal (9/15/98), wrote that this books helps "sort out the good from the dogmatic, the mediocre, and the bad." She liked the diverse selection of books and thought that it would help boys solve problems and cope with a variety of situations. A Booklist review described and praised the book, saying it has a good mix of "content and commentary". The reviewer liked the fact that no out-of-print titles were included, but wished the author had included ISBN numbers. Both reviews were useful, since they described and evaluated the book thoughtfully.
February 21, 2019
Some of the books listed aren't just for boys, especially the younger picture type books. Also, just because it's in this book, you might not want your child reading it. She gives a good description of story and theme for each book and there were some I definitely wouldn't be comfortable with my kids reading.
July 4, 2020
This was a good resource to read through and find some things I haven't heard of before, or have read...I don't like nearly all the recommendations, but thanks to the triangulation of reading other reviews besides what is given in the book, I can cull those out and not help them see the light of day a tiny bit.
February 11, 2009
This probably more like 3 1/2, but I'm being generous. I did use it, but not nearly as much as THE READ-ALOUD HANDBOOK. It was helpful when I was first starting to read chapter books with my sons, but since then, we haven't had any trouble finding good books to read together. I do like Odean's writing style, though, and agree with her on the majority of her choices.
June 3, 2009
I guess I am not a total failure as a parent since my boys have read many of the books they had listed. There were some classics I thought were missing, like "Where the Red Fern Grows" & "Henry Huggins".
I think I am still going to stick to my plan of reading from the list of Newberry Award winners for next years curriculum.
I think I am still going to stick to my plan of reading from the list of Newberry Award winners for next years curriculum.
August 6, 2010
A good reference, although I didn't get too far into it. The information in the front about reluctant readers was interesting, although at the moment I don't have any problems with that (knock on wood that that continues).
October 5, 2013
Perfect for helping me to pick out books to send to my grandson. He has loved everyone.
January 26, 2016
Helpful reviews and suggestions
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September 6, 2018I continue to refer to this book as I search for gifts for my grandson.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews