The Tiger’s Bookshelf: Books Enjoyed by Boys
We’re delighted to hear from two British boys who responded to our plea for information about books that children love. Alistair, who is nine and a half, says that books he has recently read for fun are books in the Young James Bond series by Charlie Higson, Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon, and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. His favorite authors are Michael Morpurgo, Charlie Higson, and Francesca Simon, with Hurricane Gold (in the Young James Bond series) and Tiger of the Snows by Robert Burleigh among the books that he has discussed with his friends. Morpurgo’s The Wreck of the Zanzibar is one of the books he has read for school that he enjoys and among his favorite books in a series are The Chronicles of Narnia, the many adventures of Harry Potter, and Young James Bond. Books he has read more than once are volumes of Tintin, Asterix, Harry Potter, and The Making of Monkey King and Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven, both by Debby Chen. A book that he found in the library that he longed to keep is one about BMW motorcycles–and, he assures us, although he’s a boy, he does enjoy reading books in which girls are central characters!
Ben, who is seven and a half, loves to read pop-up books, encyclopedias, stories with pictures, and Adam Frost’s Ralph the Magic Rabbit. Books that he has read more than once are Tintin books, Steve Parker’s Larger than Life, which he says is amazing and has recommended to his friends, Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies, and If I Didn’t Have Elbows by Sandi Toksvig. His favorite writers are J.K. Rowling, Julia Donaldson, Herge, Francesca Simon, and Dick King-Smith. When it comes to books that he has borrowed from the library and wishes he could keep, he simply admits there are “loads.” He too enjoys books about girls, but not ones about sports!
Thanks to Alistair, Ben, and Evan for responding to our questions, which can be found at The Tiger’s Bookshelf: Asking the Kids
We would love to hear from more readers–perhaps a girl or two?
June 18th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
My name is Emma. I am almost 8 years old. My mom is typing this for me.
Right now I’m reading a book in the chapter book series Geronimo Stilton. The title is Surf’s Up, Geronimo. You don’t have to read these books in order. I would rate it 5 out of 5 because it is good and it is funny. Geronimo is a mouse and he always gets into trouble.
I also love books about dogs. It doesn’t matter if it is fiction or non-fiction. Some good picture books I’ve read are: Stanley’s Party about a dog who has a party when his owners are away; the MacDuff series about a West Highland Terrier; Angus and the Ducks (I have my mom’s book that she had when she was little). A good chapter book series that has a dog as the main character is Wishbone.
I don’t mind reading books that have a boy as the main character.
There are lots of books I have gotten from the library that I wanted to keep but I can’t remember them.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Dear Emma–
Thank you for your wonderful recommendations! I love Angus and the Ducks too, and the name Geronimo Stilton is pure genius. That series sounds like fun and I’ll look for it.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Thank you for putting in my favourite books. I want to look for Geronimo Stilton too.
June 21st, 2008 at 11:19 am
Ben, so many thanks for telling us about the books that you love. I hope we hear more from you as you find new favorites.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
My son Evan says:
“Alistair – Thank you for suggesting the Young James Bond series by C. Higson. I had never heard of it before. I got the first book Silverfin on the weekend and I really like it! It has lots of action (which I like in a book). I’m almost finished it and can hardly wait to read the next one.”
June 24th, 2008 at 9:55 am
And a whole new generation of Bond aficionados is born! The social repercussions of James Bond influencing pre-teens has the potential to be huge, don’t you think? I can imagine a whole new wave of suave, beautifully dressed, witty thirteen-year-old boys all yearning for their first martinis, shaken not stirred!