Category: Books For Boys - MY SITE

Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian

5/13/2019

Seventeen-year-old Evan has changed schools six times in the last four years. He’s not very good at making friends, but he’s very good at identifying and hooking up with Girls Who Would Say Yes (to having sex with him). He’s not interested in long-term relationships or much of anything besides swimming and running track. Evan is not a very likable guy.
When Evan gets involved with the wrong girl, he is beaten within an inch of his life by two of his classmates. After the attack, Evan’s father moves them to his childhood lakeside cabin in Minnesota where he can heal physically and mentally, and where Evan meets a group of teenage neighbors who try to draw Evan out of his shell.
Meanwhile, Evan sees a therapist for, among other things, coping with PTSD from his attack, and he has plenty of time to take a long hard look at the part of himself that he calls “Dirtbag Evan” and to reconsider his attitude toward girls and sex.

Grades 10-12
Ebook in Overdrive

Wow, did this book suck me in, and wow, did I hate Evan at the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, I don't think Evan is all that unusual in his callous treatment of girls (although I wish he were) -- and it's a topic we should be talking about more. Evan's story is a tough, honest, and thought-provoking one that's totally worth reading.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

10/29/2018

Sophomore Darius Kellner is not doing great or even okay. He's overweight, lives with clinical depression, gets bullied at his Portland, OR high school, and he has a complicated relationship with his dad who he feels is always disappointed in him.
When Darius's grandfather falls ill, his family takes an extended trip to Iran where Darius struggles with getting to know family he's never met (besides on Skype), the language (his little sister is fluent in Farsi, but he is not), and fitting in (his mother is Persian, but his father is American; Darius refers to himself as a "Fractional Persian").
Things start looking up when Darius meets Sohrab, the son of one of his Grandfather's neighbors. For someone who's never really had a best friend before, this is a big deal. Darius notes, "I liked that I could be silent with Sohrab. That's how I knew we really were going to be friends."

I really liked Darius (he loves tea; he makes a lot of references to Lord of the Rings and Star Trek; and he's a great big brother to his little sister Laleh). His problems are real, but he faces them with a lot of humor. I also really enjoyed the peak into Persian culture (the food, traditions, and history).

Grades 8-12

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

3/20/2018

Darrow lives on Mars deep underground where he works in the mines and struggles for survival.
When his wife is taken from him, he comes to realize that his people, known as Reds, are essentially slaves who have been lied to for hundreds of years.
Darrow is recruited by a guerrilla group called the Sons of Ares, and in a search for justice and revenge, he accepts a mission to infiltrate the Golds, the powerful and cruel overlords who rule the planets.

This book has it all -- nonstop action; a great plot; brutal, bloody fights; a cooler than cool main character; and lots of twists and turns. Kind of like The Hunger Games (spectator sports! battles! revolution!) but about a million times better -- and it's in outer space!

Book 1 of the Red Rising Saga
Grades 9-12

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

6/14/2017

Only seventeen, Kaz Brekker is already one of the most infamous gangsters of the Barrel, nicknamed "Dirtyhands" because there's nothing he won't do.
Inej is known as the Wraith because of her ability to come and go unnoticed as she gathers secrets for and goes on missions with Kaz.
Jesper is a sharpshooter with a gambling problem who is also a member of Kaz's gang.
Nina is a girl with superhuman gifts, but she is essentially a slave at the House of the White Rose.
Matthias is a warrior who's been wrongly imprisoned at Hellgate, a nightmare of a prison, and he is focused on the twin goals of redemption and revenge.
Wylan is a demolitions expert with a secret history.
Can these six come together to pull off an impossible heist, or will enemies within and without their group betray them?

Amazing characters and a plot full of action that does not stop, this one is a must read. If you like adventure stories with a dash of fantasy/supernatural (but completely grounded in a very realistic world) and a plot with more twists and turns than a mountain road, give this one a look.

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of the Six of Crows duology

Bang by Barry Lyga

5/23/2017

When he was four years old, Sebastian accidentally shot and killed his baby sister.
Ten years later, the guilt, shame, and notoriety weigh so heavily upon him that Sebastian plans to commit suicide in the near future.
With his best friend gone for the summer and nothing to distract him, Sebastian thinks the time is coming -- until Aneesa moves into his neighborhood, a girl with a story of her own and no knowledge of Sebastian's past.
Will Sebastian's budding friendship with Aneesa be enough to steer him off the dangerous path he's put himself on or will he give in to the voice in his head that says "It's time."?

This is a gripping quick read that looks unflinchingly at how a family deals with loss and grief and pain -- and also, surprisingly, at race in America. Raw and real.

Grades 9-12

All American Boys by J. Reynolds & B. Kiely

4/25/2017

All Rashad Butler wanted was a bag of chips when he stops in the corner store on Friday night. Instead, he found cop Paul Galluzzo who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter and beats him to a pulp.
Varsity basketball player Quinn Collins witnesses the altercation and can't reconcile the Paul who's been like a surrogate-father to him after his dad died in Afghanistan with the brutal Officer Galluzzo who he sees beating his classmate.
In the aftermath of the incident as students and the community take sides, the basketball team is divided, and Rashad and Quinn both struggle with how to move forward, having to decide what kind of men they want to become.

This is a topical book that examines what's going on in our society today in terms of race and police brutality -- but more importantly, it's a well-written story told from the perspectives of an African-American teen and a white teen, and the authors explore both sides with finesse.

Grades 8-12

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

4/24/2017

When the planet of Kerenza is attacked, Kady Grant manages to escape in one of three spaceships while her mom and ex-boyfriend Ezra are each on different ones.
Even though she made it safely off Kerenza, Kady's problems are just beginning: the attackers are in pursuit and plan to finish off the escapees; a plague is infecting the survivors and turning them into deadly zombies; and the artificial intelligence system, AIDEN, that runs the spaceship has gone rogue.
With no one left to turn to in space, it's up to Kady's hacking and Ezra's fighting skills to survive and to save each other as well as the rest of the dwindling number of evacuees on the ships.

This book was such a fun adventure/survival thrill ride (with a smidgen of romance). The format comprised of interview transcripts, memos, instant-messaging transcripts, diary entries, and more made for a unique read. (Don't let the size fool you -- it's a quick read with a lot of white space around the pictures, text messages, and such).

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of the Illuminae Files

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

3/10/2017

Ali lives in a tough neighborhood in New York but stays out of trouble by spending his time boxing, helping out at home, and hanging with his best friend Noodles, who unlike Ali, is a guy who seems to look for trouble.
Then there's Noodles' brother Needles who has Tourette's Syndrome which causes him to twitch and blurt out crazy things -- but everyone in the neighborhood knows Needles is cool and looks out for him.
Everything is cool until one night Ali, Noodles, and Needles end up somewhere they shouldn't be, where people don't know Needles -- then things stop being cool.

"A lot of stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don't really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing." Ali's voice is so real that you'll think you're sitting with him and Noodles on the stoop in their Bed Stuy neighborhood as his tale unfolds. A great look into the life of an urban teen on the cusp of manhood as he deals with everything life throws his way.

Grades 7-12

The Story of Owen by E. K. Johnston

1/23/2017

This book takes place in current-day Canada in a world much like our own except that Michigan doesn't exist anymore because it was destroyed by dragons -- and, oh yeah, there are DRAGONS.
Sixteen-year-old Owen Thorskard comes from a long line of dragon-slayers, and when he, his father, and his world-famous aunt move to the small town of Trondheim, people have high expectations of the young slayer-in-training.
When Owen meets the musically talented Siobhan McQuaid on the first day of school, he and his family try to recruit her to be Owen's bard and to join them in the adventurous and dangerous world of dragon slaying. Battles with dragons ensue.

This book proves that you don't have to read fantasy to enjoy a story with dragons, because other than the dragons, this book depicts the life of a fairly ordinary modern high school student -- one who just happens to have a very special talent.

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of the Story of Owen Series

Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

11/7/2016

Seventeen-year-old Greg Gaines likes making movies with his sort-of-friend Earl and tries to get through high school by having access to all the social groups but by not belonging to any one clique, which in his own words means he keeps "an insanely low profile."
Keeping a low profile becomes tricky when Greg's mom asks him to befriend a girl, Rachel, who he has some embarrassing history with and who now has cancer.
What ensues is Greg (and sometimes Earl) doing their best to cheer up Rachel without punching themselves in the face too many times.

Imagine The Fault in Our Stars with a lot less romance and way more boy humor, movie-making, and inter-racial friendship. The narrator, Greg, says this book "contains precisely zero Important Life Lessons, or Little-Known Facts About Love, or sappy tear-jerking Moments When We Knew We Had Left Our Childhood Behind for Good, or whatever," but it will make you laugh a lot more than it will make you cry (and I do mean a lot).

Grades 9-12

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle

10/24/2016

Quinn Roberts used to spend all his free time writing scripts for movies that his sister would film, but since she died six months ago, he doesn't do anything anymore. He doesn't go to school. He doesn't go out with friends. He doesn't even leave his house.
When Quinn's best friend Geoff decides enough is enough, he drags Quinn to his first college party where he meets a very hot guy, Amir, who Quinn falls head over heals for.
The only problem is that Quinn's not out yet -- and he's also not sure if he's ready to stop hibernating and get back to real life.

Full of humor and references to great movies, this book will speak to readers who enjoy realistic fiction and smart, funny, honest characters.

Grades 9-12

Half Bad by Sally Green

8/25/2016

Nathan is the son of a White witch mother and his father, who he's never met, is the most powerful and most hated Black witch in history.
Raised by his grandmother, Nathan faces increasing hostility from all the White witches until finally he is held prisoner.
Before he turns seventeen, he must escape captivity and receive his powers.

This story takes place in modern-day England, where witches live alongside humans. This story deals with the nature of good and evil, and it has lots of action and adventure, making it a good pick for boys, but girls (like me) will enjoy it, too.

Book 1 of the Half Bad Trilogy
Grades 8-12