Where the Boys Are: Books Boys Will Love

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen (YA)–This book is Hunger Games in space.

The character development is phenomenal and the adventure is fast-paced.

It is a trilogy, but you will fly through these.

CW: violence

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (YA)–Heart-wrenching contemporary fiction.

A story that takes place on one long elevator ride as a boy decides whether to avenge his brother’s senseless death.

Written in verse this book will stay with you for a long time.

CW: gun violence

Manning Up by Bee Walsh (YA)–As a mama of boys who play football, this one broke my heart.

Short, novel-in-verse and high-interest.

CW: eating disorders, steroids

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 (YA)–Michael Vey discovers he has special powers and with the help of his friends must rescue his mother.

This sounds like the typical Percy Jackson-style book, but Evans does a great job of reinvigorating this trope with edge-of-your-seat action.

Restart by Gordon Korman (MG)–Chase wakes up from an accident and doesn’t remember his life at all.

He has to learn who he is all over again and he begins to not like what he finds.

Some kids are afraid of him, and some think he’s wonderful. Who does Chase want to be?

Crossover by Kwame Alexander (MG)–Family relationships, basketball, and life lessons create a novel-in-verse to remember.

Readers won’t be able to put this one down.

Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (MG)–Adventure, adventure, and more adventure.

I often say this is my favorite book in the library.

Will wants to be a knight. It’s all he’s ever wanted. When he gets chosen to be a ranger’s apprentice, he is crushed. Halt, his new mentor, knows all too well that Will has the skill it takes to become one of this elite group who must protect the kingdom from evil forces already at their doorstep.

The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (MG)–Callum is trying hard to fail.

To succeed at the Iron Trial would mean a life of training in magic, a life his father has warned him about.

But as much as Callum tries to escape his fate, the Magisterium awaits him.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith (MG)–Chase Masters has always been taught what to do in case of an emergency, especially since his father was struck by lightning and started a new life as a ‘storm runner.’

Chase wishes they could go back to a settled life instead of always waiting for the next storm to hit.

This time the storm hits too close to home or rather school as Chase must use everything his dad taught him to find safety.

Hazard by Frances O’Roark Dowell (MG)–Hazard is in therapy after taking things too far in football.

His father has returned from active duty as an amputee.

Told through letters, emails, and texts, Hazard works through his anger and the helplessness he feels about his father’s injury.