What should be on a boys bookshelf?

[hops_scout 9]

From your description of him, and my limited experience at Jambo, OJ and I seem very similar..

 

One reason I'm not a huge fan of reading is all of the required reading that is now our high school English classes. We read Shakespeare every year. And we had other reading we had to do including some summertime stuff. That really turned me off to reading though I still pull out some other stuff now and then.

 

I've gotten away from fiction stuff quite a bit. I prefer non-fiction whether it be Human anatomy, baseball, outdoors, military, West Point by far my favorite subject to read, etc.

 

 

[hot_foot_eagle 13]

For a soldiers-eye introduction to the American Civil War and an all-around entertaining read, I'd include "Co. Aytch", sometimes listed as "Co. H" or "Company H" by Sam Watkins. Suitable for 9- to 99- year olds.

 

I'd also include a home handyman book or two - not just because it's good to know how to make simple repairs, but some actually explain how and why things around the house work the way they do.

 

In the same vein, a how-to-build-a-house book is usually loaded with pictures and text. How many boys (or adults, for that matter) don't have any inkling how their own house is put together? It might inspire a future builder or architect. Or it might just satisfy some curiosity.

 

Anything by David Macaulay. He wrote the profusely illustrated "Castle", "Pyramid", "Cathedral", and several others. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind having those on my own bookshelf. . .

 

 

[SSScout 1615]

Oh, let's include some more recent inspirational stuff:::

 

The Rocket Boys ==Homer Hickam (October Sky is the movie)

 

Into Thin Air ==Jon Krakauer

 

and some more classy fluff:::

 

Twenty one Balloons (balloon inventor becomes lost while crossing the Pacific, and lands on Kakatoa , establishes an advanced civilazation and escapes just before the island blows up)

[packsaddle 753]

Hard to improve on the list I've seen so far. I would add most everything by Jules Verne. To balance Treasure Island I would add Robinson Crusoe, maybe Swiss Family Robinson.

Almost any of the true stories about survival are good (some have already been mentioned).

I'm not sure how age-appropriate this would be for the younger scouts but the older ones could probably enjoy Buchheim's "Das Boot" (later made into a successful movie that missed a lot of what is in the book). Kind of gruesome in places.

 

If there's a budding scientist out there, The Double Helix is a possibility but it will bore anyone who's not interested.

There is a really nice book that is about a young woman but really is a true-life adventure story that is hard to beat: Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie. OK.. well, I liked it at least!

 

Fact is, as long as they are READING rather than pouring their creativity into the video game and television toilet, I'm good with it. Doesn't really matter what they're reading whether classic literature or comic books (not that some of those aren't classics in their own right). It helps build (or retain) attention span and sets their minds free.

 

OK, I know I come across as negative about video games and television and I know that Satan doesn't really exist, but if he did...video games and television would be evidence of it. H'mm I guess that's still kind of negative isn't it? Oh well.

[mtm25653 10]

I came across this list, aimed at 12-13 yo boys, by a teacher http://literarycompass.blogspot.com/2007/05/literary-testosterone-30-must-read.html

 

I second his suggestions for The Killer Angels, The Once and Future King and Ender's Game.

 

Fantasy/Horror

Anything by Ray Bradbury: I think of Ray Bradbury as a modern-day Edgar Allen Poe, and his books are perfect for teenage boys. There's always something to talk about after reading Ray Bradbury.

 

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Every boy should read this book, and every father, too. It can be frightening, but it is well worth reading.

 

Dandelion Wine - Scary, funny and tender.

 

The Martian Chronicles - Great sci-fi.

 

Fahrenheit 451 - Perfect for talking about the value of books and reading.

 

The Illustrated Man - Thought-provoking stories.

 

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - Along with Treasure Island, probably the perfect action/adventure story.

 

The Belgariad by David Eddings - Lord of the Rings lite; lots of fairly innocent fun; not much depth, but a good read.

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell - An excellent introduction to talking about political systems.

 

The Once and Future King by T.H. White - Classic story of King Arthur.

 

The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr. - This book is a hidden gem--important spiritual themes, connections to Chaucer and the middle ages. I once had the opportunity to interview the author with my eighth graders after we finished studying it - they loved the interview and the book. Don't miss it.

 

Science Fiction

 

Flatland by Edwin Abbott - A brief fairytale-ish book that explores mathematical concepts like the fourth dimension. Fun and educational.

 

The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov - A sort of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire set in space; great plot twists. A true classic of the genre and very accessible to teens. The first book in the series is Foundation.

 

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov - A great murder mystery set in the future. Combines elements of science fiction and classic mystery stories into one.

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - I hesitated to put this on the list because it contains some profanity and a few disturbing elements, but every single student of mine who has read this has loved it. Without exception. Read this with your kids so you can talk about it with them.

 

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Before Michael Crichton's version, the author of Sherlock Holmes had already written about a lost island of dinosaurs.

 

Time and Again by Jack Finney - A terrific time travel story; the amount of historical detail in this book is mind-boggling. Part mystery, part romance, part sci-fi, it really defies categories.

 

Historical

 

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - Pulitzer winning novel of the battle of Gettysburg; would be great to read in conjunction with an American History class. After they finish, show them the movie Gettysburg.

 

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - Look up swashbuckle in the dictionary and you'll find this book. Young readers may need help understanding church politics.

 

Mr. Midshipman Easy by Captain Frederick Marryat - a great precursor to Forester's Hornblower series or Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. Fun and easy to read.

 

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - Classic medieval adventure.

 

Mysteries

 

The Father Brown stories by G. K. Chesterton - The gentle, intelligent Father Brown makes a great role model for boys, and gives them a healthy portrayal of a priest.

 

Anything by Agatha Christie - Her books are continual favorites of my students, especially the novels featuring Hercule Poirot. Make sure they read Curtain (but only after reading four or five other Hercule Poirot mysteries first).

 

The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters - Brother Cadfael is a monk in the thirteenth century who always seems to end up in the middle of murder investigations. The first book is A Morbid Taste for Bones.

 

Assorted other titles:

 

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling - Terrific coming of age story set at sea.

 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Explores many issues, but one key issue is the definition of courage.

 

The Ox-bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark - Not only a great Western, but an insightful exploration of justice and vigilantism. Perfect for discussing over the dinner table.

 

Hondo - Every boy should read at least one Louis L'Amour novel in his life, and Hondo is one of the best.

 

Shane by Jack Schaefer- The all-time greatest Western ever written (in my humble opinion). Another must-read for pre-teen or teenage boys.

 

Hiroshima by John Hersey - A nonfiction account of survivors of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This can be a frightening book for young readers, so use your own judgement.

 

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - Nonfiction account of a rural veterinarian; another perfect book for boys.

 

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Gotta love To Kill A Mockingbird, after all, how many classic books have a "Scout" as a main charactor?

[OldGrayOwl 10]

The Dangerous Book for Boys

 

I got a copy for my son and he really likes it.

 

I found that there is a website for the book: http://www.dangerousbookforboys.com/

[packsaddle 753]

Great suggestions, mtm25653. Personally, I would not include 'Enders Game' for literary reasons as well. Just a personal dislike IMHO.

The rest are great. In fact, I may just pick up one or two and do it again.

[Aquila 10]

Anything by G.A. Henty (best "boy" series ever)

Biographies of real heroes like George Washington, Martin Luther, Patrick Henry, etc

Redwall and every other Brian Jacques book

Kipling's poetry

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

Diary of an American Boy and any book about tools by Eric Slone.

 

 

We may not use those tools anymore, but reading this book and looking at the pictures could help the vast lack of spacial thought and problem solving.

 

 

 

Yes to Killer Angels by Shaara Give them a bigger map to track troop movements.

 

Follow My Leader, 2 thumbs up.

 

 

Kudos Gunny to Be Expert with map and compass.

The newer version leaves out the magic carpet picture describing the Map.

[hot_foot_eagle 13]

Somehow Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy got left out of this list. Probably best for late junior high and high school readers.

 

 

[Gunny2862 11]

For a freshman or older I might add Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. A treatise on critical thinking, disguised as a story about a man trying to find himself while reconnecting to his son.

[le Voyageur 72]

The works of Jack London, Robert W. Service, Mark Twain, and O'Henry

 

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupry

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

JB by Archibald McLeash

The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna

Siddharta by Herman Hess

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Beneath the Wheel by Herman Hess

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien

1984 by George Orwell

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

All Quite on the Western Front by E M Remarque

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Prince by NIccolo Machiavelli

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Tess of the D'urbevilles by Thomas Hardy

Jude the Osbcure by Thomas Hardy

Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Middlemarch by George Eliot

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenhitsyn

The Idiot by A. Solzenhitsyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fgoodwin 23]

One in four read no books last year

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_re_us/reading_habits_ap_poll

http://tinyurl.com/28zjpe

 

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

Tue Aug 21, 7:01 PM ET

 

WASHINGTON - There it sits on your night stand, that book you've meant to read for who knows how long but haven't yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know one thing - you are not alone.

 

One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

 

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year - half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.

 

"I just get sleepy when I read," said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

 

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well- established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

 

When the Gallup Poll asked in 2005 how many books people had at least started - a similar but not directly comparable question - the typical answer was five. That was down from 10 in 1999, but close to the 1990 response of six.

 

In 2004, a National Endowment for the Arts report titled "Reading at Risk" found only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002, a four percentage point drop in a decade. The study faulted television, movies and the Internet.

 

Who are the 27 percent of people the AP-Ipsos poll found hadn't read a single book this year? Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women fit that category. They tend to be older, less educated, lower income, minorities, from rural areas and less religious.

 

At the same time, book enthusiasts abound. Many in the survey reported reading dozens of books and said they couldn't do without them.

 

"I go into another world when I read," said Charlotte Fuller, 64, a retired nurse from Seminole, Fla., who said she read 70 books in the last year. "I read so many sometimes I get the stories mixed up."

 

Among those who said they had read books, the median figure - with half reading more, half fewer - was nine books for women and five for men. The figures also indicated that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and up read more than those who are younger.

 

Pollyann Baird, 84, a retired school librarian in Loveland, Colo., says J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series is her favorite. But she has forced herself to not read the latest and final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," because she has yet to file her income taxes this year due to an illness and worries that once she started the book, "I know I'd have to finish it."

 

People from the West and Midwest are more likely to have read at least one book in the past year. Southerners who do read, however, tend to read more books, mostly religious books and romance novels, than people from other regions. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently.

 

There was even some political variety evident, with Democrats and liberals typically reading slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives.

 

The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels. Every other genre - including politics, poetry and classical literature - were named by fewer than five percent of readers.

 

More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography. Industry experts said that confirms their observation that men tend to prefer nonfiction.

 

"Fiction just doesn't interest me," said Bob Ryan, 41, who works for a construction company in Guntersville, Ala. "If I'm going to get a story, I'll get a movie."

 

Those likeliest to read religious books included older and married women, lower earners, minorities, lesser educated people, Southerners, rural residents, Republicans and conservatives.

 

The publishing business totaled $35.7 billion in global sales last year, 3 percent more than the previous year, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a trade association. About 3.1 billion books were sold, an increase of less than 1 percent.

 

The AP-Ipsos poll was conducted from August 6 to 8 and involved telephone interviews with 1,003 adults. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

___

AP Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson and AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

the things you learn online...

 

I have read 17 of the books le Voyageur reccommends and note that he has more than dabbled with Hermann Hesse. Tess of the D'ubervilles is one of the saddest stories ever written competing with the Grapes of Wrath

 

le Voyageur, did you ever read Narcissus and Goldmund? Or the Journey to the East?