This weekend is my little brother's birthday and I was just thinking about how I talk about a lot of books, but probably not a lot of books that little boys would like. And yet, my brother and I probably have the most similar taste in books out of my whole family.
So I thought some of you would enjoy a few book recommendations for the little boys in your circles of influences, because sometimes they're really hard to find.
Yet books can be such a blessing and joy to boys (of all ages), even if they don't want to read them and would rather listen to them. On, like, triple speed. How my brother does that, I have no idea.
Books are so much better than movies, or video games, or YouTube, but a lot of time boys don't gravitate toward them. Maybe that's because they don't know what to read, or you don't know what to encourage them to read.
I promise you that there are books out there for the young people around you, whether they're boys, or girls.
A lot of times my brother has convinced me to read books, and I've loved them, or I've started reading a book, and have had to tell him not to give me any spoilers because he goes and listens to it and finishes it before I can.
I adore talking with my brother about books that we both like, and sometimes even listening to them together. There was a summer a few years ago when we were really into one book series, and we'd just ride around and around the house on our golf cart, listening.
So, yes, it is possible to find books that your boys, and girls, adore. And it is possible for you to like them too, which will get them even more excited about reading. I promise you that there are books out there for the young people around you, and here are some of my brother's and my favorites.
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Petersen
Yes, I know, I've talked about this book a lot but it's by far the best of the bunch and just needs to be talked about. It's even a show now so that just shows that it's above par and amazing and definitely worth the read.
I read The Wingfeather Saga when I was l ten or eleven-ish, and adored it. Adored it so much that I'd sit in bed in the mornings and read for like four hours straight and then be grumpy when my mom told me to come help clean or something.
It got to be so much of a problem (me reading instead of living life) that I think my mom questioned whether letting me get into a four-book series was a good idea.
And now my brother listens to it on repeat.
But that just goes to show how incredible this series is. So much that not only do my younger brothers like it, but my parents like it. It's funny and sad and has the most endearing characters and riveting plot and just - you need to read it, and your little boys will love it.
That said, it does get a little bit more... intense, I guess, as you go through the books, so if you have really little boys maybe just read the first book. But it's all done from an amazing Christian perspective, has an epic allegorical ending, and is all in all a very well-done story.
The Time To Die Trilogy by Nadine Brandes
This is the series that I started, and my brother finished way before me. We also got out sister, who is very selective with book reading, to listen to it - in other words, it's good.
So good that my brother offered to help me pay for the paperback copies so that I could read them instead of listen to them on Hoopla. For a while there, we were so obsessed with these books that my brother said Shalom and Welks all the time (if you know, you know ;)
But these really are fascinating books exploring the theory of what if we knew the exact time we would die, and how that would affect our lives. Would we want to know? Would we like knowing when we would die - or would we want to be free from that?
And what if we didn't have a choice?
I would definitely, definitely recommend. It talks about faith and God and freedom, as well as having the courage to speak up and defend what we know is right. And, it's exciting and interesting on top of all that - what more could you ask for?
The Green Ember Series by S D Smith
I think this is the first series where I was literally holding my breath waiting for the fourth book to arrive in the mail. Like, I sprinted out to the mailbox.
For the third book, I read it in three hours - all in one sitting (and these are not short books either).
And I think these were the first books that really got my brother into reading (or rather, listening to audiobooks - but that still counts!)
These books have created a whole world and a whole fandom, and totally deserve it. With rabbits as the main characters and wolves and birds of prey as the villains, with intrigue and double-crossing and hidden caves, these books are pretty epic.
They're also written so well that young boys can enjoy them and understand and older readers can also be enthralled.
So if you like epic battles and old rabbit lore and cloudy mountains and good food - or if the young people around you like that sort of thing - I would absolutely be so so excited for you to check these out.
Dust by Kara Swanson
This is definitely a more mature book than The Green Ember books, and geared less toward young boys, but my brother still really liked it because it's a Peter Pan retelling - and who doesn't love Lost Boys and pirates and fairies?!
There is a *slight* bit of romance, but it's all done very very well. Peter Pan is hilarious and cocky, Claire is adorably sweet and so so relatable, and all the characters, from James Hocken and the lost boys to Tiger Lily and Mr Darling, are brilliant and so well-thought-out.
On top of all that, it's a very unusual and exciting Peter Pan twist, with some turns and surprises that I definitely didn't see coming.
Kara Swanson also happens to be one of my instructors and mentors, and the Fiction Directors of The Author Conservatory - in other words, she's epic, and all her books are epic.
Wishtress by Nadine Brandes
So to be perfectly honest, I haven't actually read this whole book, but, my brother told me it was his favorite book aver and that I HAD to read it. And why hadn't I told him about it sooner? So... I'm assuming the ending it pretty amazing.
And, I mean, all of Nadine's stuff is amazing.
It's about a girl whose tears grant wishes, until she gets cursed and the next tear she cries will kill her... and a bunch of other things like frozen rivers and mazes and all of that.
So, while it might not be attractive to all boys, my brother loved it, and I'll just go with his words, "you HAVE to read it."
Rescue by Jennifer A Neilson
And actually any of Neilson's historical fiction - all very, very well done and eye-opening. I know more about the Berlin Wall than I ever could have learned in a textbook because of her book, A Night Divided, and more about the Russian invasion of Lithuania because of Words On Fire.
Rescue is specifically my brother's favorite, maybe because it deals with a rescue attempt and has some very, very exciting stakes - I don't know.
But all of Neilson's historical fiction books are works of art and I would most definitely recommend - and they can count as school, so that's an added bonus!!
The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson
I was very skeptical of this series at first, but once I got into it I was entirely enthralled. It takes a very unique twist and turns it into this whole world of double personas and allegories and intense battles, all with amazing characters and a plot that had me literally on the edge of my seat.
And then I introduced them to my brother, he was likewise just as hooked. They're very exciting, high-stakes books, with medieval swords and battles and dragons, all while talking about Christian themes and messages with a lot of power. Kind of like the Chronicles of Narnia, but different.
So, Yes, There Are Books For Boys
And books that you will like as well.
The boys around you do not have to be sitting on their phones, playing video games - but they can be reading through one of these stories and immersing themselves in worlds that bring their imaginations to life. And if you enjoy doing that with them, they can get so excited talking about their favorite characters and what they think is going to happen next.
Maybe, instead of being excited about getting a new video game, they can be holding their breath for a book to come in the mail, or an audio book to be available on Libby.
Some of the best ways my brother and I have bonded over the last few years has been through our shared love of books (and movies haha) and I could go on and on about books we both enjoy, like The Chronicles of Narnia, Redwall, and The False Prince, to name a few.
So as I'm thinking about boys and brothers this week, with my brother's birthday coming up and spring just around the corner, I would just encourage you to love what they love, or find something that you love and turn it into something that they can love too.
Books bring people together, just like food and laughter, and through giving the young people around you the right kind of books, you can have such a powerful influence on their beliefs and lives.
But, more of all, remember that God has given us the greatest story of love and redemption in the Bible. That is the most exciting and most powerful story ever - and sometimes, but getting young people excited about fictional books, it can draw them to be excited about the Bible.
Our lives are short - messy and unplanned and short. So don't waste your life doing your own thing and letting the people around you do their own thing - find something to bring you together and be excited and enthusiastic about it together.
God has placed the people around you in your life for a reason. Don't forget that.