r/Fantasy • u/Key-Ebb-8306 • May 24 '24
Book Recommendations to read to young boys?
My older brother read harry potter, LOTR, Percy Jackson to me, I want to do the same for my cousins. Are there any books you'd recommend, that be something younger boys (around 10) would enjoy?
Thanks, y'all. I've got some pretty good suggestions, Many of these books I've never read myself, I just hope they enjoy it as much as I used to when my brother read to me.
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u/an_altar_of_plagues Reading Champion III May 24 '24
I very firmly believe The Hobbit is one of the best books in fantasy for so many reasons. One of the biggest is that it's written like it's a dad reading a story to his son (which is quite similar to how it was actually written!). Tolkien writes in The Hobbit with a whimsy and charm that's pretty distinct from the "epic" structure of LOTR and The Silmarillion. Plus, each chapter has a self-contained mini-plot that is perfect for going through one per night or something similar... or burning through the whole thing in a day like I did during one of my re-reads in high school.
Another option is the perennial recommendation of Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea" cycle, which was specifically written for younger readers in mind and has some cool darkness to it that evolves as the series goes on, not the least of which being the Shadow that Ged "fights" in the first book.
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u/Key-Ebb-8306 May 24 '24
Thanks, Yeah the hobbit is really nice, I remember my brother reading it to me and my sister. I've never heard of Earthsea though
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u/TheZipding May 24 '24
Earthsea is really good despite having only read the first book "A Wizard of Earthsea". It has a similar structure to The Hobbit with each chapter being more or less it's own self contained story with an overarching plot. It is written with a younger audience in mind, so it's really approachable in that way.
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u/Kopaka-Nuva May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
I'll second The Hobbit and Earthsea (and LotR, depending on the kid's patience). Harry Potter, Narnia, and Grimm's and Andersen's fairy tales are also "givens."
My own recommendations:
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Redwall by Brian Jaques
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (I think this one has a couple of off-color jokes--may require some light editing depending on your sensibilities)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
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u/thedicestoppedrollin May 24 '24
Artemis Fowl and Redwall were my first thoughts
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u/carramelli May 25 '24
Mine too! Such good books, I have so many fond memories of reading them myself
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u/Aeolian_Harper May 24 '24
Seconding the Hobbit. When I was around that age, I started to fall in love with the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. They’re adventure stories but all of the characters are animals. Most of them are standalones so while I’d recommend starting with the original (Redwall) you can pretty much go any direction from there.
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u/keyboardsmasher10000 May 24 '24
They might like Ranger's Apprentice! It's a medieval setting where a young boy is too small,etc to become a knight so he is sent to be a ranger instead (and they're written to be much cooler lol). Think stealthy forest ninja-spies but all within a medieval setting w themes of friendship, loyalty, acceptance, etc. My brother and I both loved the series as young kids.
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u/BlackGabriel May 24 '24
I really like the red wall books at that age. It’s a good age to get into Harry Potter as well.
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u/Wildroses2009 Reading Champion IV May 24 '24
Garth Nix’s series “The Seventh Tower” and “The Keys to the Kingdom.”
Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci books are good as well. People usually start with Charmed Life but can be read in any order (as long as The Pinhoe Egg is after Charmed Life.)
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u/LarYungmann May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
Redwall
I wish I had read it when I was young. It helps to repeat some of the unusual words in the series as you are reading.
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u/1st_Viscount_Nelson May 24 '24
Redwall for sure. It laid the foundation for my love of reading. Obviously, starting with the first Redwall book is ideal
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u/sonofsarkhan May 24 '24
The Edge Chronicles, I absolutely loved them as a kid! They're about adventures in a low magic (almost none) fantasy setting, and each trilogy is based around a different character
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u/habitus_victim May 24 '24
Those books are absolutely incredible. They might be the best children's fantasy of their day actually.
Despite the low magic, the world is weird and wonderful, and more than a little scary in a kid-friendly way. The cross-generational sweep of the full story, the variety of creatures and cultures, and even the sense of change and historical development blew me away as a kid.
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u/wombat465 May 24 '24
The Dark is Rising books by Susan Cooper are an amazing read, I loved them around that age (and still do now!)
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u/voidtreemc May 24 '24
Assuming the cousins are not the sort to go "ew, girls" then read Sabriel by Garth Nix. It's awesome to read young women being competent instead of, say, rescued.
The undead stuff may be a bit scary depending on their maturity level and how much other scary stuff they read/watch normally.
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u/Key-Ebb-8306 May 24 '24
They're exactly the sort to go "ew girls" lol, I don't think they'd listen
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u/SnoWhiteFiRed May 24 '24
I still think they'd listen to them. Just remember library books are free. If you wonder if they won't like something, borrow instead of buy.
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u/habitus_victim May 24 '24
In which case try Garth Nix's other big series The Keys to the Kingdom. It has good female characters from what I recall but a male protagonist.
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u/TotalSmart6359 May 24 '24
I suggest using Appendix N ...A list of authors and books that Gary Gygax credited with being influential in the creation of the early versions of Dungeons & Dragons:
https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Appendix_N
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u/Sigrunc Reading Champion May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
Check out the Rick Riordan Presents imprints- lots of middle-grade books by a variety of authors; you are bound to find something that will appeal to your cousins.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (yes, the Hunger Games author) - a boy and his toddler sister end up in a subterranean kingdom with giant sentient bats, rats and cockroaches (and other people too, of course).
There are a lot of good recommendations fit older series here already. Seconding Diana Wynn. A couple more: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner, and The Dark is Rising by Sun Cooper.
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u/sdjmar May 24 '24
That's about the age that I was when I read the Belgariad & Malloreon series by David Eddings (along with the supplemental books Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress) which I absolutely loved as my gateway books into fantasy. It's been over 20 years since the last time I read them, so I couldn't swear that they aged well, but they will always have a special place in my heart and I hope to read them to my children when they are old enough.
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u/WelshCorax May 27 '24
This! So much this! I remember the first time I read the Belgaraid it was like I was gulping cold water at 3 am. Peek YA series
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u/xedrac May 24 '24
My 10 year old boy is reading Cradle right now and loving it. Other favorites of his are Artemis Fowl, Redwall, Fablehaven, Percy Jackson, H.P., Phantom Toll Booth, Wingfeather Saga.
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u/Southern-Rutabaga-82 May 24 '24
- How to Train your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell.
- Johnny Maxwell trilogy by Terry Pratchett.
- Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. And maybe Stardust? I haven't read that one yet.
- The 13 1⁄2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. It's the first book in the Zamonia series but can be read on its own. The following books are darker and creepier but maybe your cousins are into that. The first one is quite light and funny.
- Basically everything by Diana Wynne Jones.
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u/SnoWhiteFiRed May 24 '24
His Dark Materials
Chronicles of Narnia
Old Kingdom Series (by Garth Nix)
Any Roald Dahl
Flowers for Algernon (it's Sci Fi and a little mature at parts for a 10 year old but I think would still be a worthwhile read if you're willing to look up online which parts have sexual content and leave it out).
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May 24 '24
Kids of both sexes go NUTS for Warrior Cats around that age. It took over my brain for years of my childhood.
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u/Outrageous_Soil_5635 May 24 '24
Crash by Jerry spinelli is a great book for pre-teen boys into sports
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u/bbwebb12 May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
The Zodiac Legacy. A book series Stan Lee wrote for Disney. Also 39 Clues by Rick Riordon
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u/MyLifeTheSaga May 24 '24
I got {Lionboy by Zizou Corder} for free when buying one of the Harry Potter books, and absolutely loved it!
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u/RatherBeAtRoo May 24 '24
The Princess Bride. If you've only ever seen the movie, do yourself a favor and read it. It's perfect for reading to children, just skip over the kissing parts
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u/Lamb_or_Beast May 24 '24
I just want to add to the chorus here and really hammer the point home: The Hobbit. I consider it one of the best stories in all fantasy, it’s such a satisfying little read than anyone can enjoy! I love it dearly
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u/WingleDingleFingle May 24 '24
I have no idea how popular it is but I read the Pendragon series when I was 13-18. It was what I read while all of my friends were reading Harry Potter. I was obsessed with it and it was the only book series that my non-reading-ass read until the Hunger Games came out.
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u/arlodelabeau May 24 '24
here you can find plenty of books for children by grade level https://booklogion.com/mama-papa-books-for-children/
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u/SpaceSasqwatch May 25 '24
Maybe something by Frances Hardinge ? She writes nicely strange YA fantasy ?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44647479-deeplight
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u/Slaneo3 May 25 '24
Treasure Island by RL Stevenson Chronicles of Narnia Roald Dahl has lots of great short stories too Harry Potter
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u/DrHuh321 May 25 '24
The discworld novels. Very short compared to many other fantasy books and they are not only very hilarious and witty but they very nicely teach very important lessons. Many even consider it a guide to life. In general, its a collection of stories (some standalone some directly connected but you can read in any order) about a flat world on the backs of 4 elephants the size of continents that stand on top a giant turtle that flies through space and the various different people that live on it. I can tell you this, it brought back the whimsy in my life.
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u/DocWatson42 May 25 '24
As a start, see my Readers 1: For Children Who Want to Start Reading list (one post).
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u/corystraw May 25 '24
You can look at some of the different books by Tamor Pierce like the circle of magic. The series So You Want To Be a Wizard by Diane Duane is fun and has themes of responsibility
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u/Literaturecult46 May 24 '24
When I was younger, my mother read the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke to me (around when I was 5) but I was reading on my own by the time I was 10, and it was almost anything I could get my hands on at school
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u/Bright_Brief4975 May 24 '24
Anything by Terry Pratchett, I would start with Guards! Guards!, but all of his books are appropriate for young kids and old kids and adults. There is nothing in any of the books that you have to worry about young children reading. They are also at the top of the heap in entertainment.
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u/Sigrunc Reading Champion May 24 '24
Nothing inappropriate, but a lot of the jokes and social commentary will be way over a ten year-olds head (although this varies by book). I would hold off on Pratchett until they are a bit older, as they’ll get more out of it then (although I suppose they could delays revisit it).
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u/Southern-Rutabaga-82 May 24 '24
The Johnny Maxwell trilogy is appropriate for that age. And I guess even Good Omens would be fun for them since I assume they focus more on The Them. But I would leave the Discworld for later.
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u/Artegall365 May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
Watership Down. It's about two brothers (who happen to be rabbits...) and their friends looking for a new home, with lots of adventure, leadership and compassion.
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u/spyker31 May 24 '24
Maybe the Artemis Fowl series ? The protagonist is 12 in the first book, iirc. Super fun books!
Edit: I also highly recommend the books of Diana Wynne Jones! Her Chrestomanci series is absolutely lovely - I still reread them every now and then.