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Children's books

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Original poster

What are the boy equivalents of Little House on the Prairie/Anne of Green Gables/Malory Towers/Judy Blume>

84 replies

BellaBearisWideAwake · 15/07/2011 20:42

You know, the books where you end up reminiscing about one night with friends and everyone has read them.

(I appreciate I am generalising heavily about boy and girl books, apologies. Just had a bit of a sad moment when I realised that having no girls I am less likely to pass these stories on to my children)

OP posts:
ravenAK · 15/07/2011 22:05

yes definitely Rosemary Sutcliff! & Leon Garfield. Jack London - White Fang, Call of the Wild.

Oh & another fantastic one for historically-minded teenagers is Mary Renault - The King Must Die, The Alexander Trilogy.

ravenAK · 15/07/2011 22:03

The Flashman novels are absolutely brilliant, but some of the language used is decidedly misogynistic, racist or both (in character as the narrator, to be fair).

Ds is nearly 7 & likes Roald Dahl, Kipling, G. Durrell, & the more adventuresome Enid Blytons. He's also a Harry Potter fanatic (I know they're more recent, but I have a teacher-training student who grew up on them - eek, I feel old!). He's not so keen on C S Lewis.

Annunziata · 15/07/2011 22:01

Perhaps not classics as such but all 3 of mine suggested Eagle of the Ninth and The Desperate Journey.

Liv77 · 15/07/2011 22:00

DH said his favourites were
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators series
Any Dr Who Books (he's still buying those now)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Glass Elevator
Narnia, LOTR, and Enid Blyton's The Barney Mysteries Collection
Hardy Boys were ok too

mondayschild · 15/07/2011 21:53

Summerbird - I think that Judy Blume book was "Then again, maybe I won't". There was also the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing/SuperFudge ones with a male narrator but think they were for slightly younger children. I loved all her books.Smile

Great thread -I'd been thinking about ways of keeping DS intersted in books as he gets older and there's lots of inspiration on here.

PotPourri · 15/07/2011 21:48

Deinately swallows and amazons, narnia, Just William, Hardy Boys, Roald Dhal but little house on the prairie and anne of green gables still ok. There are loads of Enid Blyton books - The faraway tree, ,Secret seven, famous 5 to name but a few. And Dick King Smith had loads of really good books (saddlebottom is the one that got made into babe), Charlotte's web.

don't be sad about not reading the other ones to them (the mallory towers are a bit pap imo, not sure I will be reading them or St Clare's to my girls)

thisisyesterday · 15/07/2011 21:43

oh yes, i remember the whaling one... i have memories of them cutting out chunks of whale flesh so they could stand on the whale???? that had been harpooned??

SevenAgainstThebes · 15/07/2011 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

suzikettles · 15/07/2011 21:39

Ah, now they may be sexist, bloodthirsty and borderline racist (if not out and out - not read any for years), but Underwater Adventure is the reason that I know what to do if I get my foot caught in a giant clam shell.

Invaluable.

exexpat · 15/07/2011 21:39

Stig of the Dump
The Phantom Tollbooth
Emil and the Detectives
all the Willard Price ones
Lord of the Rings
Paddington
Roald Dahl
Just William

Those are all classics that appeal to boys - but they were also favourites of mine, and I'm female.

HumphreyCobbler · 15/07/2011 21:37

thisisyesterday - they are also incredibly relaxed about shooting animals. In one book they go Whaling...

AandK · 15/07/2011 21:37

I've just had another thought how about a childrens treasury? Classics like Rikki Tikki Tavvi, Lorna Doone, Bedgelert. All lovely stories :)

suzikettles · 15/07/2011 21:36

For my brother it was a series by Martin Waddell about a boy called Napper who played football for his school team.

Napper Goes for Goal
Napper and the Big Match
Napper Wins Again
Napper Snags A WAG

You get the general idea.

I'm sure they're well out of print, but they were the one series that really got my brother reading, although he liked Biggles & The Willard Price books too.

Annunziata · 15/07/2011 21:36

Treasure Island? Second Roald Dahl, particularly Danny Champion of the World and James and the Giant Peach.

Sariska · 15/07/2011 21:31

The Flashman series. Good for 11/12 yo + if of a vaguely historical bent.

thisisyesterday · 15/07/2011 21:30

oh yes gerald durrell definitely!

thisisyesterday · 15/07/2011 21:30

word of warning re: willard price

my brother and i LOVED them as kids. but when I re-read some of them as an adult, well.... they're not very um, politically correct, if you care about that kind of thing.
v. sexist!

Sariska · 15/07/2011 21:28

Following on from Willard Price, what about Gerald Durrell? Not just My Family and Other Animals. Three Singles to Adventure, The Drunken Forest, Beasts in My Belfry etc all fired me up as a child (and I still love them) - and they're as unisex as they come IMO.

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 15/07/2011 21:27

Ha! Just asked DH if he knew Willard Price and he is waxing lyrical about them. Brilliant!

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 15/07/2011 21:24

Will look at Willard Price, never heard of him, thanks

really great suggestions, off now but thanks to everyone

OP posts:
AandK · 15/07/2011 21:22

What about huckleberry finn? My ds reads michael morpurgo too and Roald Dahl is easy all round :)

HumphreyCobbler · 15/07/2011 21:21

The Willard Price Adventure series - two teenage boys rushing off round the world catching giant squid/gorillas/manta rays/tigers etc for their zoo owing father. Superb. I loved them and so did DH.

thisisyesterday · 15/07/2011 21:19

my friend got the entire collection of Roald Dahl books from the book people (i think) for about £20! DS1 is getting them for christmas and I can't wait

thisisyesterday · 15/07/2011 21:18

what about things like tin tin? never read it myself mind

SarkySpanner · 15/07/2011 21:16

Only books I heard blokes talk about in this way are the hobbit and lord of the rings.