9 Books for Tween Boys My Kid Says Your Kids Should Read!

Ah, summer: the time when summer reading lists swarm, and compete with summer fun bucket lists for internet saturation. Here’s the thing: those book lists are usually compiled by moms. Here are 9 books for tween boys that are recommended by one of their own!

I asked my 12-year-old son Jefferson to give me a list of his Top 10 books for tween boys he thinks all kids should read! He gave me 9, because he’s a stickler for detail (just like his mother) and he says he technically didn’t read Tarzan of the Apes, even though it’s one of his favorite books, because I read it to him. Picky, picky. Also, he strongly objects to the lame label tween.

9 books for tween boys my kid says your kids should read! A book list for kids, by a kid! Ender's Game, Han Solo Adventures, and more great books for tweens! — Pin it! Books for tween boys my kid says your kids should read!

These books for tween boys are not baby books a la Diary of a Wimpy Kid. These are novels and nonfiction books filled with complex characters and real ideas! You won’t find The Hunger Games on this list; you’ll find the more original and better written Ender’s Game. While none of these could be considered Great Books, each book on this list appeals to tweens and teens looking for interesting summer reading that’s a little easier to digest than a classic like The Three Musketeers (that one is on my list of Great Books for big kids!).

[Tweet “9 books for tweens my 12-yr-old says your kids should read this summer! #reading #booksforkids”]

These books are filled with action, adventure, and yes, violence. There’s a bit of cussing in Ender’s Game, but not much more than you’ll find in your Bible. War is hell.

Two of Jefferson’s picks are nonfiction World War II books. If you want to get your kids hooked on history and thinking about morality, grab a stack of World War II books from the library, plop them on a bookshelf, and watch your kids take the bait.

There are more than 35 books for tweens on this list, not just 9: There are 16 books in the Ender series by Orson Scott Card, 2 books so far in Stan Lee’s The Zodiac Legacy, 3 books in the Han Solo Adventures series (plus hundreds of Star Wars books!) and of course, 7 books in the Harry Potter series. If your kid is an avid reader, consider grabbing one or two books ahead in each series when you buy or check out the first book.

Very Important: Title to the contrary, these books for tween boys are great books for tween girls too! If you have a tween daughter and despair over the vapid fluff that crappy writers and amoral publishers dump on America’s tween and teen girls (PSA: do not let your daughter waste brain cells on Twilight!), show your daughter this great book list!

[Tweet “No girl should read Twilight. 9 great books for tweens! Vampire free. #reading #booksforkids”]

9 Books for Tween Boys My Son Says Your Kids Should Read!

I’ve included links to each book on Amazon to make the books easy to find and save to your Amazon Wishlist. Click the link on any book title and photo to go to the Amazon page (affiliate links). Request these books from your local library to read for free!

I’m not a fan of digital reading, especially for kids, but if you’re traveling by plane this summer, it’s practical to load all the books your kids might read onto a lightweight e-reader. Be sure to buy a Kindle “Without Special Offers” so your kids don’t start thinking that reading, like TV and apps, is meant to be filled with advertisements. Most libraries now offer free digital book downloads.