Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
- For people who like… steampunk, monsters, battle technology, history rewrites, intriguing mysteries, war heroes, deception, science, awesome world building, romanticized war
- Ages: 12+
- Parent warnings: No warnings – the characters spend most of the book being chased by bad guys.
- NOTES: #1 in a series. Second book is available called Behemoth.
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
- For people who like… contemporary stories about boys told by a teenage boy
- Ages: 14+
- Parent warnings: Deals with a character breaking rules, a parent mentally and emotionally traumatizing his kids, and an implied sexual situation blamed on the wrong person. All of it is told in an honest, real way that opens up dialogue about being a high school boy.
- NOTES: My husband taught this book in his high school English classes and the boys who NEVER read devoured this book.
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell
- For people who like… villains, superheroes, super powers, and for people who sometimes like the villain more than the hero. Also for anyone who loved Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
- Ages: 14+
- Parent warnings: The story is about a teenage supervillain in a world where superheroes and supervillains are common and accepted. The supervillain kid is not necessarily a nice person all of the time.
- NOTES: For an adult version of this same sort of story, please check out Soon I Will Be Invincible – the best superhero book ever written – told in alternating viewpoints of the supervillain and one of the superheroes. It is also appropriate for older teenagers.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- For people who like… The Hunger Games, LOST, Lord of the Flies, dystopian fiction, survival fiction, stories with strong boy characters, heroes, super-governments
- Ages: 14+
- Parent warnings: The story has some kids put in danger and shows a world with kids living without parental supervision
- NOTES: This book only has male characters until the very end when one female is introduced to the story. Very good for reluctant boy readers. This book is the first in a series, the second THE SCORCH TRIALS is out and can also be purchased.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
- For people who like… Dungeons & Dragons, roleplaying games, World of Warcraft, low fantasy, mythology, video game roleplaying games, mysteries, story twists
- Ages: 14+
- Parent warnings: The main character, a prisoner, is kind of mouthy to those who hold him captive. They are not very nice to him.
- NOTES: The first of a series of books, all of which are available for purchase.
