Oh, these are good! You have listed some of my all-time favorites! I can't even tell you which of these is my favorite, because I love them all so much!!
Some for your list might be the books of G. A. Henty, who wrote 100% historical fiction, each volume of which has a teen boy for a protagonist.
Other books with boy-protagonists that come to mind....
* Lassie (okay, about a dog, but the background protagonist is the boy!)
* Old Yeller
* Johnny Tremain
* Treasures of the Snow
* Rufus M. (3rd book in the Moffats series)
* Where the Red Fern Grows
* Homer Price
* Henry Reed, Inc.
* Master Cornwall
* Books by Stephen Meader (one of my favorite authors for boys), like "River of the Wolves" and "Blueberry Mountain"
* The Cricket in Times Square
* Rascal
* Call It Courage
* A Single Shard
* Snow Treasure
Mmmmm.... so many good books. Thank you for your wonderful list, Rachelle!
Great list! I can’t seem to find Master Cornwall, but I found a book called Master Cornhill by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Could this be the title you were recommending? Thanks!
What strikes me most about this list is that not one sits a boy down to teach him anything. My Side of the Mountain especially. The story supplies a hollowed tree and a fish hook and lets the maturity arrive sideways, while Sam is busy working out how to eat. That's the secret to it – books that contain lessons that never announce themselves are the only kind a boy will sit still for.
I agree! My husband really loves all the Walt Morey books, I buy him one every birthday and Christmas, and he definitely wants our boys to read them when they are older!
Yes! Read these with girls, too. I called these "books for boys" just because it can be hard to find young male protagonists, but they're good books for everybody!
Yes, I really appreciate that! We’ve all been enjoying the Little House series recently, so looking forward to adding more boy protagonists into the mix!
Delighted to have found you. We homeschooled our three kids "all the way through", and we read and loved most of the books on your list (and we also read aloud and lightly edited Little Britches!).
Lloyd Alexander’s series of Prydain, and Flanagan’s, Ranger Apprentice series, and Brother Band series are outstanding! John Ransome’s Amazons and Swallows is an amazing series wherein the protagonist’s are older brother’s and younger sisters. The Bronze Bow, as well as several of Rosemary Sutcliff’s books are filled with adventurous boy protagonists in faithful historical settings. Finally, the Green Ember series is an excellent primarily male rabbit protagonist series for boys. The Wingfeather Saga, a fantasy series by Peterson is also outstanding with older brother and younger mixed sibling protagonists.
You've inadvertently made me rediscover a book I read as a teenager and have been thinking about for a while now, but I absolutely could not remember either the title or the author, just that it was set in medieval times and was about twin Viking boys who are stranded during an attempted raid on Scotland and end up settling there permanently. Now I was just reading your list above and The Door in the Wall by Marguerite D'Angeli caught my eye and I thought "That sounds interesting..." and looked her up, wondering if I'd ever read anything by her before. And lo and behold, there among her works was THAT story about the Viking boys in Scotland — Black Fox of Lorne!! (I honestly didn't recall that title at all, but it is definitely the book, as I recognised the dust jacket illustration shown on Wikipedia.)
Now I will have to read that AND The Door in the Wall, obviously. Thank you for that totally unexpected gift! ❤️ (And extra kudos to you for putting The Horse and His Boy at the top of your list, where it thoroughly deserves to be. 🦁)
I don't remember much about the plot except for the basics I've mentioned, but I remember I enjoyed it, and it has a Christian theme too. I've never forgotten that it begins with an epigraph whose source I don't recall (it's a short poem), but I always remember the last lines: "Often, often, often, Goes Christ in the stranger's guise." ❤️
I've just ordered second hand copies of both Black Fox of Lorne and The Door in the Wall! 📖🤩📖 (Most copies for sale online seem to be in the US, understandably, but the ones I bought are from sellers in the UK, where I live, so that kept the postage down.)
These are all great! Excited you know Sugar Creek Gang - I still have the cassettes of that series we listened to growing up and am excited to share them with my boys :)
Some of our favorites are here! I will have to look for the others. I always tell families with boys not to miss Jonathan Roger's Wilderking trilogy. Action and humor in all the right proportions!
I have only read Farmer Boy and The Horse and his Boy, well, I am a woman behind this Sherlock Holmes profile picture, I have not heard of the rest of these. Then again, maybe it was because I read Hardy Boys a lot.
Do you consider Shane as one of them, if you read it yet? Or like at a high school age, if you have read it?
Oh, these are good! You have listed some of my all-time favorites! I can't even tell you which of these is my favorite, because I love them all so much!!
Some for your list might be the books of G. A. Henty, who wrote 100% historical fiction, each volume of which has a teen boy for a protagonist.
Other books with boy-protagonists that come to mind....
* Lassie (okay, about a dog, but the background protagonist is the boy!)
* Old Yeller
* Johnny Tremain
* Treasures of the Snow
* Rufus M. (3rd book in the Moffats series)
* Where the Red Fern Grows
* Homer Price
* Henry Reed, Inc.
* Master Cornwall
* Books by Stephen Meader (one of my favorite authors for boys), like "River of the Wolves" and "Blueberry Mountain"
* The Cricket in Times Square
* Rascal
* Call It Courage
* A Single Shard
* Snow Treasure
Mmmmm.... so many good books. Thank you for your wonderful list, Rachelle!
We loved Johnny Tremain!
One of my favorites too! I must make another expansion of this list.
Great list! I can’t seem to find Master Cornwall, but I found a book called Master Cornhill by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Could this be the title you were recommending? Thanks!
Christina - yes, that is the book! My mistake!! :)
Thanks! I’m also excited to check out Henry Reed, Inc.; hadn’t heard of it before! :)
It is so good!! I was so surprised that I'd never heard of it until we found it - it is excellent. :)
What strikes me most about this list is that not one sits a boy down to teach him anything. My Side of the Mountain especially. The story supplies a hollowed tree and a fish hook and lets the maturity arrive sideways, while Sam is busy working out how to eat. That's the secret to it – books that contain lessons that never announce themselves are the only kind a boy will sit still for.
🤩 please do another installment! Boys need good books and these are all great.
I agree! My husband really loves all the Walt Morey books, I buy him one every birthday and Christmas, and he definitely wants our boys to read them when they are older!
Owls in the Family sounds really neat!
It's a fun read!
Can’t wait to read these with my son (and daughters) when he’s old enough!! Would love to see a part 2 if you decide to write one! 😊
Yes! Read these with girls, too. I called these "books for boys" just because it can be hard to find young male protagonists, but they're good books for everybody!
Yes, I really appreciate that! We’ve all been enjoying the Little House series recently, so looking forward to adding more boy protagonists into the mix!
Delighted to have found you. We homeschooled our three kids "all the way through", and we read and loved most of the books on your list (and we also read aloud and lightly edited Little Britches!).
Just David belongs on this list! Great post, thank you!
Lloyd Alexander’s series of Prydain, and Flanagan’s, Ranger Apprentice series, and Brother Band series are outstanding! John Ransome’s Amazons and Swallows is an amazing series wherein the protagonist’s are older brother’s and younger sisters. The Bronze Bow, as well as several of Rosemary Sutcliff’s books are filled with adventurous boy protagonists in faithful historical settings. Finally, the Green Ember series is an excellent primarily male rabbit protagonist series for boys. The Wingfeather Saga, a fantasy series by Peterson is also outstanding with older brother and younger mixed sibling protagonists.
So many great books here! I chose to limit this list to ten, but I need to make an expanded list.
Hi Rachelle,
You've inadvertently made me rediscover a book I read as a teenager and have been thinking about for a while now, but I absolutely could not remember either the title or the author, just that it was set in medieval times and was about twin Viking boys who are stranded during an attempted raid on Scotland and end up settling there permanently. Now I was just reading your list above and The Door in the Wall by Marguerite D'Angeli caught my eye and I thought "That sounds interesting..." and looked her up, wondering if I'd ever read anything by her before. And lo and behold, there among her works was THAT story about the Viking boys in Scotland — Black Fox of Lorne!! (I honestly didn't recall that title at all, but it is definitely the book, as I recognised the dust jacket illustration shown on Wikipedia.)
Now I will have to read that AND The Door in the Wall, obviously. Thank you for that totally unexpected gift! ❤️ (And extra kudos to you for putting The Horse and His Boy at the top of your list, where it thoroughly deserves to be. 🦁)
Ooh, I haven't read Black Fox of Lorne, but now I must find it!
I don't remember much about the plot except for the basics I've mentioned, but I remember I enjoyed it, and it has a Christian theme too. I've never forgotten that it begins with an epigraph whose source I don't recall (it's a short poem), but I always remember the last lines: "Often, often, often, Goes Christ in the stranger's guise." ❤️
I've just ordered second hand copies of both Black Fox of Lorne and The Door in the Wall! 📖🤩📖 (Most copies for sale online seem to be in the US, understandably, but the ones I bought are from sellers in the UK, where I live, so that kept the postage down.)
Great list!
Thank you!
A great list! Thanks for putting it together!
Thank you!
These are all great! Excited you know Sugar Creek Gang - I still have the cassettes of that series we listened to growing up and am excited to share them with my boys :)
I read my dad’s old copies. They’re so great!
Thank you for sharing this!
Signed, a mom of three boys
Some new finds here, notably Paul Hutchens and Bulla. My library only has as audiobooks but that's fine for my kids who listen for hours every day.
Our local Christian radio station plays The Sugar Creek Gang audiobooks every weekday! Maybe you have something similar 😊
Some of our favorites are here! I will have to look for the others. I always tell families with boys not to miss Jonathan Roger's Wilderking trilogy. Action and humor in all the right proportions!
I have only read Farmer Boy and The Horse and his Boy, well, I am a woman behind this Sherlock Holmes profile picture, I have not heard of the rest of these. Then again, maybe it was because I read Hardy Boys a lot.
Do you consider Shane as one of them, if you read it yet? Or like at a high school age, if you have read it?
I’d like my son to read Shane when he’s a little older.
Why did I comment redundantly?🤦♀️