[LM_NET] HIT: "Dude" Books (Long)

[gayle prentice wood <tiadragon@GMAIL.COM>]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful suggestions!  Now if only I had the
budget to make sweeping purchases…

*Original Post:*  I just had a Language Arts teacher come to me saying that
she loves her SSR (sustained silent reading) but that we have too few "dude"
books.  I wanted to put out a call for any favorite titles recommended for
and/or popular with high school boys, majority of reading levels range from
low to middle.

*Responses:*

Authors that are hot in my school:

Terry Trueman, Graham Salisbury (local for you I think!)  Carl Deuker
(sports -  local to Seattle), Chris Crutcher, Rick Riordan.

Heck, I've even got some guys reading Twilight!  The sell point is "book
as chick magnet" -- girls will want to know you if you read what they
read and can discuss it with some intelligence!

*****

Anything by Alex Horowitz and definitely the Cirque du Freak series.

*****

Yay!!!

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian--Sherman Alexie
Bleachers--John Grisham
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime--Mark Haddon
Deadline--Crutcher
7 Deadly Wonders--Mathew Reilly (Not such a great book, but hugely popular
with my boys right now)
9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation--Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel--Adapted by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Parts I and II)--Jeff Kinney
House of the Scorpion--Nancy Farmer
Little Brother--Cory Doctorow
Shadow Divers--Robert Kurson

*****

Stone Arch books has titles that appeal to dudes with a lower lexile levile.
 Also, Jerry Spinelli, Gary Paulsen, Paul Zindel and Jack Gantos are good
author choices for this group.

*****

For mid to high lexile leveled, male students I recommend the following
authors:

Robert Cormier
Michael Crichton
Steven King
JRR Tolkien
Ursala K. Leguin
Ray Bradbury
Orson Scott Card
Douglas Adams
Richard Matheson

Guys Write for Guys Read is an anthology of stories that may hook reluctant
male readers into reading because the stories are written by well-known and
loved male authors.

*****

Perhaps the Bluford High series

*****

I just finished Raiders Night by Lipsyte. Wow. Would surely get there
attention through the ending. Hazing, bully parent, football, standing up
for someone else.

*****

The Cirque du Freak series and the Demonata series by Darren Shan keep my
high school boys reading.  The latest Christopher Paolinl book, Brisingr
(Eragon trilogy) is also very hot right now, and, boys are also getting
hooked on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

*****

The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson and any books by Will Hobbs are
popular with boys.

*****

If they like Monster, they'll love Fallen Angels by Meyers, and my kids also
like Sunrise Over Falljuah. Dean Hughes also has an excellent Vietnam book,
Search and Destroy.

For the ones who are higher level readers, try Rash by Peter Hautman.

*****

Without knowing exact reading levels (i.e. we have 7th graders who read at a
second grade level) here is what I would suggest:

Check into Stone Arch and Orca Soundings (HS) or Orca Currents (MS)

Harris and Me by Paulsen
Weasel by DeFelice
Stones in Water by Napoli
Tears of a Tiger or Forged by Fire by Draper-this is part of a trilogy and
cannot remember the third one
Guts by Paulsen
Fallen Angels by Myers and Sunrise Over Fallujeh by Myers

*****

You must get the Baseball Card adventure books from Gutman. My boys LOVE
these. A summer school student told me that he'd read more books here than
any other school he'd ever been at.   He enjoyed Chris Lynch a lot and the
novel Whatever Happened to Cass McBride, too. No language in
Gutman...language in the others. Slam! by Walter Dean Myers is also a hit.

*****

Here are some books that our guys really like to read:

Hoopster, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Homeboyz, by Sitomer
Hip Hop High School, by Sitomer
The Last Mission, by Harry Mazer
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
Game, by Myers
Shooter, by Myers
Slam!, by Myers
Bluford Series
Cirque du Freak Series

*****

Have her take a look at www.guysread.com

*****

Some ideas for dude books

Bluford High Series
Emako Blue
Parrot in the Oven
Crank

I'll love to see a hit.  Our "dude" books are out all the time.

*****

Thanks again!!!

Gayle Prentice Wood
Library Coordinator
Mt. Scott Learning Centers (Portland, OR)
gwood@mtscottlearningcenters.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
  You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
  by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET  2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
 3) SET LM_NET MAIL  4) SET LM_NET DIGEST  * Allow for confirmation.
 * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
 * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
 * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
 * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
 * LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------