Readers familiar with Little Willow's site likely know that she creates lists for all sorts of subjects, formats, genres and just funky ideas that will appeal to certain readers. In particular she has a great list of books for teenage boys with male points of view. To name just a few she thought of, consider the following:
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Funny Little Monkey by Andrew Auseon
Nothing but the Truth by Avi
Looking for Alaska by John Green
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Paper Towns by John Green
Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
This has all gotten me thinking about other books for teens with male POVs something we should be actively keeping track of. (Recent publications would include Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian.) (The Gaiman book actually has a younger protag but I think it still works fine for high school readers.)(You tell me if I'm wrong.)
I'm sure we could put together a list if everyone helps us out. To keep from veering into the classics (love Tom Sawyer, but we pretty much all know about Tom Sawyer... :) let's keep the titles contemporary - the 21st century only. That doesn't mean we won't take a look at older books later, but for now give me the best books in the past eight years with teenage male POV.
17 comments :
Tim Tharp's two books, Knights of Hill Country and The Spectaclar Now both have the male teen protag POV. So does Gene Yang's American Born Chinese, unless you discount it because of the Monkey King.
CLAY by David Almond
BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan
KING DORK by Frank Portman
SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU by Peter Cameron
GEOGRAPHY CLUB by Brent Hartinger
HELLBENT by Anthony McGowan
GODLESS by Pete Hautman
HERO TYPE by Barry Lyga
THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND by Jonathan Stroud
Thanks, Colleen! :)
All the Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) and Rick Riordan (The Lightning Thief) YA titles. Feed by M.T. Anderson. The Sky Inside by Clare Dunkle. All the Gregor the Overlander books by Suzanne Collins. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks. The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer. And Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (even though the protagonist is not a teenager, the topic is of great interest to YA males).
David, Assume, Jeanne - Thanks for the responses! Of the titles you've suggested, I'll add the titles I've read and enjoyed. :)
I love Tim Tharp Daivd - Knights is one of the best books I've read about high school ever.
I forgot to add Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers - fabulous.
Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini was pretty good.
Off the top of my head, The Knife of Never Letting Go...I'll look through my Cybils sci fi/fantasy list and see if there's anything else that stands out.
Here's a few more titles: Rash by Pete Hautman, Freak Show, James St. James, Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher, Right Behind You, Gail Giles, Deadline, Chris Crutcher
Great list going here!
Does Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins count?
Notes for a War Story, by Gipi, is a graphic novel about disassociated youth and the bonds of friendship. Three young men wander about their Balkan country, avoiding the militia and the shelling that war has brought. With Felix, a charming and dangerous war profiteer, they become embroiled in crime operations, and their friendship and mettle are tested. War Story never loses track of the fact that these are children, in a situation too difficult for most adults to grasp. If you like this fiction, try Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde. In graphic format, this is nonfiction about the Bosnian war. Gipi's novel is good, Sacco's reporting is a masterpiece.
I am amazed there is a need for posts like this, but as I look through my YA books, there are few with a male POV. Last year I read
Skellig, David Almond
Tangerine, Edward Bloor
47, Walter Mosley
but those may be more for younger adolescents.
The more recent
The Savage, David Almond
may fit in that category, too.
I have to include
Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
in case one person out there hasn't read it yet. It has influenced so many of the others we have listed.
I am glad you started the list.
I loved "Notes for a War Story" as well David - I thought "Garage Band" was also pretty good and full of male teen characters (doing the classic guy thing of course).
Thanks to all of your contributing here - we'll keep watch on this post and put together a complete list as a "Live Wire" entry at the site later this month!
— Teen Angst? Naaah... by Ned Vizzini
— Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
— Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
— The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
— King Dork by Frank Portman
— I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
— The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
Technically not recent but...
— The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Stefan Petrucha-- Rule of Won and Teen, Inc.
Chris Lynch-- Cyberia.
Royce Buckingham-- Goblins!
What a great question!
I saw another Nancy Farmer on there, but I have to add the stunning HOUSE OF THE SCORPION.
I second Bloor's TANGERINE.
Most, if not all, books by Chris Crutcher feature male protagonists.
The PENDRAGON series by DJ MacHale for younger teens.
HOLES by Louis Sachar.
HOOT by Carl Hiaasen.
The RAINBOW BOYS series by Alex Sanchez.
THE DREAM MERCHANT by Isabel Hoving.
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