High interest and proven page turners, these tried and true titles make great choices for any reader!
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Well, if you're looking for some great books that have boys as main characters, there are plenty of them out there!
These books feature boys as the main character, but girls love 'em too!
Looking for more books ideas? Check out these posts for more great books!
Even kids who aren't big readers will find something that draws them in from this list!
Whether it's action and adventure, mystery and crime solving or something that makes you laugh, we've got you covered!
25+ Great Books With Boys As Main Characters!
Here is a basic age guide to help if you're doing the choosing. Every kid is different, but this should put you in the ballpark.
Adults enjoy these books too! Give 'em a read!
Age Breakdown:
Kids = 7-9
Mids= 10-12
Teens = 13+
by Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan's best-selling series is filled with a great cast of characters! Led by 12-year-old Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief brings Greek mythology to life in the most entertaining way possible!
Overflowing with funny scenes, fantasy, action and adventure, Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a fantastic series with a great follow-up series as well!
When your kid has finished all of the Percy Jackson books, The Heroes of Olympus series will be there to entertain!
Age: Kids, Mids, Teens +
Book Series
by Louis Sachar
A multilayered mystery, quirky characters and a family curse make this a book that is impossible to put down until you've reached the last page!
Read our review for Holes and find some fun activities to go along with this award-winning book here!
Age: Kids, Mids (Teens -and adults- would also definitely enjoy)!
by Roland Smith
13-year-old Quest and his older stepsister, Angela, are thrown together by way of their famous musician-parents' marriage and join them on the road for a year-long concert tour.
As if dealing with new family dynamics isn't enough, Quest & Angela find themselves in the middle of secrets, mysteries and a high-stakes conspiracy!
It's James Bond with a little bit of Indiana Jones thrown in and I,Q will no doubt keep you turning the pages and eager to read the next book in the series!
Age: Kids & Mids
Book Series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
by Jeff Kinney
This series features fun illustrations, a handwritten font and an easy conversational style of writing that make this a great series for kids!
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are a cross between a comic book/graphic novel and a journal. Even kids that don't normally love to read will find themselves flying through the pages and laughing along with Greg Heffley and the rest of the gang!
Fabulous books for kids that go in for funny reads, graphic novels/comic books and want a story that moves along at a quick pace!
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have super fun movie adaptations as well!
Age: Kids & Mids
by Mary Pope Osborne
This is an incredible book series that helps get your kid excited about reading and history!
Jack and Annie are a brother and sister team that travel throughout time, meet historical people, mythical creatures and characters, and experience everything you could just about think of! Young readers will turn page after page to see what happens next!
There's something for everyone with this series! Culture, history, magic, space, sports, dinosaurs and ninjas are just a few of the adventures that Jack and Annie experience in the Magic Tree House book series!
Perfect for young readers, The Magic Tree House series of beginning chapter books are high-interest reads that provide both quick-paced stories and plenty of follow ups to keep the adventures coming!
A Magic Tree House Series Bonus: Many of the Magic Tree House books have 'Fact Tracker' companion books like this one which are fabulous non-fiction additions to learn more about the subject!
Age: Young Kids (6-9)
Book Series
by Roald Dahl
Willy Wonka, the eccentric owner, is finally opening the doors to his highly secret factory! Five lucky winners will find a golden ticket in the Wonka chocolate bar and be able tour the Wonka Chocolate Factory!!
Whether it's the Oompa Loompas, Willy Wonka, or Charlie and the golden ticket holders, there's no shortage of crazy fun characters, a great story line and fantastic settings which is everything you need to make this a book that's fun for kids and adults alike!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a modern classic that has thrilled readers for generations and been translated to the big screen with great success! Here is our favorite version!
Even reluctant readers won't be able to put down this book filled with quirky characters, a wild-ride storyline and a hero to root for!
Loved it? See what happens next with the next book in the sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator!
If your reader enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, click here to see more titles by Roald Dahl!
Age: Kids & Mids
Mocha Energy Ball Truffles! So chocolatey! Delicious and easy! Find the recipe here!
James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
If you liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, take a fun trip in a Giant Peach with James and his unlikely companions!
Age: Kids & Mids
by Anthony Horowitz
This is a terrific book series for all those kids who are into spies and adventure!
This fast-paced series is great for reluctant readers and has plenty of hold-your-breath moments that will keep kids glued to the book page after page!
Thing Tom Cruise and Mission Impossible, but British!
Click here for some fun things to do and cool ideas to go along with Stormbreaker!
Age: Mids, younger teens
Book Series
by J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter book series goes without needing an intro! Just in case your kid hasn't read it yet, though- let me assure you, this is an incredible series that has it all!
Magic, quests, humor, friendship, drama and surprises are woven into a compelling story line that have solidified it's spot as the best-selling book series in history!
Harry Potter has some of the best movie adaptations we've ever seen as well! However, you definitely need to read the books first!
Age: Mids, Teens+
Note: Older kids or younger kids with strong reading skills have enjoyed these books as well, but fyi the reading level of the Harry Potter series is 6th grade and up.
Also, there are some mature themes and intense moments that you may not wish your younger reader to encounter independently yet.
Book Series
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Four kids pass a series of challenging tests and puzzles that bring them to the next step - to go undercover on a secret mission.
Arriving (undercover) as students at an educational institute located on a nearby island, Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance must work together to thwart the attempts of a criminal mastermind!
Far from your average kids' book, The Mysterious Benedict Society has an intricately woven plot with clever twists, fantastic characters and worthy surprises that will capture and hold your attention to the very end!
Age: Kids & Mids, (Teens and adults like it too! It's a fantastic book with great follow-ups!)
Book Series
by Gary Paulsen
13-year-old Brian Robeson survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness and has only his wits and a simple hatchet to survive!
This award-winning survival adventure has been thrilling readers since Hatchet was first released in 1987! A modern classic with plenty of follow up books for when you've finished the last page!
Age: Older Kids, Mids, Teens
Follow up Books/Series
Spy School
by Stuart Gibbs
This book draws you in from the first sentence! Funny, fast-paced writing + spy stuff = perfection!
12-year-old Ben Ripley finds himself in a spy school trying to survive misadventures, maintain his cool and impress the girl!
A popular series with tons of fans, there are plenty more books waiting when this one is finished!
(Above is a copy of Spy School from our public library; you can tell it's a hit with kids based on its well-read condition!)
Age: Kids & Mids
Book Series
by Jason Reynolds
Recommended by both kids and adults, this high-interest series grabbed the world by it's first installment, Ghost and fortunately has follow-ups to keep the energy going!
Written by an author whose main goal is to write books for boys who aren't into reading, this series starts out with the award-winning book, Ghost.
Ghost, Patina, Sunny and Lu are the diverse members of an elite track team. Each with their own set of challenges (focused on in their own stories), they come together to face and overcome their own issues and work to prove themselves both on and off the track.
Relatable, high-interest and edge of the seat writing will keep your reader turning page after page and reaching for the next book in the Track Series!
Kids, parents and teachers alike all have given these the Track Series an enthusiastic thumbs-up!
Age: Mids, Teens
Book Series
by Roland Smith
A fantastic read! After getting into trouble, 14-year-old Peak Marcello is given a choice. It's either off to juvenile detention or to go live with his dad who runs a climbing company in Thailand.
The teen with attitude makes his choice and gets recruited by his dad to climb Mt. Everest!
With amazing and descriptive writing this is an excellent book for those who go in for adventure! Peak is sure to keep you cool in the summer heat!
Enjoyed Peak? There are two follow up books in the Peak Marcello Adventures! Ascent and Descent will keep your cup filled with adventure and page-turning excitement!
Roland Smith is the author of more than 20 novels, a New York Times bestselling author and also both a former zoo curator and research biologist!
His books are filled with action, adventure and every necessary ingredient that will keep the pages turning!
Check out Roland Smith's website to read more about this very cool author!
Age: Mids, but Teens would like it for the adventure and identifiable lead character.
Trilogy
by John Grisham
Theo's parents are both lawyers and his goal is to follow in their footsteps!
In the small city where Theo lives, he sees himself as the next big courtroom attorney and even though he's only in middle school, he finds himself with plenty of clients and cases!
The Accomplice by John Grisham is the latest in this series of legal thrillers for kids where Theo must help his good friend, Woody, who has been accused of armed robbery.
With plenty of page turning suspense, the Theodore Boone books are great for road trips or kicking back on the porch or beach!
Age: Kids & Mids
Book Series
by James Patterson
Being that this blog is run by a mom & daughter, we like to consult with the brothers/sons/boys that we know or bump into occasionally to have a well-rounded perspective when we write certain posts, such as this one!
A few months back, we asked a 13-year-old boy in the library for some of his fave reads and in his exact words were: "Anything by James Patterson."
Here's one title for fans of action and adventure!
Ali Cross, son of the bestselling James Patterson character, Alex Cross, is eager to follow in his father's footsteps as a detective and find out what happened to his missing friend.
Age: Kids & Mids
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Book 1 of the Shadow Children Series
Families are only allowed to have two children. Luke is the third. He has lived all of his 12 years on a farm without ever having gone to school or seeing other kids other than his two siblings.
A housing development replaces the woods near his home, and now he can't even go outside. One day, he sees a girl's face in a window of one of those new houses that he knows has two other kids!
The Shadow Children is a fantastic series geared toward kids and middle grade readers that brings up great questions and is filled with page-turning intrigue and adventure!
Age: Kids & Mids
Book Series
by Brian Selznik
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a fantastic novel that is super fun to read and ‘figure out’ via the numerous illustrations that fill the book. The story is told in both words and pictures!
Hugo is an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris during the early 1900's. He tends to the clocks and manages to keep his life secret.
His life takes a turn, however, when a mysterious note from his deceased father puts him on the trail to a mystery that will keep the reader fascinated to the satisfying conclusion!
Age: Mids+
Stand Alone book, but Brian Selznik has two other titles with this fantastic format: Wonderstruck and The Marvels.
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
Unhappy with his life in New York City and living with his big family, Sam Gribley runs away to live by himself in the Catskill Mountains. With a few basic tools and forty dollars, he intends to survive on his own!
A very engaging survival book, My Side of the Mountain will keep your reader turning the pages!
Age: Kids & Mids
Trilogy
by R. L. Stine
This book series is a huge hit with boys! The Goosebumps Book series is the perfect choice for those readers that are looking for some serious thrills and chills!
This best-selling series has been scaring kids for a few decades and I'm sure will be around for many more! Thanks to Julian for the recommendation!
Age: older Kids & Mids
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Marty Preston meets Shiloh, a beagle living behind his house, and they become fast friends! The problem is Shiloh belongs to Judd Travers- a man who not only abuses his dogs, but also has a nasty temper to go with his drinking habit and gun.
Shiloh runs away and Marty aims to protect this dog that he cares about above all else, but secrets can be mighty difficult things. To make it worse, angry Judd wants his dog back.
I read Shiloh aloud to a class years ago having a lot of fun using different voices and accents. This award winning novel had the kids sitting on the edge of their seats begging for just one more page!
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island is a classic that continues to delight readers of all ages!
Great storytelling, characters and a great choice for your pirate-loving fan, Treasure Island is the perfect pick for anyone looking for a book that is overflowing with adventure!
Age: Mids, Teens+
by Rick Riordan
Ever since their mother died six years ago, siblings Carter and Sadie Kane haven't seen much of each other.
When their father brings them to the British Museum attempting to right a wrong, he winds up unleashing powerful Egyptian gods resulting in Carter and Sadie's discovery of their own powerful roots!
Join Carter and Sadie in The Kane Chronicles as they receive a crash course in Egyptian mythology and embark on a quest overflowing with action, humor and magic at every turn!
Age: Mids, Teens+
Book Trilogy
by James Dashner
This popular sci-fi dystopian series has been made into a movie is a fave among teens.
After waking up in a lift and only remembering his name, Thomas joins the other boys in the Glade whose memories are also gone.
Trying to escape an ever-changing maze and the organization who put them there, The Maze Runner is both critically acclaimed and hugely popular making it the perfect choice for a gift, road trip read or kicking back on the porch with a sure-fire page turner!
Age: Teens
Series
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
Well-paced, quirky characters, parallel storylines and a mystery or two all add up to a great read! If you liked Holes, you'll love Hoot!
New kid Roy Eberhardt has to contend with the usual trials and tribulations of being in a new school. One day, he spots a kid running fast in the morning Florida heat- and so the mystery begins!
Officer Delinko finds himself in the middle of a construction site quagmire when the soon-to-be-built Mother Paula's Pancake House progress is consistently stalled by a very tenacious and sneaky saboteur!
A great page turner that is super fun to read by yourself or aloud to whomever is around to listen! Favorite Hoot moment- page 26!
Age: Kids & Mids
Star Wars - Jedi Apprentice
by Dave Wolverton
If you have a Star Wars fan in the house, you've got plenty of reading material to choose from!
The young Luke Skywalker is a very identifiable hero that is just one of the many interesting characters in the Star Wars saga!
The Jedi Apprentice is one series that satisfies fans who want good books to read featuring Luke Skywalker and all those other characters from the galaxy far, far away!
Age: Kids & Mids
Book Series
Looking for more? Here is a great round-up of the best Star Wars books of all time according to this article!
I hope you found this helpful and found a book or two that your reader will enjoy!
Be sure to Pin it so you can return to it in the future!
Have you read a book featuring a boy as a main character that you think others would like? Let us in the comments below! There's no shortage of good books!
Know someone who might like this post? We'd love it if you'd share!
Happy reading!
April
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updated 07/2023 originally published 06/19/2020