Best Children's Boys & Men Books

Gas station bathrooms, crazed seagulls, a fender bender, and a runaway pig—not exactly Greg Heffley’s idea of a good time. Gr 5–8—When Greg's mom, who's obsessed with family time, insists on a road trip, things are bound to get interesting. Will the Heffley family make it home?

A high-speed cops and robbers adventure with heart and soul about a father and son taking on the villainous Mr Big – and winning! Bad Dad is a fast and furious, heart-warming story of a father and son on an adventure – and a thrilling mission to break an innocent man into prison!

The #1 New York Times bestseller and sequel to Steelheart —a novel that James Dashner called “fantastic.”. Brandon Sanderson, the author of Words of Radiance , coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy, presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight . Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find. Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble. “The suspense is relentless and the climax explosive .” —James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Maze Runner series. Period.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The Name of the Wind “ Action-packed. Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store.” — The A.V. Gr 7 Up—A nonstop, explosive sequel to Sanderson's epic series opener, Steelheart (2013). With smart-aleck dialogue and humorous descriptions balancing the violent battle scenes, Sanderson manages to explore deeper themes and character development along with the blockbuster plotline. Period.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The Name of the Wind [ STAR ] “ Snappy dialogue, bizarre plot twists, high-intensity action, and a touch of mystery and romance . Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store.” —The A.V.

If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Booklist " Rick Riordan , dubbed "Storyteller of the Gods" by Publishers Weekly , is the author of three #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with 45 million copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on Greek mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and the Heroes of Olympus, based on Greek and Roman mythology. Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes .

A sweet, nostalgic goodnight to the thrill of a baseball game. A fun, comforting bedtime story for sports fans.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canadaα(c) Copyright 2013. Father and son enter through a turnstile, find their seats, buy hot dogs from a vendor, stand up for the seventh inning stretch, and watch a home run hit. In the book’s second section, the energetic four-beat lines of rhyming, rhythmic text slow to a gentler cadence mimicking lines from Goodnight Moon, as the boy and his dad wander across the field, through the dugout, out of the park, and homeward, saying good night to the grass, popcorn boxes, and so on. Though the story includes bits of mild fantasy, picture books about visiting a ballpark can be hard to find, and this one delivers the highlights of that experience in an easy-to-follow text illustrated with jaunty digital artwork.

Gas station bathrooms, crazed seagulls, a fender bender, and a runaway pig—not exactly Greg Heffley’s idea of a good time. Gr 5–8—When Greg's mom, who's obsessed with family time, insists on a road trip, things are bound to get interesting. Will the Heffley family make it home?

So when the siblings’ lemonade stand war begins, there really is no telling who will win—or even if their fight will ever end. Brimming with savvy marketing tips for making money at any business, definitions of business terms, charts, diagrams, and even math problems, this fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone’s intent. The story is highly readable and engaging, filled with real-life problems that relate to math, getting along with siblings and friends, dealing with pride, and determining right from wrong. The result is a funny, fresh, and plausible novel with likable characters, and is suitable for reluctant readers.– Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Davies, author of Where the Ground Meets the Sky (2002), does a good job of showing the siblings' strengths, flaws, and points of view in this engaging chapter book.

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format — a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. But neither she nor her mother could have predicted that her summer would be one long superhero adventure, starring none other than Flora and her new pet squirrel, Ulysses. Ulysses gains super-squirrel strength after being sucked into a vacuum cleaner, and he changes the Buckman family's lives, renewing a sense of hope and optimism in Flora. The novel features a number of fun cartoons, and does not translate well without the accompanying artwork, which plays a significant role in telling the story. While DiCamillo's work shines on paper, the excessive use of dialogue tags, and absence of corresponding artwork, make this novel a poor choice as a read aloud.—Jennifer Furuyama, Pendleton Public Library, OR. *Starred Review* The story begins with a vacuum cleaner. Newbery winner DiCamillo is a master storyteller, and not just because she creates characters who dance off the pages and plots, whether epic or small, that never fail to engage and delight readers.

Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race. No one has ever beaten Stone Fox, an imposing and silent Native American, but little Willy trains daily for the race with his beloved dog, Searchlight. The fact that one sentence was left out of the narration of Stone Fox and a few words were dropped from Top Secret might deter purchase of this audiobook for a read-along program. Teresa Wittmann, St. Anthony School, Renton, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. “Gardiner’s description of the race and sudden climax (based on legend) is fast-paced and enveloping.”.

Gas station bathrooms, crazed seagulls, a fender bender, and a runaway pig—not exactly Greg Heffley’s idea of a good time. Gr 5–8—When Greg's mom, who's obsessed with family time, insists on a road trip, things are bound to get interesting. Will the Heffley family make it home?

Cat isn't happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. Maya is frank about her illness and optimistic despite her awareness that her prognosis is poor, while Cat struggles, feeling intensely protective of her sister, anxious about her illness, and resentful about the limitations that Maya's condition places upon the whole family. VERDICT A can't-miss addition to middle grade graphic novel shelves; hand to fans of the author and newcomers alike.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

So when the siblings’ lemonade stand war begins, there really is no telling who will win—or even if their fight will ever end. Brimming with savvy marketing tips for making money at any business, definitions of business terms, charts, diagrams, and even math problems, this fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone’s intent. The story is highly readable and engaging, filled with real-life problems that relate to math, getting along with siblings and friends, dealing with pride, and determining right from wrong. The result is a funny, fresh, and plausible novel with likable characters, and is suitable for reluctant readers.– Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Davies, author of Where the Ground Meets the Sky (2002), does a good job of showing the siblings' strengths, flaws, and points of view in this engaging chapter book.