When I was a kid, I loved reading scary stories and stories about journeys.I suppose that's exactly why I blended these characteristics together in my recently-released novel, in the path of falling objects, and my forthcoming The Marbury Lens (which is very scary -- to the point that it bothered me to work on it).
That said, I have a couple terrific recommendations for other books for boys today that are also the types of books that I loved to read as a kid (and still do, by the way).
First up: Half-Minute Horrors
This anthology comes out just in time for Halloween, and it's a perfect book of bust-em-out concentrated little horror stories by some of the most incredible authors out there. I'm not going to name any of them because most of them have restraining orders against me for having shared elevator cars in the past... except for my dear friend Yvonne Prinz (author of the forthcoming Vinyl Princess).
Boys will love the punchy format and the outstanding and twisted stories contained in the book. Totally the kind of book I would have torn through as a teen. One of the most admirable things about this combined effort is that it is brought to you by First Books, a non-profit organization that gets new books into the hands of kids from low-income families.
Check out the Half-Minute Horrors website here.
Next up: Surf Mules, by my friend G. Neri
Again, the punchy and compact chapters, each headed with grayscale illustrations are going to grab boys' attention right away. But the taught and suspenseful story about friends who get involved in the life-and-death consequences associated with drug-running will keep reluctant readers glued to the text.
Read more about G. Neri and his books on his website here.
These, along with a couple of titles I could think of by the guy who lets me write this blog for him, hold a promise that guy-books are making the show more frequently in the YA section of your favorite bookstores.
