I loved Jim Kjelgaard's books when I was your son's age. All about animals, mainly dogs. They aren't very long but there are tons of them. Some may be out of print but the library should have them. Other books I loved at the 8-10 age range: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Redwall (and series) by Brian Jacques -- also about animals, and also a stark division between good/evil, like the Dark is Rising series. I would start with Redwall, then do Mossflower, then Matimeo. The others are all kind of derivative but these 3, the early ones, are the best. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London (often sold together as a set or two books in one) The Hobbit by Tolkien The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey (didn't get into this until I was 10) Otto of the Silver Hand (set in medieval times, as I recall) The Gammage Cup (not terribly well known, I don't think, but a real gem) |
+1 and now my 9.5 year old is loving Harry Potter. |
| Be careful with the Pern books. Some are YA and some are poorly disguised romance novels. |
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Alex Rider series
Easy read, lots of action. "Young James Bond". First in series is Stormbreaker http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Rider-Series/lm/R1UB1WS39PEARH |
| Alex Rider poster here. Sorry I misread your original post. These books are fast reads, probably not what your son would be into! |
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Hardy Boys original series
Little Britches the Saturdays |
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The Redwall series
And check out the Guys Read website. It's founded by the man who wrote The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales http://www.guysread.com/ |
| What about the Borrowers? [THe books that Secret Life of Arriety was based on.] Golden Compass series? The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland series. |
Time Cat is a Lloyd Alexander book. He may also like the George MacDonald series, e.g., The Princess and the Goblin |
| The Ranger's Apprentice series by Peter Flanagan. |
| My kid also enjoyed many of the classics, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Treasure Island |
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Horrible Histories by Terry Deary. It's a British series, but it's great for boys. Lot of humor and it's all real history. My son just turned nine and has read most of them. Here's a link (if it works) to them on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Curdling-Horrible-Histories-Terry-Deary/dp/1407108158
Recommended by some overseas friends and worth every penny. |
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How to Tame a Dragon series
Dragon in the Sock Drawer series |
| Gregor the Overlander. Great series. |
| Beyonder series |