Boy reads (the sequel)

Thanks to Cleery, ever helpful and cheerful, I made the fancy thingy-ma-bob with the books I have had great success with for boys who love to read and, more importantly, boys who do not. The pictures are great but descriptions are more useful. So here goes....

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant is a great detective. The fact that he is a skeleton is beside the point. He takes on 13 year old Stephanie as a trainee/sidekick and together they battle gods, legends, her crazy relatives and bad guys of every kind.
Tongue in cheek humor, action galore and a skeleton as a leading man...what more do you need? (The first in a series of nine planned books.)

The extraordinary adventures of Ordinary Boy: the hero revealed by William Boniface
In a town where everyone has a super power, some of them quite disgusting (a big appeal to the boy reader!), Ordinary Boy has no talents...or so he believes.
Bathroom humor, comic book characters, tons of action. Tons of fun. (The first in a series.)

Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
Thanks to a magical blue book, Joe, Fred and Sam find themselves back in King Arthur's time where they are in a lot of trouble.
Time travel, humor, an edge of danger until the blue book (which gets lost in every book) is found and the boys are back in their own time. (The first in the Time Warp Trio series.)

The teacher's funeral: a comedy in three acts by Richard Peck
Russell thinks his school days are over when his teacher dies during summer vacation. Imagine his horror when his sister is hired as the new teacher.
Slapstick humor, situations that boys seem to dread and understand at the same time--Peck is the perfect writer for boys.

The squire's tale by Gerald Morris
Fourteen-year-old Terence is off to a life of adventure as the squire to Sir Gawain, one of the greatest knights at King Arthur's Round Table.
Knights, damsels in distress, evil villains and a wicked sense of humor. Belly-laughing funny at times. (The first in a series.)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Milo is bored with everything. Until the day he finds a small box and two coins on the shelf in his bedroom.
My favorite book in the whole wild world. Clever wordplay, unexpected situations, strange and wonderful characters. (I wish I had written this book!)

7 professors of the far north by John Fardell
Three adventurous kids, a group of eccentric professors (who never question what the kids are doing...very realistic situation there) and mad scientists in the frozen North Pole.
No parental supervision, nonstop adventure, unrealistic but oh-so-exciting situations...the perfect world for a child. (sequel: The flight of the Silver Turtle.)

The lost years of Merlin by T.A. Barron
A young boy washes up on the coast of an island with no memory of his past. Through many adventures, he is transformed into Merlin, the wizard of legend.
Exotic location, no adults to impose reason on the world, creatures of legend, trying to solve the mystery of who he is and what he is to become. (First of a quintet of books.)

Eye of the crow by Shane Peacock
Young Sherlock Holmes, poor and not fitting in anywhere, becomes the suspect in the stabbing death of a woman. With the help of Irene, a young woman he has befriended, Sherlock tries to solve the mystery and save himself.
Mystery, danger, adventure, a clever hero. (The first in a series.)

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Gregor jumps through a grate in the wall of the laundry room in his apartment building to rescue his sister. They end up in a world of giant cockroaches, bats who have special bonds with humans, rats and mysterious prophecies.
No parental supervision, a clever hero, loads of action, wars, explosions and cockroaches, bats and rats. (The first of a quintet of books.)

Even if you're not a boy, try these books--you'll not have a dull moment of reading with any of them!