Wednesday 29 May 2013

Books for boys - graphic novels.

 There was a time when teachers frowned on reading comic books. They were considered the junk food of literacy - too much would rot your brain. But comics were books that children wanted to read, that they saved their own pocket money to buy, and often were treasured possessions. Most importantly, the illustrations allowed children, especially boys to connect with the stories at a different level. I know when I read I visualise everything - it as if I can see each scene in my mind, but many children, especially boys can not do this. I have found my own sons enjoy made up stories far more if I really describe each scene to them. As they grow older, most will develop the ability to visualise the story more, but comics and graphic novels provide a bridge, a means to keep children reading while the ability to picture a story in the minds eye develops.  I think all children enjoy picture books when they are younger, but sadly many boys stop reading when they outgrow picture books. Graphic novels and comics can counter this trend.

Unfortunately - graphic novels and comic books for young boys can be difficult to find, especially if they are not into super heroes. These are a few good ones we have come across:

1. SilverFin: The Graphic Novel - Charlie Higson  *****
This is the single best graphic novel for boys I have seen. Something terrible is going on at Lake Silverfin, behind the heavily guarded fences. An unimaginable terror lurks as a crazed arms salesman and a mad scientist team up to create an aberration of nature. When a young boy sneaks under the fences for a chance to fish in this secret lake, an chain of events is set off which include Bond, and deeply affect the man he will become. 

This book has outstanding illustratins to match a brilliant storyline. Having read both the original YA novel and the graphic novel, I can say that nothing has been lost in the transfer to a different format. My son read both books as well at age 6 and these were the books that drove him on to improve his reading ability, which skyrocketed when he discovered Charlie Higsons books.

Please see my complete review @
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/silverfin-the-graphic-novel-charlie-higson/1607717/

2. Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz *****
There are 4 books in this series, all featuring a reluctant teenage spy - Alex Rider.
I'll use my son's opinion on the books rather than my own, but I did like these as well. My son received this book shortly before turning 7. When he first started reading I noticed him walking in the hallway book in front of him, reading as he walked. I asked his opinion and received "Mmmgghb" in reply. I will take this a compliment on the book - he was not willing to interrupt his reading to reply. He proceeded to the loo and came out a few minutes later, book still in hand, returned to his room and was not seen again until the book was finished.

After the book was complete, I was able to get a more detailed reply from him. He does still like James Bond the best of all, but this book comes in a very close second. Considering just how much he loves James Bond - that is very high praise indeed. He read the following books immediately afterwards and had to wait for the 4th. I was quite impressed that any time for the next several months you could ask him how long until the next Alex Rider book was out and he could always give an accurate answer.

 My son especially loved the fight scenes in this book - the very part I found to unrealistic - as well as all the gadgets. He also especially liked the parts where Alex shows off his skill in martial arts, as my son is involved in karate as well. I do think my son ( only an orange belt now) hopes he will be capable of such moves by the time he reaches black belt as Alex has, but they are a bit like "Kill Bill" if you ask me. I think these are features that will appeal to most boys. The books have plenty of action and excitement and is ideal for boys who may get bored easily with a slower moving story.

I have reviewed the books individually here:
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/alex-rider-adventures-graphic-novels-stormbreaker-the-graphic-novel-anthony-horowitz/1621779/

http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/point-blanc-the-graphic-novel-anthony-horowitz/1630136/

http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/skeleton-key-graphic-novel-anthony-horowitz/1633893/

http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/eagle-strike-graphic-novel-anthony-horowitz/1664371/


3. Cherub the Recruit Graphic Novel - Robert Muchamore  ****
The Cherub books are apt to appeal to many of the same readers as Alex Rider. Both have the premise of children being used by MI6 as undercover agents, but while Alex Rider is the only child agent, CHERUB has a whole school of misfit children gathered from care homes and trained as spies - although in many cases I feel they work more as undercover police agents than espionage agents. This does stretch the limits of credibility even more - to imagine an entire industry devoted to training juvenile agents, but it also gives the books a completely different scope. They deal with friendships, relationships and the trials and tribulations of growing up. They also tackle complex ethical and moral issues in what I consider a very positive manner, but some of this is lost in this adaptation. This becomes more of a simple spy book, packed with action and adventure, but lacking some of the philosophical elements

My son really enjoyed this book, and he asked if we could buy book 2 in this series ( so far there isn't one). The fights and karate especially appealed to him, but he thought all the training exercises looked great fun. One illustration shows a very dangerous looking training exercise for heights which he thought looked brilliant, running along a narrow walkway with no hand rails thirty feet off the ground and leaping over gaps. I am sure every child who has ever read these books wished there really was a school like CHERUB so there is a bit of vicarious excitement in this book. This book does have quite the character or story development of the original, but it is a fun book and ideally sited to keep younger boys interested. I can not see adults really wanting to read this book though, and I don't think it will engage teenagers in the way the original series did. I would recommend this book for ages 7- 11. Sadly, the illustrations are not of the same quality as the writing, meaning I could only give this book 4 stars.

http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/cherub-the-recruit-graphic-novel-robert-muchamore/1670309/

4. Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel - Eoin Colfer  ****
My son enjoyed this, but he prefers books without magic. Still it is a well written, fast paced book with very good illustrations as well.

5. The Hitchhiker (EDGE - Horowitz Graphic Horror) *****
Terribly short, but well written with a brilliant twist and just the thing to entice reluctant readers.


If you are looking for Superhero graphic novels these are a few of our favourites. All of these are suitable for younger readers, but the first three are more mature, while the following three could suit a child as young as 4 if a parent will be reading them:
1. Superman/Batman: Search for Kryptonite - Michael Green  ******
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/superman-batman-search-for-kryptonite-michael-green/1637079/

2. Green Lantern: Secret Origin - Geoff Johns *****
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/green-lantern-secret-origin-geoff-johns/1645224/

3. Superman: Earth One - J. Michael Straczynski *****
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/superman-earth-one-j-michael-straczynski/1626711/

4. Batman: Brave and the Bold: Emerald Knight- Landry Q. Walker *****
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/batman-brave-and-the-bold-emerald-knight-landry-q-walker/1658582/

5. Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Matt Wayne
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/batman-the-brave-and-the-bold-matt-wayne/1649483/

6. Marvel Universe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Marvel Comics
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/marvel-universe-avengers-earth-s-mightiest-heroes-marvel-comics/1646963/

Finally - don't forget the classics:

1. Classics Illustrated: The War of the Worlds- H. G. Wells *****
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/junior-book/classics-illustrated-the-war-of-the-worlds-h-g-wells/1627995/

2.Time Machine, The (Classics) *****

3. The Swiss Family Robinson (Classics)

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Books for boys - tweens

 They are too old for picture books, but not quite old enough for young adult books. Finding books for boys ages 7 -12 can be a nightmare, but no parent wants to see a child lose interest in books. So many parents tell me their boys just don't like books. All I can say is they haven't found the right books. Boys love books just as much girls do - they just don't love the same books girls do and finding the right ones can be a real challenge. Below are some of the very best books we have found for this age group.

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O Hara  has everything boys love - a mad scientist, a computer hacker, a zombie (even if it just a goldfish) and huge helpings of humour. This is a very firm favourite of both of my boys - ages 4 and 8 and we absolutely can not wait for the sequel - or should we say
Sea-quell ? If you have a son between the ages of 5 -12 this book is a must have. Please see my complete review @  http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=My_Big_Fat_Zombie_Goldfish_by_Mo_O%27Hara

Astrosaurs by Steve Cole:
There seem to be certain subjects that are certain to get young boys interested in a story. I think Steve Cole wanted to make sure he didn't miss any of them with this book. There are sword fights, poop fights, poo filled missiles, a green slime monster, pirates, dinosaurs and more in the wacky space adventure.

I started buying these books for my youngest, who is only 4, as he always wants dinosaur stories at night, and after telling our own make up stories, I like something I can just read and not have to think. I really didn't expect my oldest, who has just turned 8 to like these at all. After all, he complained bitterly about other series having dinosaurs and humans in the same story - which is of course impossible - so I didn't really think he would fancy the idea of talking herbivores flying about in poo powered space ships, having battles with poo torpedoes and poo blasters as they travelled through the Jurassic Quadrant, but I failed to appreciate the attraction of loads of **** in a story.

The entire Astrosaurs series is based on the premise that before the meteor hit earth, the dinosaurs abandoned the planet - flying off to colonise space. The herbivores have the Vegetarian Sector, while the meat eaters reside in the Carnivore Sector. These two areas are separated by a thin "veg meat" or neutral zone. Our heroes are a small band of Astrosaurs dedicated to patrolling the Vegetarian Sector and protecting it against attacks by unscrupulous carnivores. The main characters are: Captain Teggs the stegosaurus, Arx the triceratops, Iggy the Iguanodon and Gypsy who appears to be a cross between a Corythosaurus and a Parasaurolophus. This team is assisted my a crew of Dimorphodon.

There are 30 books in print so far, ( including the Astrosaurs academy books)  of which we own over 20, and I expect to have the whole collection soon. One of the wonderful things about this series is that it gets boys reading and keeps them reading. These books are action filled, full of humour, much of it toilet humour, and just gross enough to keep boys interested, but the series would have petered out after a few books if that was all there was to it. They are also well written, with excellent characters and friendships between the characters, and often have a moral to the story as well. I can't recommend them highly enough,

See my review for Astrosaurs: The Star Pirates @
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/junior-book/astrosaurs-the-star-pirates-steve-cole/1690637/

or Astrosaurs The Castle of Frankensaur @
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Astrosaurs_22:_The_Castle_of_Frankensaur_by_Steve_Cole

Magic Ink by the same author is another unmissable book for tweens. It has a very unlikely pair of superheroes, a young boy who wants to be a comic book illustrator, and of all things a talking pig, combines modern day comics with Arthurian lore and has quite a moral to the story but it pulls all of these things off perfectly. Please see my complete review @
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Magic_Ink_by_Steve_Cole


Diary of a Wimpy Kid
We originally started this series based on a misunderstanding. My son had heard about the book but thought it was called something like "Diarrhoea Wimpy Kid". However once he got started with this series he loved them and raced through book after book, finishing the entire series win less than a month - and it would have been less than this if he hadn't had to wait for new books to arrive.
The book is about a very ordinary 11 year old boy, and the trials and tribulations of his life. It is a book that will have children laughing out loud. Most boys are going to relate to some aspects of the book and most off all - it makes boys want to read. There are plenty of jokes and enough situations that are close enough to real life to make them funny.

This book is very easy to read. I would put it on the same level as Horrid Henry, but while he outgrew Horrid Henry some time ago, this still captures his interest and I feel this will appeal to an older audience than Horrid Henry. It is difficult for me to place age levels on a book as every child reaches reading milestones at different ages, but at age 7, this book gave my son no problems at all. In fact it is far to easy to present any challenge - but sometimes that can be a good thing. Of course children do need to read more difficult books and stretch their ability - but some times it is nice to just relax and coast for awhile. This book just makes reading fun for him. It has him waiting on the postman with more anticipation than he shows for a new video game and has made reading one of his favourite activities again. He says this book should get more than 5 stars as it one of the best ever. I can not give this anything less than 5 stars after my sons reaction.
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/comic-book/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-jeff-kinney/1675927/

Varjak Paw
Don't write this book off if your son does not like cats. There is so much more to this book than just a story of a karate kitty. Varjak Paw will learn martial arts, but more importantly he will learn how to survive, how to trust others and to be worthy of trust, and how to trust himself. This book touches on racism, prejudice and selfishness, but even more on the triumph of good over evil, once good takes a stand - and it does have something for dog lovers as well. An incredibly moving, fast paced story of action and adventure that will never be forgotten.
http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/junior-book/varjak-paw-s-f-said/1707834/

I'm Dougal Trump . . . Where's My Tarantula? by Dougal Trump
Another favourite with my 8 year old son, this book follows the standard diary format, but with a clear standard font type  which is double spaced to make it easier for struggling readers. This is a quick moving, humorous read about the misadventures of a fairly normal wee boy who gets mixed up with an evil animal thief while looking after a Goliath Bird Eating Spider. There are plenty of other boy friendly animals as well, and a few scientific facts to boot.
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=I%27m_Dougal_Trump_._._._Where%27s_My_Tarantula%3F_by_Dougal_Trump