My husband picked a number between one and seventeen, Heidi’s name was written next to number 17, and so, she is the winner of the copy of The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate by Donna St. Cyr.

Congratulations to Heidi S. I sent you an email, so respond and send me your snail mail address soon! margodll [at] aol [dot] com

Now on to my Maniac Monday topic–Books for Boys. If you look under the comments section of the Friday, August 21st post about The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate, you will see a long list of recommendations of books for boys to read. This got me thinking. Why must we always discuss this topic of books for boys? Yes, we need to discuss it because there are many mothers and fathers and teachers out there who are complaining that boys aren’t reading or don’t like to read. We also must discuss books for boys and recommend some to each other in spite of the fact there are hundreds of books for boys–new, old, and everything in between. But why is it such a hot topic?

I guess my main point is. . . Why don’t we discuss books for girls as much? Why does it seem like girls will read anything–girl or boy main character, sci-fi or romance? It almost reminds me of babies–it’s okay when the girl baby wants to play with her brother’s firetruck, but people worry or think it’s weird when the boy baby wants to play with his sister’s Barbie dolls. Why is this?

Do we get the same look on our faces when we see a boy reading Junie B. Jones? I’ve seen boys read The Babysitter’s Club or Judy Blume books. Are they weird? Of course, not. But I do think we assume that boys don’t want to read about princesses or girls’ friendships or even an adventure book with a girl main character. Believe me, I am not blaming here–I am pointing the finger back at myself, too. I have a stepson, and I am always looking for “books for boys;” and at the library if there’s a girl on the cover, I don’t pick it up for him. UGH!

Here are a couple of great suggestions from my friends who left comments about books for boys. Boys will love these books.

But girls will love them, too. And that book that you see a girl reading over there might also be enjoyed by a boy. I’m going to start trying to remember that, and I hope you will join me.

But first a word from our sponsor. . . Winners of the prizes for the Halloween Trick or Treating are Donis Casey: she wins the free TWILIGHT book, and Ruth wins the 10-page edit from Editor 911.

Middle-grade novel, contemporary fantasy (part of a series)
14-year-old boy as main character
Rating: Artemis Fowl books are always filled with action and plot and great characterization. This one is great, although you may have to be as smart as Artemis to figure out the paradox.

Short, short summary: This book has a complicated plot that I was just discussing with an 11-year-old boy the other day. I will attempt to provide a short summary here. Artemis has returned from his last adventure and finds he has twin baby brothers. His mother is also sick again, and no one can figure out what is wrong with her. Artemis calls on help from Captain Holly Short and his other magical friends to figure out what is wrong with his mom. He discovers she will die unless they find a certain kind of lemur and inject some fluid from the lemur into his mother. (Gross, I know.) Anyway, the problem is that in the past, 10-year-old Artemis sold the lemur to a crazy group of people who like to kill endangered species and make them extinct. So, what’s a boy to do? Well, when you are Artemis Fowl, you travel back in time and capture the lemur from your 10-year-old self and bring it back to the present. And that’s where I’m going to stop. 1. I don’t want to ruin any surprises that Colfer has in store for you. 2. This is supposed to be a short summary.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Ask students to write a story or journal entry about time travel. Start with the journal prompt, “If I could travel back in time, I would go to _____________________, and here’s why:” If you want your students to write a story, ask them to use story charts first to make sure there is a beginning, middle, and end to their stories.

2. The plot of this Artemis Fowl book is confusing. It would help students to plot out the story using a story map. If students or your child have not read other Artemis Fowl books, they will probably get lost in the characters and the plot of this book. If you think your child or your students would love this series, then help them find the first Artemis Fowl book to introduce them to the series.

3. Compare and contrast 10-year-old Artemis Fowl and 14-year-old Artemis Fowl with a Venn Diagram. What are some of the characters’ similarities? What are some of the differences? Which character would your students or your child want to be friends with?

If you have used this book with your students or your child, please leave a comment here about how it went!

If you have a recommendation for a book for me to read and review, please email me at margodll@aol.com or leave a comment here.