My son is 9 and he loves reading. I know it is harder and harder to get kids, especially boys, into reading – so I thought I’d share a bit about what we do to encourage an atmosphere of reading in our home and some books my 4th grade boy has been loving these days.
If your son or grandson has barely even started independently reading, I might suggest reading this post first – where I write about the books that got my son to take off in his independent reading. This post is about the books he loves now that he is well on his way.
My son is an engineering and science-minded kiddo. He loves machines, building things, and anything outer-space. He’s been more interested in science fiction and historical fiction than fantasy – so most of the books on this list are in those genres.
If you’re looking for a gift for a grandson – this list will give you dozens of ideas.
I group the books into two sections: graphic novels, and novels. I usually write a little about each book – but in this post, I’m not able to do that because I haven’t read actually read all of these books – my son has. These are books he has read (and re-read) independently and enjoyed.
Graphic Novels for 9 Year Old Boys
In this section, I have listed both the more traditional comic-book style graphic novel but also novels told in a narrative style but with a lot of illustrations.
I know many have hesitations about graphic novels/comic books – are they just candy for kids? Should we be requiring more difficult prose? I thought that too for a long time – but as I read through many of these comic books and graphic novels as well, I realized how how advanced the language actually is and many of the concepts and references to other works of literature gave the stories some more credibility. I guess I’m saying – don’t judge a book by it’s cover or its pictures.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
My son loved these books. There are actually over 20 in the series, and I think my son has read every one he can get his hands on. The nice thing about finding a series your kid likes is birthday and Christmas gifts, or rewards for a job well done are figured out for you for a long time. My son will work hard at math to earn a new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. If a box set is too overwhelming, here is the first book in the series:
Dogman is very popular with Generation Alpha. I haven’t met a kid who doesn’t love Dogman. These are the books that really set my son off on an independeny reading trajectory. The first book in the Dogman series is:
Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
My son inhaled Cat Kid Comic Club, also by Dav Pilkey. After reading these stories, he started drawing his own comic strips.
Or, if you’d like to get the first one in the Cat Kid Comic Club series:
First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett
My son loved these books so much, they were his reward for working hard at math. I need a new one to come out as we work through 4th grade math!
Wallace the Brave by Will Henry
I stumbled across this one on Amazon and it’s been a really good series similar to Calvin and Hobbes. There are 5 books in this series
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
There are many many books in the Calvin and Hobbes series. My husband has the full boxed set that my son found in the attic off his bedroom and he pulled them out one day – his tiny arms heaving these enormous volumes around our house for months. These books are what really took off with my son’s reading. Did he understand it all? No, probably not. But he learned a lot of great vocabularly and became very confident in his reading.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales have taught my son so much about American history. This year for history we have been learning about the American Revolution and after we’ve read from our history texts, I will see my son re-reading the Nathan Hale graphic novels that overlap with what we have just read and make connections between the two. There are 13 stories in this series so far.
Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
This has been another series my son has loved and has motivated him to work hard in math to earn the next volume.
Big Ideas That Changed the World by Don Brown
These are great non-fiction graphic novels about “Big Ideas that Changed the World”: Rocket to the Moon (about the space program); Machines That Think! (about computers); A Shot in the Arm (about vaccines); We The People (About democracy); All Charged Up (about electricity); It’s About Time (about time-keeping); Keep it Clean! (about sanitation).
Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce
There are so many in this series, any time we go to the library my son can find one he hasn’t read before.
Novels for 9 year Old Boys
Space Case is the first novel in a trilogy about mysteries that happen in a colony on the moon. My son loved these stories and has read them many times over.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
I loved the four books in this series by Louis Sachar when I was a kid. I started to read the first one out loud to my son (one of my tricks to get him to consider reading a new novel) and he enjoyed it so much he read on ahead without me!
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier
My son could not put these books down. It was a whole season of our lives.
I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis
The I Survived Series really started my son on his journey to confident independent novel reading. They are gripping tales with heroic characters set in real-life historical events. I will say though, we did have to ask him to stop reading them before bed because they are not a calm, relaxing read right before bed!
My son absolutely loved the Wild Robot trilogy. It was another of the first chapter books he read on his own.
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
We started reading the Silver Arrow together, and listening to the audiobook in the car. My son was still quite young – maybe only 6 years old and just moving out of early readers. He has loved trains for years, and this story is so rich in plot and characters, he picked it up on his own early on in his reading journey after being familiar with the story. I’d also highly recommend the sequel, The Golden Swift. I really hope Lev Grossman writes more in the series.
Code Name Bananas by David Walliams
When my son finished reading this book and told me what it was about…it had twists and turns unlike anything I could have predicted. Set in the Second World War, eleven-year old Eric uncovers a Nazi plot with the help of a gorilla at the London zoo…
My son could not put this one down. He barely left his room when reading Spaceboy.
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
We read this one together and I cried! I loved the little Rover so much, by the end I was a blubbering mess. My son has since re-read it a few times. He is very into Mars and the rovers thanks in part to this book.
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm
Another story set in space, my son really enjoyed this one. We were supposed to read it together, but he couldn’t wait for me.
We did read this one together and it was really well done. It seems even more pertinent now that people are having AI chat bots for friends. My son and I were able to have a conversation about why it’s nice to be friends with real human beings after reading this book.
Futureland Battle for the Park by H.D. Hunter
I grabbed this one for him at the library thinking he might enjoy it since he loves Disneyland. I was right, he loved it.
Roswell Johnson Saves the World by Chris Colfer
Currently this one and its sequel, Roswell Johnson Saves the Universe are the re-reads in my house. I’m always picking them up off a sofa somewhere.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
My son is more into science fiction than fantasy but he has started to dive into the Harry Potter series, which brings me great joy because I LOVE HARRY POTTER so much. I actually wrote to JK Rowling in 2007 and she LEGIT WROTE ME BACK. I even studied Harry Potter fans for my Master’s degree in Anthropology. That’s how cool I am. I’m thrilled my son is starting to read Harry Potter.
Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares
I love a good alternative history with time travel and accidental changes to the future. My son and I read this one together and it explores what the future might have looked like had Germany won the war. Loose lips sink ships, after all.
I hope you find your son or grandson’s next great read in this list! I’ll update it as my son finds new favourites.
-Heather
ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. This list really is the books my son has read and enjoyed – a real person read them and a real person wrote every word of this post. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
Enjoyed this post? Check out some of my other recent posts!
- Encouraging Reading in Boys: Favorite Books for Young Readers
- Helping an Addict
- Warm, Cozy, Eclectic Bedroom
- The Power of Learning with Living Books and Making Connections
- Cat Books for Kids
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