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by Cindy 27 Comments

Character Building Chapter Books for Boys

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Now that I’m a “boy-only mom” (because my daughter is in college) choosing read aloud books requires a new consideration.  Will the potential book appeal to my boys?

I can’t get away any longer with reading books that have any sort of girly-girl flavor.  Lucky for me, there are TONS of wonderful living books to fill the time.  Also lucky for me, I LOVE these books just as much as my boys!

What Makes A Book Appealing

What make a book appealing to BOYS?  Adventure. Mystery. Intrigue. Strong characters. Humor. Battles.

What makes THESE particular books appealing to ME?  Many of them have great characters who display great character.  Leadership. Courage. Strength. Perseverance. Tenderness. Friendship. Boundaries. Repentance. Forgiveness. Humility. Resourcefulness. Honesty.  In today’s world, my boys can never get enough examples of people who display good character.  I especially love those whose characters face and overcome trials or temptations.

Some of these books also contain the plot of good overcoming evil which can so beautifully illustrate the point I like to often remind my boys…Good wins in the end.  God wins.  That’s a message I want burned in their souls so they never lose hope when the evil of this world seems to speak louder than anything else they might hear.

These character building chapter books for boys make great read alouds or read alones for all ages.

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Character Building Chapter Books for Boys

Ah.  These are good books indeed.  They are the kind that don’t necessarily fit into a time period or work into any lessons. Well, some of them might, but for the most part they’re just good books.

I thought about arranging them in some sort of order of age-appropriateness or character quality, but each of them really fit into too many categories.  I just couldn’t come up with a better plan than listing them alphabetically.

Please let me know which of the list you’ve enjoyed in your home!  Or, give me other wonderful ideas for reading with my boys!

P.S. There are occasional curse words in children’s literature.  Gasp!  Be assured the words are easily skipped over or replaced with less offensive words if you are reading aloud.  If you hand the book over to your children to read alone and don’t want them reading curse words, you may want to do a quick internet search to be sure the particular book doesn’t have any bad language.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Beatinest Boy by Jesse Stuart

Call it Courage by Armstrong Perry

The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy

The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be by Farley Mowat

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Father Brown Reader by Nancy Carpentier Brown

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

The Good Master by Kate Seredy

The Green Ember by S. D. Smith

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Kingdom Series by Chuck Black

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis

A Penny’s Worth of Character by Jesse Stuart

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Rascal by Sterling North

Redwall by Brian Jacques

The Rightful Owner by Jesse Stuart

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

Sugar Creek Gang Series by Paul Hutchens

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

The Terrestria Chronicles Series by Ed Dunlop

The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill

A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy

Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

The White Stag by Kate Seredy

The Wonderful O by James Thurber

Lamplighter Books – Many of these are available in audio drama, too.  That’s how we’ve enjoyed most of them.  I’m rather sure I would enjoy just about any book from Lamplighter.

The Battle by A.L.O.E.

Buried in the Snow by Franz Hoffmann

Charlie’s Choice by M. L. Nesbitt

Hedge of Thorns by

Sir Knight of the Splendid Way by W. E. Cule

Sir Malcom and the Missing Prince by Sidney Baldwin

Teddy’s Button by Amy LeFeuvre

The Wanderer by A.L.O.E.

White Gypsy by Anette Lyster

My, my.  There really are more good books than there is time.  I’m always surprised when I survey how many wonderful books we’ve enjoyed together over the years – whether as read-alouds or audio books.  Since this second son of mine likes reading to himself more than the first, many of this list I can just turn over to him.  That’s my secret plot to make sure most of our read-alouds are new to me.  I don’t find too much pleasure in re-reading even a good book when I know there are so many wonderful new-to-me reads waiting!

Your turn!  Add to my list so that I can always have great character-building chapter books for boys at the ready!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Fairy TalesBooks for Teen BoysBoyschooling

 

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Last Updated: April 30, 2020 Filed Under: Charlotte Mason, Creative Homeschooling, Elementary, Language Arts, Middle School Tagged With: boyschooling, chapter books, character building, living books, living literature, multi-age, read aloud

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Comments

  1. Tamra says

    October 12, 2016 at 8:51 am

    Thanks for the great book list! I love your ideas!

  2. Rachel says

    November 3, 2016 at 2:14 pm

    Great reference! Thanks

  3. Lynette says

    November 15, 2016 at 12:29 am

    Thanks for the list! Other great chapter books for boys: Kingdom Tales Trilogy by David & Karen Mains (Lamplighter Publishing), Christie’s Old Organ (Lamplighter Publishing), Lost On A Mountain In Maine by Donn Fendler, The Sugar Creek Gang series by Paul Hutchens, The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, The Terrestria Chronicles series by Ed Dunlop, The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne

  4. Cindy says

    November 15, 2016 at 5:00 pm

    Ooh! I forgot about the The Swiss Family Robinson, The Terrestria Chronicles and the Sugar Creek Gang! These reminded me of The Kingdom Series, too. I’ll be adding all these wonderful books to the list. 🙂 I haven’t heard of the other books and can’t wait to check them out. Thank you!

  5. Jen Mackinnon says

    November 16, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    This was such a great list thank you so much!

  6. Cindy says

    November 16, 2016 at 4:51 pm

    You’re very welcome, Jen!

  7. Ginette says

    November 16, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be!!! I read that aloud to my son when he was fairly young–he is gifted and didn’t even mind the deep vocabulary–he was smitten with the story! I enjoyed it too. (Also Owls in the Family and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Lynette’s suggestion The Coral Island is a great one too ( I loved reading it as a kid!). One that was not mentioned (and obviously there too many to mention, but this is one we enjoyed): The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney. Such a great journey of reflection for a young mind! I also enjoyed that one even as an adult. Thanks for the list!

  8. Cindy says

    November 16, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    You’ve given me another one to check out! 🙂 I’ve never heard of The Seven Wonders of Sassafrass Springs and can’t wait to find it. Thanks, Ginette!

  9. Mother of 3 says

    November 30, 2016 at 11:24 am

    We love Narnia and Hugo Cabret! We also loved Wonderstruck!

  10. Cindy says

    November 30, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    I’ve never heard of Wonderstruck, but my library has it!! Thanks for the suggestion!

  11. KatHome says

    August 2, 2017 at 11:48 am

    Thanks for awesome lists. I have bookmarked this site!
    I
    My boys (and girls!) loved the Ralph Moody series. So did my husband and I! It all starts with an incredible and touching adventure in Little Britches. So many life lessons learned through that series!

  12. Cindy says

    August 3, 2017 at 11:08 am

    Thanks for the reminder! 🙂 We have only read Little Britches from the series, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

  13. Carol says

    September 14, 2017 at 10:55 am

    A great list, but I wouldn’t limit it to boys, as my daughter has enjoyed many of the books on this list. We would add Freckles~A Young Man’s Courageous Adventures in the Limberlost Forest. There were some titles we have not read. Thanks for the suggestions. We are always looking for quality books.

  14. Carol says

    September 14, 2017 at 11:04 am

    Freckles is by Gene Stratton~Porter and can be purchased through Focus On The Family if you have trouble finding it.

  15. Cindy says

    September 14, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    Completely agree, Carol. My daughter enjoyed a great many of these books, too. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation of Freckles. I’ve added it to my Amazon cart!

  16. Polly Fry says

    November 26, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    Check out Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare and By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman.

  17. Cindy says

    November 26, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    Ooh, both of those are great books for boys, too! Thanks, Polly!

  18. Sharon says

    December 4, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    Some books I’ve read to my two tween boys are: Janette Oke’s Seasons of the Heart series about Josh Jones (they LOVED it!), Grandma’s Attic series by Arleta Richardson (another HUGE favorite), By Secret Railway, The Little House Books as well as several other extra books about the Ingalls-Wilders, Hidden Rainbow, The Secret Garden, all of Patricia M. St. John’s books, and well, I could go on…and on…!

  19. Cindy says

    December 11, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    Thanks for the additions, Sharon!

  20. Lori Chenoweth says

    February 19, 2018 at 5:36 pm

    My son is 9, but while his appreciation for a good plot is high, his reading level is still coming more slowly. I have had him listen to a lot of books on audio to continue to develop his literacy, language development, and appreciation for the syntax of words, etc. I am interested in identifying some high interest stories on a more easy reading level. Thank-you for any help you are able to give. I would really appreciate that. My email address was listed when I posted this comment. Sincerely, Lori

  21. Cindy says

    February 20, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    Great question, Lori! My son loved several series during that stage: Encyclopedia Brown, Cam Jansen, Magic Treehouse, and the Boxcar Children books come to mind. There are several easier chapter books that aren’t necessarily parts of a series like Stone Fox, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Molly’s Pilgrim, Sarah Whitcher’s Story, The Sword in the Tree, The Whipping Boy, The Hundred Dresses, and the Hundred Penny Box. Sadly, my son also enjoys the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series – ugh. I’ve also heard boys love the Geronimo Stilton series, but I don’t remember either of my boys gravitating to those.

    I think it’s great that you’re encouraging audio books at the same time! Be sure to stop back by and let me know if any of these titles worked for your son. 🙂

  22. Sarah says

    April 11, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    Yay! Thank you! -Mom of 3 Boys ❤❤❤

  23. Caro says

    August 1, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    any good non fiction books you can recommend?

  24. Cindy says

    August 2, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Caro, for character building or another topic? 🙂

  25. Bethany says

    September 23, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Thank you for your list I too am now a boy Mom as my girls have all graduated. I would like to ad a series to your list called Micheal Vey by Richard Paul Evans. My girls liked it and my boys are now getting into it. The main character loves his Mom, he is respectful it teaches values without being obvious about it.

  26. Ashley N Hunt says

    November 28, 2020 at 10:47 am

    Thank you so much for this list. Truly amazing.

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    […] from last summer and this summer have come from one of my all-time favorite booklists – 50+ Character Building Chapter Books for Boys. There are SO many good choices on that […]

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Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! L Happy birthday to my favorite girl in the world! Love you, @mahaylawest_1! 🥰
The breath of God produces ice,⠀ and the broad The breath of God produces ice,⠀
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he scatters his lightning through them.⠀
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over the face of the whole earth⠀
to do whatever he commands them.⠀
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or to water his earth and show his love.⠀
Listen to this, Job;⠀
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Job 37:10-14⠀
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When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.
As I was sorting bookshelves earlier this month, I stumbled across this sweet book again. I decided the blessings are still as pertinent today for my bigger boy as they were years ago. So, we’re starting our day yet again with a quick, but powerful “letter from God” before jumping into our daily Bible studies.
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Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
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Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’ Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’s true, you know. I’ve told my children for years that it only takes a nature walk to see God through His handiwork and to know that His promises are true.⠀
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When the world seems to be falling apart around you, the sun never stops shining. The seasons never stop moving. Without a single, solitary effort of human hands, the woodlands still buzz with life.⠀
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It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
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Eli and I may not be using these books right now, but they are still some of my favorites for winter reading. Whatever may be going on around you, the winter months are always a good time of year to get in lots of extra reading. Snuggling and hot chocolate are optional, but encouraged.⠀
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