The Best Boys & Men Themed Kids' Books 2025

1. The Sign of the Beaver: A Newbery Honor Award Winner, (Hardcover)

A 1984 Newbery Honor Book Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt realizes he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself. When Matt meets Attean, a boy in the Beaver clan, he begins to better understand their way of life and their growing problem in adapting to the white man and the changing frontier. Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Honor-winning survival story is filled with wonderful detail about living in the wilderness and the relationships that formed between settlers and natives in the 1700s. Now with an introduction by Joseph Bruchac.

The Sign of the Beaver: A Newbery Honor Award Winner, (Hardcover) Author: Clarion Books ISBN: 9780395338902 Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 1983-04-27 Page Count: 144

2. Gone Fishing, (Paperback)

A father and son go fishing, with a big fishing rod for the daddy and a little one for the child.

Gone Fishing, (Paperback) Author: Clarion Books ISBN: 9780395442364 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1987-04-27 Page Count: 32

3. House of Stairs, (Paperback)

This chilling, suspenseful indictment of mind control is a classic of science fiction and will haunt readers long after the last page is turned. One by one, five sixteen-year-old orphans are brought to a strange building. It is not a prison, not a hospital; it has no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing but endless flights of stairs leading nowhere--except back to a strange red machine. The five must learn to love the machine and let it rule their lives. But will they let it kill their souls? "An intensely suspenseful page-turner." --School Library Journal "A riveting suspense novel with an anti-behaviorist message that works . . . because it emerges only slowly from the chilling events." --Kirkus Reviews

House of Stairs, (Paperback) Author: Puffin Books ISBN: 9780140345803 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1991-04-01 Page Count: 176

4. My Side of the Mountain Trilogy (Hardcover)

In 1959, Jean Craighead George published My Side of the Mountain. This coming-of-age story about a boy and his falcon went on to win a Newbery Honor, and for the past forty years has enthralled and entertained generations of would-be Sam Gribleys. The two books that followed--On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain--were equally extraordinary. Now all three books are available in one deluxe yet affordable volume for veteran devotees and brand-new fans alike.

My Side of the Mountain Trilogy, (Hardcover) Author: Dutton Books for Young Readers ISBN: 9780525462699 Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 2000-10-23 Page Count: 640

5. Fly Away Home (Hardcover)

A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

6. A Young Patriot, (Paperback)

The story of the American Revolution as experienced by a Connecticut farm boy who enlisted in the army in 1776. A Young Patriot skillfully weaves together excerpts from the boy's wartime account with the author's explanatory text to create a fascinating and factual history of the American Revolution. Only fifteen when he enlisted, Joseph Plumb Martin spent the rest of his teen and young adult years marching, working, fighting, foraging, and starving while serving under the likes of Washington and Lafayette. Through the mix of Martin's observations and experiences, the historical context that Murphy provides, and maps and archival prints, the book vividly reveals the grit and drama of war--and a teenager who was eyewitness to a Revolution. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Young Patriot, (Paperback) Author: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 9780395900192 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2023-09-18 Page Count: 112

7. Mean Soup, (Paperback)

It has been a bad day for Horace. A very bad day. He's come home feeling mean. But his mother knows just what to do! \"For the book Mean Soup, the recipe is as follows: (1) clever text spiced with one or two outrageous bits; (2) a grand message about getting out anger instead of locking it inside; and (3) exciting artwork as full of life as the story.\"--Booklist

Mean Soup, (Paperback) Author: Clarion Books ISBN: 9780152002275 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1995-03-27 Page Count: 32

8. The Dead Man in Indian Creek, (Paperback)

When Parker Pettengill and Matt Armentrout find a dead man at the edge of Indian Creek, their camping trip comes to a close -- and a detective hunt begins. Evans, the creepy new boyfriend of Parker's mom, Pam, was seen at -- the place of the crime -- but there's no solid evidence that he committed the murder. Parker is convinced that Pam's boyfriend is to blame, and he will not rest until he has proof. And when Parker and Armentrout hide out in Pam's antique store and spy on Pam and Evans, they find out more than they bargained for....

The Dead Man in Indian Creek, (Paperback) Author: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 9780380713622 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2024-08-02 Page Count: 144

9. Pre-Owned Owen Foote, Frontiersman 9780395615782

Wearing his coonskin cap, carrying his book about animal tracks, and armed with a jar of red pepper flakes in case he meets a bear or a mountain lion, Owen feels like a pioneer when he goes into the woods with his best friend, Joseph. But there are other kinds of varmints in the wilderness-not bears and mountain lions, but two big kids who have nothing better to do than trash a treehouse fort. It's up to Owen and Joseph to stop them, and so, following in the footsteps of his hero, Daniel Boone, Owen makes the forest his teacher. Using all the woodland lore at his disposal, Owen comes up with new identities for himself and Joseph-Wolverine and Badger-and a plan to drive out the intruders and reclaim their kingdom.

Wearing his coonskin cap, carrying his book about animal tracks, and armed with a jar of red pepper flakes in case he meets a bear or a mountain lion, Owen feels like a pioneer when he goes into the woods with his best friend, Joseph. But there are other kinds of varmints in the wilderness-not bears and mountain lions, but two big kids who have nothing better to do than trash a treehouse fort. It's up to Owen and Joseph to stop them, and so, following in the footsteps of his hero, Daniel Boone, Owen makes the forest his teacher. Using all the woodland lore at his disposal, Owen comes up with new identities for himself and Joseph-Wolverine and Badger-and a plan to drive out the intruders and reclaim their kingdom.

10. Dar and the Spear-Thrower, (Paperback)

A young boy living 15,000 years ago in southeastern France is initiated into manhood by his clan and sets off on a journey to trade his valuable fire rocks for an ivory spear thrower. \"A fast-paced, truly interesting coming-of-age novel based on a little-known but fascinating period of history.\" -- Booklist

Dar and the Spear-Thrower, (Paperback) Author: Houghton Mifflin ISBN: 9780395797259 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1996-10-01 Page Count: 118