Best Coming-of-Age Books for Boys

I don’t have much experience choosing books for boys, so I just try to keep in mind what I would suggest to my brother when he is a little older.

One of my personal favorite books with a male lead is Ghost by Jason Reynolds.

Yes, so this book is a little bit different from my usual book choices. That doesn’t make it any less relevant to today’s situations, though. The story is about a boy named Castle who is living with his mother following a traumatic event that nearly killed the two of them. When Castle decides to flex at a track meet he isn’t a part of, he actually turns out to be quite an athlete. After the coach of the track team convinces Castle’s mother to let him run, Castle begins to hang out with a stellar group of runners– and gets into a lot of trouble after stealing a pair of shoes. This one is definitely a read-aloud for those over eleven; it is a little mature and also requires some discretion. Parents, you might want to sample this one because the content is startling, but necessary.

Unfortunately, I can’t say that we are moving on to a lighter read. The next book is equally as discussionary. Though this book is written by a woman, I think that boys will feel invested in the story because it is about a boy and his pro football-playing dad.

This book is written by Jacqueline Woodson, the bestselling, award-winning author of many other middle-grade books. I admit that I am not a huge Jacqueline Woodson fan, but I appreciate her contributions to literature and I don’t doubt that her books have touched other people. Out of all Miss Woodson’s works, this one is my favorite. The story follows a twelve-year old boy named Z-Jay during the Autumn of 1999. Z-Jay has always thought of his dad as his hero, but as the new year and millennium approaches, Z-Jay’s father begins to forget things that he should know. When his illness begins to affect his career and family life, Z-Jay realizes that his father might not always be his hero.

Okay, guys. I know you’re like, “You tryin’ to make me cry?” Yes. That’s what growing up is all about. The coming-of-age books that can make you cry are the best ones because they teach their readers empathy. On that note, I go on down my boys’ coming-of-age book list to another one of my personal favorites, When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson.

This is one of my favorite middle-grade books. I wrote a review for it on Goodreads, and believe me, I could have stretched out my already long review for much longer.

My fourth coming-of-age story is… Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.

Yes, yes, I know this book is undergoing major controversy for being very abstract in storytelling style, but the message is anything but abstract. My family listened to the audiobook on a road trip, and we were all deeply moved, and at times, humored by its messages of family and race. Maniac Magee tells the story of a boy named Geoffrey Magee running from his old life. The new world Geoffrey enters is quite different from his old; the people are split into two different groups: black and white. An unspoken line splits the towns of the two racial groups apart, but Geoffrey makes many friends and earns the name “Maniac” as he runs back and forth across the lines that separate black people from white people and white people from black people.

I know race is a hard thing to speak about as Christians, but this story begins the conversation in such a hard-hitting way. In the end, we are all part of the human race and are not black or white or yellow or brown in God’s eyes. I suggest listening to the audiobook to get the full experience. (The whole family will love it; I promise.)

Thank you so much for checking out this list of my coming-of-age picks for boys. I hope you check some of them out from your library. If you think someone else would benefit from reading this post, please send them the link. If you or a friend would be interested in getting a post like this in your inbox weekly, please subscribe or suggest subscribing. Thanks so much.

‘K, bye.

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