In looking at great books for 10 year old boys, I picked ones which not only entertained, but also had some deeper meaning or underlying lessons to learn. All of these books although different are very good. I could not seriously say that any one book is perfect. To find the perfect book, for a boy, you need to match the child to the story.

I am a bit of a sucker for the classics, so it should not come as a surprise that I have included a few of them here.

So lets get on with reviewing the very best books for 10 year old boys.

The lightning thief is about a boy, Percy, who finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, making him a human god half-breed. After learning that he is a half-breed Percy is shipped off to a camp for people like him. After learning more about his powers and making some friends Percy finds out that Zeus's lightning bolt has been stolen. He eventually goes on a quest to retrieve the it and save the world.

Because of who his parents are, Percy suffers from ADHD. I think the book does a good job of introducing and explaining the disease to a child.

The writer has a great writing style and sense of humor, also I enjoyed all the characters which where borrowed from Greek mythology. Unsurprisingly the book may very well create an interest in Greek mythology, in it's young readers.

The book is the first of a series of 5. I recommend getting the box set with the first 3 books. I am sure once the boy it's for, reads the first one, he will want to read the rest.

The Hobbit is written by one of my favorite authors JR Tolkien. Perhaps more famous for his Lord of the rings trilogy, which got made into block buster movies. What not everyone realizes is that all these books where actually written for children, specifically for author's 2 boys.

The story revolves around Bilbo Baggins a reluctant hero who gets roped into having the adventure of a lifetime. He joins Gandalf the Grey(a wizard) and a group of dwarfs on a quest to retrieve their lost treasure, from a terrible dragon. On this quest he wins the 'one ring' in a contest of wits. The ring turns the user invisible and is central to the Lord of the ring's story line.

This isn't the easiest read for a 10 year old and it's fairly lengthy, but absolutely worth the effort.

The book is a Comedy about the anti-hero Artemis Fowl. He planning to get his hands on the fairies' pot of gold. But Artemis isn't planning to go chasing rainbows. Instead this evil genius plans to kidnap one of the fairies to get their gold.

I would call this book devilishly funny for young and old.

These horror stories are some light reading fun for 10 year olds. Goosebumps have been publishing these books for a while now and they have gotten good at being entertaining without being too scary. This has made the books very popular kids.

I would recommend the series for boys who aren't motivated to take on large literary works.

Roald Dahl has to be one of the best children's writers ever, I can still remember reading his fanciful stories as a boy.

In this book he introduces us to James Henry Trotter who loses his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident. He then has to live with his two wicked aunts. After three years he feels both sad and lonely. One day a man gives James a bag of magic crystals to help him escape his misery. James accidentally spills the crystals on his aunts' withered peach tree. From the old tree a single giant peach grows. James climbs inside the giant fruit and rolls away to a great adventure.

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