A Bookshelf for Boys
Alan Johnson, Britain’s education secretary, has launched a campaign to create a bookshelf for boys in every secondary school in England. The list has over 160 books from which to choose and each school is allotted 20. The list was compiled by the School Library Association and are primarily adventure books that the group hopes to appeal to the 11 to 14 year olds. The full list can be viewed here and include such titles as:
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
- Samurai by Jason Hightman (HarperCollins)
- The Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis (Hodder)
- Avenger by Andy McNab (Corgi)
- Eldest by Christopher Paolini (Corgi)
Isn’t Coraline about a girl?
Via the Guardian


21. May, 2007 | by 








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Coraline is about a girl, and it’s definitely not a book I’d make my younger brother read. Rather odd.
If they are trying to get boys that age to read, where are the HP books (I looked twice – did I miss them?), and where are the Pendragon books? My 12 yo son is all over those.
Coraline IS about a girl, but boys love Neil Gaiman. And though it’s a little weird, I think it’s one of his more accessible works. Good Omens and American Gods might be a little too grown-up.