You should definitely take a look at my resources for teachers page as well as this one.
Books for Boys
There are a lot of books that appeal to boys, if you go looking for them.
Here is a list of authors whose works appeal to boys, and there are many others as well. I haven’t divided this by age as a young boy who is an active reader will find books by Roald Dahl to be fun, while an older boy who is not a facile reader will like the same story just as well, and not be insulted by a book that he sees as babyish.
I know Goosebumps by R. L. Stine is not considered great literature, but boys will read it, and if that’s what it takes to get their noses in a book, do it!
When you have a choice, boys prefer books which are scary, gross, adventuresome, fantastic, real, or violent. They like to read about true crime, sports, animals, space, vehicles, computers, true facts, or other boys. For a great source look at: Kathleen Odean’s Great Books for Boys: More than 600 books for boys 2 to 14. New York, NY: Ballentine.
Boys will like books by:
Douglas Adams, Orson Scott Card, Tom Clancy, Stephen Crane, Roald Dahl, Jack Gantos, The Brothers Grimm, Ernest Hemingway, Tony Hillerman, Brian Jacques, Rudyard Kipling, Jon Krakauer, Jack London, Gary Paulsen, Dav Pilkey, Daniel Pinkwater, Terry Pratchett, J. K. Rowling, Louis Sachar, Richard Scarry, Maurice Sendak, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, John Steinbeck, R. L. Stine, Mark Twain, Jules Verne , and Paul Zindel.
Graphic novels are a great way to get a boy interested in the classics. I’m not talking about glorified comic books or manga. There are a number of series of classic novels which have been illustrated and any of these would be a great place to start.
Puffin Graphics series
Treasure Island: The Graphic Novel
Call of the Wild
Frankenstein
Red Badge of Courage
Macbeth
Dracula
Graphic Classics series
Volume 1: Edgar Allan Poe
Volume 2: Arthur Conan Doyle
Volume 3: H. G. Wells
Volume 4: H.P. Lovecraft
Volume 5: Jack London
And many others
Redwall: The Graphic Novel