If you want to help your 8-9 year old son love reading, check out this list of the best books for 4th grade boys.

How do you inspire a love of reading in your boys? How do you turn a reluctant reader into an avid reader?
Although lots could be written in answer to the above questions, I believe that many times it ultimately comes down to one simple thing:
You give them good books.
I truly believe that the key to giving your child a love of reading is to get them good books that will peak their interest and start them on the path towards becoming an avid reader!
Of course, it starts with reading aloud to your child when they’re very young. You can foster a love of reading years before your child is actually reading on their own.
And when your child is first starting to read on their own, don’t worry if they’re reading exactly at grade level – some children learn more slowly, and others very quickly. Just focus on supplying them with good books: classic books, books with a great story, even good picture books.
​In today’s blog post I’ll be specifically sharing some of my favorite books for 4th grade boys (or for the age range of approximately 8-10 years old.)
Maybe your child can read on their own but it’s like forcing them to eat their vegetables. If so, just keep prioritizing reading aloud to them! Hide away the video games or whatever else is distracting them and read aloud to your child on a regular basis.
Whether your child is in third, fourth, or fifth grade, it’s not too late to start encouraging them to read more. It may seem like hard work at first, but soon their books will be like new friends and you’ll find it hard to tear them away once they’ve discovered a good story.
A couple notes about my 4th grade boys book list:
Today I’m specifically sharing books that I think are perfect for 4th grade boys, but all of the books on this list are perfectly great books for all 4th graders, both boys and girls. (I would just include a few more specifically girly ones if I was making a 4th grade girls list.)
Some of the books listed below you could introduce long before 4th grade, while some you may choose to wait until 5th grade or later.
I am pretty selective about what my kids read, as I’m sure many of you are. There are a lot of popular books for boys that are not on my list; some because they’re just a hard no for our family, others because I want to wait a few years to introduce them, and others simply because I haven’t had a chance to preview them myself.
A few examples of popular books that are not on my list include the Dog Man books, books by Roald Dahl, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and more.
I’ve divided my list of books for 4th grade boys into two sections: books for your child to read themselves, and a list of amazing read-alouds. Which books go on which list is purely based on my own preferences – you may prefer for your child to read some of the “read alouds” on their own and vice versa.
Some fourth graders are voracious readers and will read whatever they can get their hands on, while some are still young readers who need some good books that aren’t too wordy so that they don’t get discouraged. In the list I’ll note which books are simpler or more complex.
This list is mainly chapter books, but I did include a couple easy reader books that even my 5th grader still enjoys on occasion.
Remember, these are my personal top picks so I’m sure there are many, many more books that you could add to the list.
Best Books for 4th Grade Boys to Read On Their Own
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (3 book series)
Beverly Cleary’s books are classics, and her series about Ralph the mouse has been read multiple times at our house.
Also written by Beverly Cleary, the Henry Huggins books are so much fun and make great reads for 4th graders.
My kids have enjoyed reading these books as well as listening to many of them on audio book. They’ve also enjoyed reading a few of books from the Boxcar Children graphic novel series.
The Wild Robot is the first book that Caleb really got into (he was eight years old if I remember right.) It’s a decent size chapter book, but the chapters are all very very short which makes it feel doable for young readers. He also read and enjoyed the second book in the series, The Wild Robot Protects.
In this series, the main character (different in each book) finds him/herself in some sort of dangerous outdoor situation when he/she encounters Bear Grylls. These are small, easy reads and both my 10 year old son and 8 year old daughter enjoy them.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is such a classic story. The Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little by the same author are great reads for a 4th grader.
Maybe your son says he wants something real, not fairy tales. Let him try the I Survived series. These books are great for 4th graders, teaching about true (and sometimes terrible) events without being too graphic.
Originally published in 1938, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a classic story that’s both fun and easy to read. It’s a great place to start if your child hasn’t read many chapter books yet.
Written by the author of Make Way For the Ducklings, Homer Price is a book that’s sure to make boys chuckle as they read.
If your 4th grader is a voracious reader, it may be time to introduce the classic Hardy Boys books. While these books are a slightly higher reading level than some of the other books on this list, they’re classics for a reason.
The Childhood of Famous Americans
These are simple biographies that focus on, as the series title suggests, the childhood of famous Americans.
My kids have enjoyed reading multiple books from this time-travel series. This particular series is written from a Christian perspective. Other similar (but non-Christian) series include (The Magic Treehouse and Ranger in Time.)
The American Adventures series
This is another series that you can often find used online. It’s a great way to teach your kids a love of history.
These older books can be a bit hard to find, but they are great biographies if you can find them used. My kids have enjoyed Daniel Boone, Crazy Horse, and Clara Barton.
My kids enjoyed this historical fiction book set during the time before the civil war.
Another good historical fiction book for 4th graders, this book is set during the Revolutionary War.
Easy Readers
Here are a few easy reader books that are perfect for reluctant or younger readers while still enjoyable even for the big kids:
- Piggy and Gerald books – My kids all enjoy these funny books from my three year old on up. I love that they are cute and never include any potty humor.
- Pizza and Taco books – This is a pretty cute graphic novel series, but I will note that several of these do have some mild potty humor.
- Sydney and Taylor series – These books have cute illustrations and make some great first chapter books for a young reader.
- Mercy Watson series – Another fun first-chapter book series.
Best Read Aloud Books for 4th Grade Boys
This classic series is a classic for a reason. My husband has read several of the books aloud to my kids, and my kids also love these radio theatre productions and have listened to them over and over again. (I enjoy them myself; they’re very well done!)
I adored this book growing up, and my kids loved it when I read it to them this past year.
Written by the same author as Kavik, Gentle Ben is a classic story of a boy and his bear.
I believe that this historical fiction book is technically a middle school read, but I just finished reading it to my eight and ten year olds and we all loved it. I do want to note that it was quite intense/suspenseful so if your child is pretty sensitive you may want to wait on this one.
Written by the same author as The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is a slightly easier reading level and would make a great read aloud to introduce your 4th grader to middle earth.
This classic story makes a great read aloud.
We read this historical fiction book together over the summer and it was a huge hit. Such a lovely story set in England during WWII.
Set in the US during WWII, this book is a fun historical fiction read. I’ve actually read it to my kids twice now. It’s a fun read as a mom – you can tell that the author really knew what kids were like by the way she wrote it.
While Farmer Boy is the only book specifically about a boy, my sons love this whole series and I do too. I’ve read the entire series to my kids with the exception of the final book because I don’t love that one haha.
This was a good historical fiction read-aloud that lead to some good conversations about WWII and the Holocaust.
It doesn’t get much better than this book. (Alec Ramsey gets all the adventure!)
Written by Patricia St. John and set in Switzerland, this book was a favorite of mine as a kid. I love the lessons taught in this book, plus it’s just a great story.
I have not yet read this series to my kids, but I feel comfortable recommending it because of how many people have recommended it to me.
My kids listened to this one on audio book. It’s quite the adventure story . . . about bunnies surprisingly. 🙂
This is a Newbery medal winner that my kids recently enjoyed listening to.
Another great Newbery medal winner! For solo-reading this book may be better suited for middle school, but it makes a great read aloud for as young as 4th grade. I loved this book growing up!
This acclaimed historical fiction book is often mentioned on lists of books for boys. My kids found it a little boring (they were listening to an audio version) but maybe they just hadn’t reached the exciting part!
This is a short little chapter book that lead to some great discussions and taught a sweet lesson about family.
What book recommendations do you have for me? I’m also adding to my personal reading list and I’d love to add more book lists to my blog eventually so let me know your recommendations for any and all ages in the comments!