Bob Shea: In celebration of the publication of our comedic dinosaur-tinged western, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads Lane and I were asked to recommend excellent books every boy is sure to love.

Lane Smith: There’s only one problem, all boys are different. Who are these boys? I don’t know these boys. One might be into tales of high speed rail travel while another might love nothing more than a good ol’ yarn of the mischievous and colorful Fiddler Crab.

Bob Shea: This was clear when I attempted to foist Harry Potter on my son. He took one look and said, “Pass!”

“Why?” I said, “Kids your age go nuts for this stuff! It’s got ghosts and monsters, and

THERE’S A MOVIE! Fall in line, son.”

“Yeah, but none of that stuff really happened. Peddle your lies somewhere else,” he said. Then we read Diary of a Plausibly Wimpy Kid again for the five hundredth time.

I was just glad he was reading. So the book every boy should read? Whatever they want. As long as they are reading. That’s the trick. So you can pretty much ignore this list right now.

Lane Smith: But if you’re still reading, we put together our 7 Picks Every Boy Should Read, but don’t have to if they don’t feel like it. Also, girls are more than welcome to read any of these titles, just be discreet.

via 7 Books That Will Get Young Boys Reading | Bob Shea.