When confronted with over a hundred books, it can be really helpful to have expert recommendations – sort of like reader’s advisory about the reader’s advisory, if that’s not too meta for you all. While we were putting together yesterday's wall - 140+ Books for the Boys of YA – we thought we might branch out a little bit and ask some of the authors featured in the wall itself for recommendations. Surprisingly (but very excitingly!), we got more responses than we bargained for so today we have an entire post devoted to the recommendations for teenage guys from these experts in the field. We asked them to recommend anything they thought teenage guys might like, whether that meant adult books, children's books, books they loved as teenagers, or anything else. We hope you enjoy the recommendations from Adam Rex, Bill Condon, Ned Vizzini, Cliff McNish, Nick James, Sean Beaudoin, Tim Pegler, and Phil Earle as much as we did. Take it away!
Adam Rex
 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams |  The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt |  One Came Home by Amy Timberlake |  Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi |  The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander |
 Fat Vampire by Adam Rex |  The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman |  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon |  Blankets by Craig Thompson |  King Dork by Frank Portman |
Adam Rex is the author and illustrator of several hilarious books for children and young adults (and adults...but only the cool ones), including The True Meaning of Smekday, Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story, and his latest - Cold Cereal. He can be found over at his blog, and also on goodreads and twitter.
Cliff McNish
| 1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Incredible science fiction story about boys in battle school in the near future. Won every award in the book. The novel I've gone back to more than any other. It's brilliant. 2. The Long Walk by Stephen King King is the best-known horror writer in the world. What are much less well-known than his blockbuster novels are the shorter books he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The Long Walk is the best of these and in my opinion the most moving single novel he's ever written. In a near-future world a group of teenage boys are walking across America. Their prize is untold riches and celebrity. But only the last one left walking wins. The rest, as they falter, are shot like dogs. This novel is a great slice of real horror. And by that, first and foremost, I mean characters you really care about - because if you didn't what does it matter what happens to them? But I also mean the set-up is perfect. Horror is all about uncertainty. In The Long Walk nothing is certain except death, there is nothing you can take comfort from, and the only rules you can understand are ones controlled by your enemy. 3. Legion by Dan Abnett Dan Abnett is probably the best writer of dark military SF in the world. Set in the distant future, this volume in the Horus Heresy Warhammer 40,000 series is about genetically-enhanced men fighting frequently inglorious wars for dubious reasons. What lifts the series into true pathos and makes the story so frightening is the dark heart of the series' premise. You think you're going to be reading about gladiatorial contests in some far-flung future, and Abnett delivers on that in spades for you action-fans, but what you get on top of that is a tragedy which ultimately assumes Shakespearean proportions. 4. Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess I've left my favourite scary story of all time to last. Bloodtide is an urban fantasy set in a near-future where rival gang lords vie for power in a London watched over by capricious Norse gods. It's a retelling of the ancient Volsunga Saga, but carried off with such power, originality and vision that it is quite simply one of the most eloquently dark books ever written for a young adult audience. When the novel came out in 2000 critic Wendy Cooling said that 'it will leave teen readers with shredded emotions that will last forever.' That's a perfectly accurate description of this book. Dystopian fiction abounds these days in the YA field, but Bloodtide ranks in its savage brilliance alongside any of the adult twentieth-century classics. You need a strong stomach, but if you can handle it this is not a book you'll ever forget. |     |
Cliff McNish is the author of The Silver Sequence and The Doomspell Trilogy, as well as several horror novels, including Breathe: A Ghost Story and Savannah Grey. McNish lives in England. Visit him at www.cliffmcnish.com, or on twitter and facebook.
Nick James
    | The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith "Definitely for the older teen, but this book really freaked me out." To the Vanishing Point by Alan Dean Foster "Not one of his more notable books, but the utter craziness of it really appealed to me as a teen" |     | The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky "The ultimate coming-of-age book, and now an awesome movie as well" The Magicians by Lev Grossman "More adult, but very teen friendly. Touted as the 'grown-up' Harry Potter" |
Nick James is the author of the Skyship Academy series, a young adult sci-fi adventure featuring The Pearl Wars and the recently released Crimson Rising. He can be found at nickjamesbooks.com, as well as over at goodreads and on twitter.
Ned Vizzini
| Ned Vizzini's Top 5 Books for Teenage Guys 1. William Sleator - Singularity I didn't discover this book until my friend & writing partner Nick Antosca recommended it. I was a fan of Sleator's Interstellar Pig and I'd have to re-read that to determine which is better -- but this is a great example of a book that only works as a book. A large portion of it takes place in one room, over one whole year, and it's still riveting. Sleator passed away in 2011. 2. Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park I don't understand why people say Moby-Dick is the Great American Novel. It's Jurassic Park, which tackles the same themes as Moby-Dick but with a precise, mechanical occupation of your brain that prevents you from doing anything other than reading it. Everyone I knew growing up read this book. 3. Gary Paulsen - Hatchet If somebody took away your cell phone, laptop, and tablet and gave you a hatchet and dumped you in the woods, how long would you survive? Hatchet is strangely relevant to today's technocracy. 4. George Orwell - A Collection of Essays Appearing one year after Catcher In the Rye, George Orwell's essay "Such, Such Were the Joys," which opens this book, is a better exploration of teen angst. Orwell was already dead when it was published, so he never had to take the flack for writing about the beating, bed-wetting, and class hierarchies that dominated his time at Eton (his high school), but for anybody who's ever felt like an outsider, this essay is a revelation. The book gets better from there. 5. Brian Jacques - Redwall Sure, Narnia and Middle-Earth are great, but give me Mossflower Wood any day, where there's a sense of humor! Brian Jacques (pronounced "Jakes") created something very special in his 22-book Redwall series and this is the place to start. Chapter Two, which introduces Cluny the Scourge, is the best introduction of any villain ever. ("Cluny was coming!") Jacques passed away in 2011. |      |
Ned Vizzini is the award-winning author of The Other Normals, It's Kind of a Funny Story (also a major motion picture), Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah.... In television, he has written for MTV and ABC. He is the co-author, with Chris Columbus, of the forthcoming fantasy-adventure series House of Secrets (April 2013). His work has been translated into eight languages. Follow him on Twitter @ned_vizzini.
Sean Beaudoin
 The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll |  Dune by Frank Herbert |  A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess |  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson |  The Stand by Steven King |
 The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald |  Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell |  The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson |  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon |  The Infects by Sean Beaudoin |
Sean Beaudoin is the author of numerous short stories as well as four books for young adults: Going Nowhere Faster, Fade To Blue, You Killed Wesley Payne, and his latest novel, The Infects. He can be found at his blog, over at goodreads, and on twitter.
Tim Pegler
I am most happy to make recommendations on great books for teenage guys; it's a topic I speak about in schools fairly regularly. I also tag books on my LibraryThing site with 'books for boys' if I think a title will work well for young male readers.
Some particular favourites follow:
Some particular favourites follow:
 Kill the Possum by James Moloney |  The Beginners' Guide To Living by Lia Hills |  Frank Miller's Dark Knight graphic novels |  Ten Mile River by Paul Griffin |  Five Parts Dead by Tim Pegler |
 Little Brother by Cory Doctorow |  I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak |  Skulduggery Pleasant (series) by Derek Landy |  Anything by John Wyndham but particularly The Chrysalids |  |
Tim Pegler is an Australian author and journalist. He has written two books for young adults: Game as Ned, which was a Children's Book Council of Australia notable book in 2008, and Five Parts Dead. He can be found at his blog, over at goodreads, and on twitter.
Bill Condon
Fighting Ruben Wolfe: Markus Zusak. Markus is best known, of course, for his amazing novel, The Book Thief. While I love that, and highly recommend it, I feel that perhaps teens might like to taste a smaller portion of his work, before tackling The Book Thief. Fighting Ruben Wolfe was Markus' second book. It's quirky and funny and tough and honest - all the best things - and all done in the unique style that has made Markus famous. And it's about brothers and boxing. What's not to like?
Nobody's Boy: Dianne Bates. I'll put my cards on the table and say that this was written by my wife, Di. However, I'm recommending it chiefly because it's a book that I think would have great appeal to teens, especially boys. It's a verse novel, which makes it very accessible for reluctant readers. It tells the story of a boy who is shuffled around from one foster family to another. All he wants is to live with his dad, but for a long time that just isn't possible. Touching and poignant and ultimately uplifting.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian: Sherman Alexie. Funny and warm, vibrant characters, and a gutsy story. This is a winner and I think teenage boys will eat it up, exactly the same as I did.
Into That Forest: Louis Nowra. Highly original and a page-turner, it's about two girls who find themselves stranded in a forest. Eventually they are 'adopted' by a family of Tasmania Tigers, a breed of wild dogs which are now extinct. Even though the main characters are girls, I'm sure the straight-forward narrative, action-packed scenes and rich language, will make it a favourite with boys. Louis Nowra is one of Australia's leading novelists and playwrights. This is his first venture into young adult books. It's an awesome debut.
The Dead I Know: Scot Gardner. This book won Australia's coveted Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award in 2012. Scot has written many terrific books, but in my opinion, this is his best. It's about Aaron Rowe, who goes to work for a funeral director. Aaron's a sleepwalker, and has other problems to cope with, but in John Barton, the funeral director, he finds a caring man who befriends him. Some of the scenes may be a little grisly and tough to take at times, but they are handled honestly and with great compassion. A brave and memorable book by one of Australia's best writers.
Daredevils: Bill Condon. I thought I'd sneak one of my own in when no one was looking. This is about a boy who knows he's going to die, so he makes a list of things he wants to do while he still can. Daredevils came out before the Bucket List and it's a lot different. For one thing, it hasn't got Morgan Freeman in it. It's got humour and sadness, and there's even a little sprinkling of sex.
Deadly Unna: Phillip Gwynne. This won the Australian CBCA Book of the Year in 1999. It's about friendship between a white boy, known as Blacky, and an Aboriginal boy, Dumby Red. They play in the local football team and live in a remote country town where racism thrives. It's funny at times and sad, which makes it all very real.
The Road: Cormac McCarthy. This is for adults and may be too tough for teens to attempt, but it's worth a mention as it is such a brilliant , mesmerising book. There aren't a lot of jokes, because it's set after an apocalyptic event, which is always a downer. But the writing is incredible. I felt so much for this father and son battling to stay alive in a world gone mad. I think it's a classic.
Holes: Louis Sachar. This is brilliant story-telling. Easy to read and gripping.
The Old Man and the Sea: Ernest Hemingway. For teens who feel daunted by huge tomes, I suggest this.The Old Man and the Sea is in the middle ground between short novel and long short story. Hemingway didn't give himself much to work with here. It's about an old man alone on a boat. But Hem turns on all his best writing and it becomes an epic struggle as the old man fights a huge and beautiful fish. When Hemingway wrote well, no one could touch him.
Bill Condon lives and writes in Australia. He has written numerous novels for children and young adults, including A Straight Line to My Heart which was an Honour Book in the CBCA Awards and shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, Give Me Truth, No Worries, which was an CBCA Honour Book and shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize in the NSW Premier's Awards, Daredevils, and Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God, which won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award for young adult fiction. Visit him at his website.
Phil Earle
 Maus by Art Spiegelman |  Warehouse by Keith Gray |  Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks |  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton |  Junk by Melvin Burgess |
 Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce |  Fat Boy Swim by Cathy Forde |  Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo |  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak |  Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green |
Phil Earle is the author of Being Billy, about a boy in the care system, and the 2012 release Saving Daisy, which our blogging buddy Jo over at Wear the Old Coat loved to bits and which I've been hankering to read ever since. Earle lives in London and is available for school visits. Visit him at www.philearle.com, on facebook, and twitter.
Our very heartfelt thanks go out to each of these authors for taking the time to share their recommendations. What do you all think? Anything new to add to your to-read pile?
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