In a used book store recently, my son and I found a book called Pirates! by Celia Rees. It was a hard back with no book jacket, but I leafed through it, and it looked good. I especially liked that it had female protagonists and a bit of romance. He’s been enjoying it, but he just got to a scene with a sexual assault. “It made me feel bad,” he told me, “so I put the book away”. We talked a bit more, and it’s clear the mature themes, while mild for a teen book, are making my ten year old uncomfortable. We’re thinking about reading it together, skipping scenes he doesn’t like, and a few other options, but I want to have a stack of ideas for his next read.

If you are familiar with the highly praised Pirates! you might be thinking: “Duh! That book is for 6th to 9th graders.” I know that, now, but here’s the problem: in 3rd grade my son passed the language arts test our 12th graders take to graduate high school. Like most old curmudgeons, I suspect standards have gotten lower over the years, but on any measure, it’s clear (not from some test score, but from how fast he reads books for 10 year olds, and how unexcited he is by them) he need something different from chapter books for kids his age.

So, I’m looking for recommendations for books that are challenging for a precocious 10 year old boy, but don’t have adult-ish themes. He likes fantasy, sci fi, and adventure, but is pretty open minded.

Perhaps in anticipation of the closure of our Borders, which hasn’t been announced, but which only a nitwit could fail to predict, our local music store is opening a giant book section today. I’m definitely going book shopping, and I need ideas for my boy.

Thanks, thanks, thanks, in advance!