get em while they're young. 160 books every boy should read.

[Liar]

...according to The Times. (Although they are apparently 167 books. Ah well.)



Kind of relevant to amicus' Mars thread. These are books for knowledge, insight and imagination alike.

Got any recommendations? What book should every kid get to read?




------------



160 books on must-read list for boys – full of blood, guts and class heroes

A list of the top 160 books for teenage boys will be published today by the Education Secretary in an ambitious attempt to encourage them to read more for pleasure and keep up with girls at secondary school.

To launch the £600,000 project, Alan Johnson has promised to give every secondary school in England the chance to chose 20 books from the list free.

The list contains no Dickens and no J. K. Rowling, but Philip Pullman, Anthony Horowitz, Robert Muchamore, Terry Pratchett and Darren Shan all feature in a list that is full of gritty, fighting, spying, fantastical, bloodthirsty and sporty working-class heroes from authors past and present.

There is an inevitable sprinkling of Japanese manga and other graphic novels for the arty, while for boys who prefer data to derring-do there are books of lists, trivia and facts.

The project is very personal to Mr Johnson, a voracious reader, who was brought up in a single-parent household and who is determined that no child should grow up in a home without books, as he did.

He believes that reading is the key to improving the academic and employment chances of working-class boys, who often lose the taste for reading after they start secondary school, leading to a significant reading gap between boys and girls in their early teens.

Mr Johnson told The Times: “Boys tend to read less than girls, and some lose the reading bug completely after they change schools at 11. This will help boys reacquire the reading habit and try out a wider range of great books.”

There was a clear link, he said, between reading for pleasure and academic performance, not just in English, but across the whole curriculum.

“Beyond this, reading can enrich their lives by freeing their imagination, inspiring creativity and developing intellectual curiosity,” he said.

Among the first books that Mr Johnson read as a boy were Shane by Jack Schaefer and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The latter features on today’s list of 160 books for boys, which has been drawn up by librarians from the School Library Association.

Kathy Lemaire, chief executive of the association, said that school librarians were always dreaming up new ways to get boys interested in reading. In the end, though, it was the books that counted. “The right books need to be there when someone wants to read them, and that is why we were delighted when we were commissioned to create this new book list, which will help to get knowledge of such titles to busy librarians,” she said.

Along with 20 free books, schools will also receive posters and postcards to promote their libraries.

Numerous studies have shown the existence of a reading gap between boys and girls, which gets wider as children grow older. Research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has found that girls are much more likely than boys to read for enjoyment: 78 per cent of girls, against only 65 per cent of boys. The same research also suggested that reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socioeconomic status.

----

Top books for boys

The full list of the top books for boys. Are your recommendations included? Add your suggestions in the comment box below.

1. The Top 10 of Everything 2007 by Russell Ash, Hamlyn (2008 edition available in the autumn)

2. Strange Powers of the Human Mind (Forbidden Truths) by Herbie Brennan, Faber

3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, Black Swan,

4. I Know You Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson, Penguin

5. Guinness Book of Records 2007, Guinness (2008 edition available in the autumn)

6. 101 Things You Need To Know (And Some You Don’t) by Richard Horne, Bloomsbury

7. 101 Things To Do Before You’re Old and Boring by Richard Horne, Bloomsbury

8. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by Robert LeRoy Ripley, Century

9. The Boys’ Book; How to be the Best at Everything by Guy McDonald, Buster Books

10. Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser, Puffin

11. How to Spot a Hadrosaur in a Bus Queue by Andy Seed, Hodder

12. How to Avoid a Wombat’s Bum by Mitchell Symons, Doubleday

13. Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? by Mick O'Hare, Profile Books

14. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Macmillan

15. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Puffin

16. King Solomon’s Mines by H Rider Haggard, Penguin

17. Northern Lights (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, Scholastic

18. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Bloomsbury

19. Kidnapped (adapted by) Alan Grant, Barrington Stoke

20. Treasure Island by R L Stevenson, Bloomsbury

21. The Hobbit by J RR Tolkien, HarperCollins

22. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Penguin

23. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Penguin

24. Like Father Like Son by Tony Bradman (ed), Kingfisher

25. Unreal! by Paul Jennings, Puffin

26. Flight by Kazu Kibuishi, Image Comics

27. One Beastly Beast by Garth Nix, HarperCollins

28. The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Puffin

29. It Was A Dark and Silly Night by Art Spiegelman, HarperCollins

30. Scientific Progress Goes Boink (Calvin and Hobbes) by Bill Watterson, Time Warner

31. Talking Turkeys by Bejamin Zephaniah, Puffin

32. Arthur and the Invisibles by Luc Besson, Faber

33. The Spellgrinder’s Apprentice by N M Browne, Bloomsbury

34. The Forgotten Spell (Spellcaster Gamebooks) by Louisa Dent, Wizard Books

35. Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad) by David Eddings, Corgi

36. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, Chicken House

37. Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Bloomsbury

38. Samurai (Saint of Dragons) by Jason Hightman, HarperCollins

39. Blade of Fire (The Icemark Chronicles) by Stuart Hill, Chicken House

40. Eldest by Christopher Paolini, Corgi

41. Clash of the Sky Galleons (The Edge Chronicles) by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Doubleday

42. Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess, Puffin

43. The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer, Puffi

44. Small-Minded Giants by Oisin McGann, Corgi

45. Takedown by Graham Marks, Catnip

46. Jango (Noble Warriors) by William Nicholson, Egmont

47. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride) by James Patterson, Headline

48. A Darkling Plain (Mortal Engines Quartet) by Philip Reeve, Scholastic

49. Storm Thief by Chris Wooding, Scholastic

50. Darkside by Tom Becker, Scholastic

51. The Spook’s Secret (Wardstone Chronicles) by Joseph Delaney, Bodley Head

52. The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven, Doubleday

53. Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Bloomsbury

54. Setting of a Cruel Sun (The Lost Souls Stories) by Alan Gibbons, Orion

55. Nightrise (Power of Five) by Anthony Horowitz, Walker

56. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, HarperCollins

57. Breathe by Cliff McNish, Orion

58. Devil for Sale by E E Richardson, Barrington Stoke

59. The Intruders by E E Richardson, Corgi

60. Blood Beast (Demonata) by Darren Shan, HarperCollins

61. Crazy Creatures (Reality Check) by Gillian Arbuthnott, Barrington Stoke

62. The Fighting Pit (Bear Kingdom) by Michael Coleman, Orchard

63. Flanimals of the Deep by Ricky Gervais

64. High Rhulain (Redwall) by Brian Jacques, Puffin

65. The Dark Portal (Deptford Mice) by Robin Jarvis, Hodder

66. Mouse Noses on Toast by Darren King, Faber

67. Soul Eater (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness) by Michelle Paver, Orion

68. Fall 1152 (Mouse Guard) by David Petersen, Archaia (Publication due in June)

69. Nathan Fox by L Brittney, Macmillan

70. Mines of the Minotaur (Companion’s Quartet) by Julia Golding, Oxford

71. The Ship Between the Worlds by Julia Golding, Oxford

72. The Black Book of Secrets by F E Higgins, Macmillan

73. Here There be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) by James A Owen, Simon & Schuster

74. Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, Scholastic

75. Larklight by Philip Reeve, Bloomsbury

76. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, Puffin

77. Physik (Septimus Heap) by Angie Sage, Bloomsbury

78. My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick, Orion

79. Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton, Puffin

80. Ptolemy’s Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud, Corgi

81. Bloodline by Kevin Brooks, Barrington Stoke

82. Johnny Delgado Like Father Like Son by Kevin Brooks, Barrington Stoke

83. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer, Puffin

84. Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, Puffin

85. Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Macmillan

86. Grk and the Hot Dog Trail by Joshua Doder, Andersen Press

87. Final Lap (Traces) by Malcolm Rose, Kingfisher

88. The Crime Lord (F.E.A.R. Adventures) by Jak Shadow, Wizard Books

89. Tins by Alex Shearer, Macmillan

90. Great Britain (Jack Stalwart) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt, Red Fox

91. The Curse of the Nightwolf (Barnaby Grimes) by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Doubleday

92. Montmorency’s Revenge by Eleanor Updale, Scholastic

93. The Obsidian Dagger (Horatio Lyle) by Catherine Webb, Atom

92. The Boy who was Wanted Dead or Alive – or both (Blart) by Dominic Barker, Bloomsbury

93. Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Cavney, Bodley Head

94. The Moomy’s Curse (Cows in Action) by Steve Cole, Red Fox

95. Toonhead by Fiona Dunbar, Orchard

96. The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Bloomsbury

97. So You Think You Know the Simpsons? by Clive Gifford, Hodder

98. It’s True You Can Make Your Own Jokes by Sharon Holt, Allen & Unwin

99. Ryan’s Brain (Jiggy McCue) by Michael Lawrence, Orchard

100. Measle and the Slitherghoul (Measle Stubbs Adventures) by Ian Ogilvy, OUP

101. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People by Dav Pilkey, Scholastic

102. Urgum the Axe Man by Kjartan Poskitt, Scholastic

103. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, Doubleday

104. Zip’s Apollo by Philip Ridley, Puffin

105. The Great Cow Race (Bone) by Jeff Smith, Cartoon Books

106. Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl, Puffin

107. Once by Morris Gleitzman, Puffin

108. Crusade by Elizabeth Laird, Macmillan (Publication due in June)

109. Secrets of the Fearless by Elizabeth Laird, Macmillan

110. The Highwayman’s Footsteps by Nicola Morgan, Walker

111. Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo, Collins

112. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, HarperCollins

113. Rebel Cargo by James Riordan, Frances Lincoln

114. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Bodley Head

115. Divided City by Theresa Breslin, Corgi

116. Game Boy (4u2read.ok) by Alan Durant, Barrington Stoke

117. Stat Man (FYI) by Alan Durant, Barrington Stoke

118. Lady Friday (Keys to the Kingdom) by Garth Nix, HarperCollins

119. The Penalty by Mal Peet, Walker

120. Dream On by Bali Rai, Barrington Stoke

121. Goal 2: Living the Dream by Robert Rigby, Corgi

122. Agent Orange (Spy High) by A J Butcher, Atom

123. Sakkara (New Heroes) by Michael Carroll, HarperCollins

124. Jimmy Coates: Revenge by Joe Craig, HarperCollins

125. True Spy Stories (Usborne True Stories) by Paul Dowswell and Fergus Fleming, Spies (Publication due in June)

126. The Flight of the Silver Turtle by John Fardell, Faber

127. The Devil’s Breath by David Gilman, Puffin (Publication due in June)

128. Double or Die (Young Bond) by Charlie Higson, Puffin

129. Ark Angel (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz, Walker

130. Meltdown (Special Agents) by Sam Hutton, HarperCollins

131. Deep Waters (Zac Power) by H I Larry, Egmont

132. The Fall (Cherub) by Robert Muchamore, Hodder

133. Deadline by John Townsend, Barrington Stoke

134. S.T.O.R.M. by E L Young, Macmillan

135. The Hand of the Devil by Dean Vincent Carter, Corgi

136. The Aztec Code by Steve Cole, Bloomsbury

137. Bunker 10 by J A Henderson, OUP

138. Sure Fire by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards, HarperCollins (Publication due in May)

139. Bloodbones (Fighting Fantasy) by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Wizard Books

140. Troll Blood (Troll trilogy) by Katherine Langrish, HarperCollins

141. The Beast Within (Nemesis) by Catherine Macphail, Bloomsbury

142. Avenger (Boy Soldier) by Andy McNab, Corgi

143. Operation Typhoon Shore (Guild Trilogy) by Joshua Mowll, Walker

144. Boffin Boy and the Invaders from Space (Boffin Boy) by David Orme, Ransom

145. Time Runners: Freeze Framed (Time Runners) by Justin Richards, Simon & Schuster

146. Flash Flood (Code Red Adventures) by Chris Ryan, Red Fox

147. Book the Thirteenth: The End by Lemony Snicket, Egmont

148. The Web of Fire by Steve Voake, Faber

149. Smokescreen by Bernard Ashley, Usborne

150. Mutant (Gr8reads) by Theresa Breslin, Barrington Stoke

151. Being by Kevin Brooks, Puffin

152. Billy Elliot by Melvin Burgess, Chicken House

153. The Bone Room by Anne Cassidy, Barrington Stoke

154. Moon Man by David Donohue, Egmont

155. The Road of Bones by Anne Fine, Corgi

156. The Thing with Finn by Tom Kelly, Macmillan

157. Flush by Carl Hiaasen, Corgi

158. Under the Skin by Catherine Macphail, Barrington Stoke

159. Captives by Tom Pow, Corgi

160. BurnOut by Robert Swindells, Barrington Stoke

161. Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama, Gollancz

162. Help I’m a Classroom Gambler by Pete Johnson, Corgi

163. The Paradise Plot by Natasha Narayan, Egmont

164. The Inventors by Alexander Gordon Smith, Faber

165. Tide of Terror (Vampirates) by Justin Somper, Simon & Schuster

166. Running the Risk (Shapeshifter) by Ali Sparkes, OUP

167. H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) by Mark Walden, Bloomsbury

 

[rgraham666]

Very cool. I wish more education ministers worried about stuff like this.

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

My Kids have read exactly three of them - Ripleys Believe Or Not and Guiness Book of Records being two. The other is the Hobbit, which I made them read at gunpoint. They hated it.

 

[cumallday]

My favourite reading material as a young boy belonged to my father and was hidden in a suitcase down in the basement.

Not to knock any of the fine reads on the list, but Mr. Johnson's list itself seems too biased and stereotypically gendered; "The Moomy’s Curse (Cows in Action)" by Steve Cole not withstanding. There ought to be a wider range of ideas and viewpoints in the selection.

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

My favourite reading material as a young boy belonged to my father and was hidden in a suitcase down in the basement.

Not to knock any of the fine reads on the list, but Mr. Johnson's list itself seems too biased and stereotypically gendered; "The Moomy’s Curse (Cows in Action)" by Steve Cole not withstanding. There ought to be a wider range of ideas and viewpoints in the selection.

I hear ya. All the best books I read when I was a kid I had to obtain by climbing a step-ladder.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

I see a handful of classics and lot of nonentities.

Why wouldn't a "teenage boy" not want to read the same good stuff as a grownup boy? And a lot of the good stuff read by grownup girls, too.)

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

A list of books for teenage boys that begins with a bunch of "How-to" and "List" books and does NOT include anything by Rowlings or Jack London?

My oh my, but ain't we trendy, and so elitest.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

Wow. I've read about 4 of those. I think part of the problem was that I mostly skipped directly from small kids' books to adult literature. I used to get Asimov and Josephie Tey as bedtime stories. As soon as I started reading, I went pretty much directly to full-length novels. (Also, I'm a borderline speed reader, so I go through books fairly quickly.

I personally have my own theories about good books for young readers and not just boys.

I would add some of the books I liked at around that age:

1) Who is Frances Rain? - Margaret Buffie
2) Cue for Treason - (Author?)
3) The Cam Jensen series.
4) The Lord of the Rings - Tolkein, for older kids(seriously, the hobbit did kind of suck. I was halfway through TLOTR by the time we read it in class, and it seemed pretty watered down by comparison)
5) So you want to be a wizard - Diane Duane (just gave a copy to my 11 year-old cousin and she LOVED it)
6) Any of the Usborne puzzle mystery books (Though the advanced ones are a little too tough for that age, they were for me) e.g. Search for the Sunken city, The disappearing village, etc.
7) One or two of Piers Anthony's early Xanth novels. Yeah, they were fluffy, but not any more so than Captain Underpants. Vaguely similar to Pratchett, actually.
8) The daughter of time - Josephine Tey (a nice, non-violent mystery)
9) To love and be wise - Josephine Tey (similar, though a murder is investigated)
10) Enter Three Witches - (Author?)

...

Many many more...

 

[oggbashan]

I would add some more classic adventure books:

The Thirty-Nine Steps: John Buchan
The four stories of Bulldog Drummond: Sapper
Sherlock Holmes: Conan Doyle, and
Sir Nigel and The White Company, also Conan Doyle
The Moonstone: Wilkie Collins
Kim: Rudyard Kipling
Ivanhoe and Rob Roy: Sir Walter Scott
Lays of Ancient Rome: Macaulay
The original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming

Some of these are politically incorrect, as are some on the original list.

Then, as a basis for other things: The Bible (King James Version) for its influence on English writing, if not for any other reason; The Koran.

Og

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

I would add some more classic adventure books:

The Thirty-Nine Steps: John Buchan
The four stories of Bulldog Drummond: Sapper
Sherlock Holmes: Conan Doyle, and
Sir Nigel and The White Company, also Conan Doyle
The Moonstone: Wilkie Collins
Kim: Rudyard Kipling
Ivanhoe and Rob Roy: Sir Walter Scott
Lays of Ancient Rome: Macaulay
The original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming

Some of these are politically incorrect, as are some on the original list.

Then, as a basis for other things: The Bible (King James Version) for its influence on English writing, if not for any other reason; The Koran.

Og

Damn straight, except for the last. Not out of prejudice, but because unlike King James an English speaker will find little added to his appreciation of our language. If it's Islam you want to educate them about, a sympathetic treatement like Karen Armstrong's book would be more useful.

For a Yank (or any English speaker, really), the Autobiography of Ben Franklin would be a nice touch. For a young Brit, Churchill's "My Early Life" would describe the dashing side of an icon.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Wow. I've read about 4 of those. I think part of the problem was that I mostly skipped directly from small kids' books to adult literature. I used to get Asimov and Josephie Tey as bedtime stories. As soon as I started reading, I went pretty much directly to full-length novels. (Also, I'm a borderline speed reader, so I go through books fairly quickly.

I personally have my own theories about good books for young readers and not just boys.

I would add some of the books I liked at around that age:

1) Who is Frances Rain? - Margaret Buffie
2) Cue for Treason - (Author?)
3) The Cam Jensen series.
4) The Lord of the Rings - Tolkein, for older kids(seriously, the hobbit did kind of suck. I was halfway through TLOTR by the time we read it in class, and it seemed pretty watered down by comparison)
5) So you want to be a wizard - Diane Duane (just gave a copy to my 11 year-old cousin and she LOVED it)
6) Any of the Usborne puzzle mystery books (Though the advanced ones are a little too tough for that age, they were for me) e.g. Search for the Sunken city, The disappearing village, etc.
7) One or two of Piers Anthony's early Xanth novels. Yeah, they were fluffy, but not any more so than Captain Underpants. Vaguely similar to Pratchett, actually.
8) The daughter of time - Josephine Tey (a nice, non-violent mystery)
9) To love and be wise - Josephine Tey (similar, though a murder is investigated)
10) Enter Three Witches - (Author?)

...

Many many more...

I loved The Daughter of Time. BUT - you must read (or watch) Richard III for it to make sense.

 

[Liar]

Jules Verne got me reading books in the first place. I'm a little surprised there were no Around The World or Twenty Thousand Leagues there.

Although those most known were kind of lame, compared to some of the stuff he wrote. Master of the World, The Fur Country, Off On A Comet and the slightly, well, different The Green Flash are among my favourites.

 

[Stella_Omega]

My Kids have read exactly three of them - Ripleys Believe Or Not and Guiness Book of Records being two. The other is the Hobbit, which I made them read at gunpoint. They hated it.

I strongly suggest you start three chapters in, or else skip it altogether until after they've read the Trilogy.

I had a boyfriend back in highschool who was pretty much illiterate. I gave him Penthouse letters compilations to read-- figuring that ANY reading material was better than nothing, and the subject would hold his interest if nothing else did.

He passed every after-quiz with flying colors...

 

[Grushenka]

I had a boyfriend back in highschool who was pretty much illiterate. I gave him Penthouse letters compilations to read-- figuring that ANY reading material was better than nothing, and the subject would hold his interest if nothing else did.

From this, and many other or your posts, I'd love to read your full memoirs. Seriously.

 

[Stella_Omega]

From this, and many other or your posts, I'd love to read your full memoirs. Seriously.

Me and Frank Harris and just about as meaningful, I have to say...


Besides, you can't have the full memoirs-- they haven't happened yet!

 

[jomar]

From this, and many other or your posts, I'd love to read your full memoirs. Seriously.

I was just thinking that today - Stella leads a far more interesting life that I do. May she could write "My first 50" or something like that.

As for the list, Carl Hiaasen?

 

[DerelictionOfSanity]

I loved The Daughter of Time. BUT - you must read (or watch) Richard III for it to make sense.

Hmm, I think that being British, Tey assumes that most of her readers were taught about Richard III in History class. The misconception was far more pervasive than just Shakespeare's work.

 

[MagicaPractica]

...
160 books on must-read list for boys – full of blood, guts and class heroes

Top books for boys
14. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Macmillan

18. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Bloomsbury

21. The Hobbit by J RR Tolkien, HarperCollins

22. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Penguin

23. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Penguin

53. Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Bloomsbury

83. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer, Puffin

112. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, HarperCollins

157. Flush by Carl Hiaasen, Corgi

Admittedly, many I haven't read in that list, but I definitely like the ones above. Also would suggest...

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Only You Can Save Mankind by Terri Pratchett
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Inside Out by Terry Trueman
Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar
ETA: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling

(I am trying to restrain myself but this is what I do for a living.)

 

[MagicaPractica]

I was just thinking that today - Stella leads a far more interesting life that I do. May she could write "My first 50" or something like that.

As for the list, Carl Hiaasen?

Absolutely! Haven't you read Hoot? Big BIG BIG with the kids, upper elementary to middle grade years.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Any list that doesn't contain something by Mad Magazine really doesn't understand boys.
The All-New Secret File on Spy vs. Spy; Prohias

The Bedside Mad; The Usual Gang of Idiots

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

Books (especially comic books and science fiction) were the best, most original, creative and vibrant form of entertainment available to me growing up in the 1960's and 1970's.

But my kids have all that and more.

They have The Simpsons and Family Guy
I had "Deputy Dog" and "Stop That Pigeon"

They have Guitar Heroes and Final Fantasy
I had Totopoly and Mastermind

I had Pen-pals
They design their own web sites on MySpace, for Christ's Sake.


No wonder they don't read. They don't have the time.