8 Essential Books for Kids of Geeks

My son has discovered a love of books. So I got to thinking, what are some books that I loved as a child, that I want my kids to read too. And here they are, 8 books/series of the YA type that every good geek father should have his kids read. These were chosen based on the character traits they promote as well as the morals the protagonist adheres to. Also, almost all have heavy fantasy/sci-fi elements.

For those of you too lazy to scroll through all the books, the pics, and the amazingly written discriptions, here is a quick list in no particular order:

The Tripod Trilogy
The Chronicles of Prydain (The Black Cauldron)
Hunger Games
Chronicles of Narnia
Wrinkle in Time
Little House on the Prairie
The Hardy Boys
The Hobbit

Some of you will no doubt be sending me nasty emails complaining that I left off Harry Potter, Twilight, and Lord of the Rings. First of all, in no way do I think Twilight is in the same league as Lord of the Rings nor should it belong in a sentence mentioning great fiction. But I know you people. You are fickle. And you like your Twilight. But it is not great literature. So it shall not go on the list.

LotR and Harry Potter are in fact both excellent. However, I believe LotR is a little more mature than most of the books listed here, and I believe The Hobbit is a good measuring stick to see if your little geek is ready to tackle the more meaty LotR. As far as Harry Potter goes, I really like the books by J.K. Rowling. They are a fun read, there are good morals (usually), but there are other series on the list that fill pretty much the same spot and do it better.

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So without further ado, the list:

The Tripods Trilogy

This was the series that first made me fall in love with the fantasy/sci-fi genre. Set in the not too distant future after aliens have enslaved the planet and reduced the human population to a pre-industrial revolution society, these books follow three friends and their quest to be free. It has aliens, giant tentacled robots, jousting knights, mind control, and pirates. It doesn't get much better than this.

The Chronicles of Prydain

The second book in this series (The Black Cauldron) was a Newberry Honor book in 1966. The series breaks from the norm and has an assistant pig-keeper as protagonist. It only gets better from there. Featuring a strong female love interest, wizards, undead, an evil, horned bad guy, a funny man-beast creature thingy, fairy folk, and plenty of epic battles, this is fantasy firing on all cylinders.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Some of you will likely be upset at my pandering to the masses by including this series. While this is the most recently written series on the list, it brings some very good qualities to the list. It features a strong female lead, she's a girl I could readily point my daughter to as an example of a blend of femininity and strength - someone who looks fabulous in a dress but can also kick butt. Her male counterpart is strong, capable, and loves sacrificially despite many reasons to abandon his love. While I didn't love the way the series ended, it brings a lot to the table.

The Chronicles of Narnia

How could this not be on the list? C.S. Lewis is a master of the English language and this is a great introduction to him. But it also stands on its own as a great work of literature. The symbolism, the epic tales, and the vivid language captured my imagination as a child. Lewis does a good job of having both male and female protagonists throughout the series, and the lessons they learn are timeless. Plus there are epic battles, talking animals, witches, magic, and dwarves. My favorite quote from the book, talking about Aslan the lion, "Safe?...Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

A Wrinkle in Time

Another sci-fi book featuring a strong female lead. This series has a very clear battle of good vs. evil. I fell in love with this series many moons ago, but it still holds a dear place in my heart. It's a little strange, but if you can open up your imagination, it really is quite good.

Little House on the Prairie

Was Laura Ingalls my first crush? Hard to say, but I loved these books. Life in the 19th century was so accessible with these books. Following the life of the Ingalls family, and mostly the second daughter, Laura, the reader is taught to enjoy the simple things in life and return to a time when life on the prairie was a battle to survive. I think this one is a much easier read for the girls, but if you are weird like I was as a child, then it can be pretty good for a guy too.

The Hardy Boys

Whoah. I just realized that half of these books have a female protagonist. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but this blog is supposed to focus on the manlier side of things. Quick, I better do something manly - *belch.

Now that we're back on track, let's consider the Hardy Boys. There are approximately two gazillion books in this series. I'm pretty sure I have read them all. Male protagonists? Check. Action? Check? Crime fighting, clue seeking, harrowing adventures? Check, check, and check. These guys have what every young boy wishes his life could be. Oh man, and when they did Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boy crossovers? It was music to my soul.

The Hobbit

Last, and certainly not least, the book that introduced me to Lord of the Rings and culminated in my descent into nerdery. Another master of the English language, Tolkien wrote this book after LotR in an effort to appeal to a younger audience. Wow. It worked. Dragons, wizards, dwarves, elves, trolls, crazy invisible rings, and Gollum - this is where it's at.