175 Cool Boys from Children's Literature

The Jen Robinson's Book Page list of Cool Boys from Children's Literature is, thanks to the many comments and suggestions, now 175 strong. I'm publishing the current list here, because it's much easier to read that way than when it's broken into separate posts. However, I hesitate to call the list complete, because I suspect that other suggestions may continue to trickle in. Who knows? Maybe the Cool Boys will even catch up with the Cool Girls over time. But for now, I hope that you're able to enjoy the adventures of the many brave, smart, intrepid, and funny boys on this list.

Many, many thanks to everyone who contributed to the list, and especially to those who took the trouble to write about it. Be sure to also check out the list of Cool Teachers being maintained at A Year of Reading. Happy reading!

1. Aaron from The Fallen quartet by Thomas E. Sniegoski
2. Alec Ramsay from The Black Stallion (and sequels) by Walter Farley
3. Alex Rider from the series (starting with Stormbreaker) by Anthony Horowitz
4. Alfred Kropp from The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey.
5. Almanzo from Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
6. Andrew (Ender) Wiggin from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
7. Andy from Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
8. Andy from the Andy Russell series (e.g. The Many Troubles of Andy Russell) by David A. Adler
9. Art from The Invisible Detective series (Double Life, Shadow Beast, etc.) by Justin Richards.
10. Artemis from Artemis Fowl from the series by Eoin Colfer.
11. Arthur Duncan from the Maida books (Maida's Little Shop, etc.) by Inez Haynes Irwin.
12. Arthur in The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
13. Arthur P. from the Keys of the Kingdom series (starting with Mister Monday) by Garth Nix
14. Atreyu from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.
15. Barnaby from Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid
16. Bastian Balthazar Bux from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.
17. Bean from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
18. Ben from Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
19. Benny and Henry from The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
20. Billy from Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
21. Billy from the Billy And Blaze series by C.W. Anderson
22. Bobby Pendragon from the Pendragon series (starting with The Merchant of Death) by D. J. MacHale.
23. Boris, er, Morris (from Freaky Friday and A Billion for Boris by Mary Rodgers)
24. Boy 412 from Magyk by Angie Sage
25. Bran from The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
26. Brian from Hatchet, Brian's Winter, etc. by Gary Paulsen
27. Bud Caldwell from Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
28. Charles Wallace Murray from A Wrinkle in Time (and sequels) by Madeleine L'Engle.
29. Charlie Ashanti from Lionboy and sequels by Zizou Corder.
30. Charlie Bone from the Children of the Red King Series (starting with Midnight for Charlie Bone) by Jenny Nimmo
31. Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
32. Cody from the series (e.g. Hey, New Kid!) by Betsy Duffey
33. Curdie from The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
34. Danny from Danny, the Champion of the World (Puffin Novels) by Roald Dahl
35. Danny from Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
36. David from The Boy Who Lost His Facee by Louis Sachar
37. David from Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
38. David/The Boy/The Invisible Boy from The Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander
39. Dickon from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
40. Dink from A to Z Mysteries series (e.g. The Bald Bandit) by Ron Roy
41. Doon Harrow from The City of Ember and The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau
42. Edek B. & Jan from Escape from Warsaw (Original title: The Silver Sword) by Ian Serraillier
43. Edmund Pevensie (only in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) by C. S. Lewis
44. Edward Cullen from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
45. Emil from Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kaestner
46. Encyclopedia from Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol.
47. Eragon from the Eragon trilogy from the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini.
48. Eric and Neal from the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott
49. Eugenides from The Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
50. Felix Piloto from Free Baseball by Sue Corbett.
51. Finn from Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken.
52. Finn from The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson.
53. Fletcher Moon from Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer.
54. Florin from Mimus by Lilli Thal
55. Frank and Joe Hardy from the Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon.
56. Fritz, Franz, Jack, and Ernest, the brothers from The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
57. Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
58. Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
59. Gregor from the Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles) books by Suzanne Collins.
60. Hans Brinker from Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
61. Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
62. Haroun from Haroun and the Sea of Storiesby Salman Rushdie
63. Harry Potter from the series by J. K. Rowling.
64. Harvey from Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling
65. Henry from Henry Huggins from the series by Beverly Cleary.
66. Henry from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
67. Henry from Henry and Mudge series (starting with Henry And Mudge First Book) by Cynthia Rylant
68. Homer Price from Homer Price, Centerburg Tales: More Adventures of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
69. Hubie from The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and sequels by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee (illustrator)
70. Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
71. Indigo Casson from Saffy's Angel (and sequels) by Hilary McKay's.
72. Jack from the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne
73. Jack from the Prowlers quartet by Christopher Golden
74. Jack Henry from the Jack stories (e.g. Jack's Black Book) by Jack Gantos.
75. Jacob Two-Two, from Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang and others by Mordecai Richler
76. James Bond from Silverfin by Charles Higson.
77. James from James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
78. Jamie from From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg.
79. Jason from Rules by Cynthia Lord
80. Jeffrey from the The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
81. Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee from Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.
82. Jella from The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
83. Jemmy and Prince Brat (Horace) from The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
84. Jess Aarons from Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
85. Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
86. Joe from Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight
87. Joey Pigza from Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key and others by Jack Gantos
88. John and Roger from Swallows and Amazons and the sequels
89. John Gaunt from The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp series) by P. B. Kerr.
90. Johnny from Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes.
91. Jon from The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key
92. Jonah Wish from Thieves Like Us by Stephen Cole.
93. Jonas from The Giver by Lois Lowry.
94. Jonathan inThe Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh
95. Juan de Pareja from I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Burton De Tevio
96. Julian Jarman from Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
97. Ken from My Friend Flicka and Green Grass of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara
98. Kit from the Young Wizards series (starting with So You Want to Be a Wizard ) by Diane Duane.
99. Klaus Baudelaire from the Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket
100. Larry from The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
101. Laurie from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
102. Lewis Barnavelt from The House with a Clock in Its Walls (and sequels) by John Bellairs
103. Lief from the Deltora Quest series (starting with The Forests of Silence) by Emily Rodda
104. Luke from the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
105. Mario from The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
106. Mark Severson from Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Alden R. Carter
107. Matt and Attean from The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
108. Matt Cruse from Airborn and Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel.
109. Matthew Martin from the series (starting with Everyone Else's Parents said Yes) by Paula Danziger
110. Max from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
111. Merlin from the Young Merlin Trilogy (starting with Passager) by Jane Yolen
112. Merry Brandybuck The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
113. Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. (Not so much at the beginninng of the book, but he improves.)
114. Mowgli from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
115. Nate from the Nate the Great series by Marjorie Sharmat
116. Nathaniel Bowditch from Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
117. Nathaniel from The Bartimaeus Trilogy (starting with The Amulet of Samarkand) by Jonathan Stroud.
118. Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling
119. Nicholas from Master Skylark by Jonn Bennett
120. Nick from Frindle by Andrew Clements.
121. Nick from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
122. Nicky from The Raft by Jim LaMarche
123. Noah Gershom from The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsberg
124. Oliver from Oliver's Must-Do List by Susan Taylor Brown
125. Oliver from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
126. Oliver from Pond Scum by Alan Silberberg
127. Oliver Melendy from The Saturdays and sequels by Elizabeth Enright.
128. Omri and Little Bear from The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
129. Pagan Kidrouk from Pagan series (starting with Pagan's Crusade) by Catherine Jinks
130. Parker from The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
131. Pepito (aka the Bad Hat) from the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans
132. Percy Jackson from The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan.
133. Peter from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (also cool as portrayed by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson in Peter and the Starcatchers).
134. Peter Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
135. Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny from The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter
136. Pinocchio Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
137. Pip from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
138. Pippin Took The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
139. Ponyboy from The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
140. Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream as portrayed in the Sisters Grimm series (starting with The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives - Book #1) by Michael Buckley
141. Ralph from The Mouse and the Motorcycle and sequels by Beverly Cleary.
142. Ralph from the autobiographical Little Britches series (starting with Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers) by Ralph Moody
143. Robbie from Leaving Protection by Will Hobbs
144. Robbie Hewitt from Preacher's Boy by Katherine Patterson
145. Robin from The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
146. Robin Hood from The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green or The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
147. Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling.
148. Rowan from the Rowan of Rin series by Emily Rodda
149. Rudy from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
150. Rush Melendy from The Saturdays and sequels by Elizabeth Enright
151. Sam Beaver from The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
152. Sam Gamgee The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
153. Scipio from The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
154. Simon & Jared Grace from The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
155. Smith from Smith by Leon Garfield
156. Snipp, Snapp and Snurr, the three Swedish brothers from the books (e.g. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread) by Maj Lindman
157. Stanley Yelnats from Holes by Louis Sachar.
158. Stuart from Stuart Little by E. B. White.
159. Taran from The Prydain Chronicles (starting with The Book of Three) by Lloyd Alexander
160. Tien Pao from The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong
161. Tom Brown from Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes
162. Tom Canty and Edward Tudor, from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
163. Tom D. Fitzgerald (The Great Brain) from the series by John D. Fitzgerald.
164. Tom Sawyer from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
165. Tony Malone from Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key.
166. Travis from Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
167. Turner Buckminster from Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt.
168. Vince from Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
169. Will Parker from The Tripods series by John Christopher.
170. Will Parry from the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman.
171. Will Stanton from The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.
172. William from The Castle in the Attic and The Battle for the Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop
173. Zack from The Zack Files (starting with My Great-grandpa's in the Litter Box) by Dan Greenburg and Jack E. Davis
174. Zane from Pretties and Specials by Scott Westerfeld
175. Zed Malakov from The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

Contributors and Commenters So Far:

• Becky from Farm School
• Bibliophile
• Brian F. from Dispatches from an MFA-Seeking Writer
• Camille from Book Moot
• Carrie K. from Mommy Brain
• Chris
• Dana
• Genevieve
• Jennifer from Snapshot
• Kate
• Kelly from Big A little a
• Kim from Gemini Moon
• Leila from bookshelves of doom
• Little Willow from Bildungsroman
• Liz B. from A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
• Mary Lee from A Year of Reading
• Michele from Scholar's Blog
• MotherReader
• Pooja Makhijani
• Sheila B.
• So-Net Blog
• Sprite from Sprite Writes
• TadMack from A Reader Rants
• Wisteria from Twice Bloomed Wisteria

People Who Have Linked to the Cool Boys Lists So Far:

• Liz B. from A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
• Becky from Farm School
• Michele Fry from Scholar's Blog
• So-Net Blog
• Kathryn Judson from Suitable for Mixed Company
• The Waterboro, Maine Public Library Blog
• Mary Lee and Franki from A Year of Reading

Note: This list is copyright (c) 2006 by Jennifer Robinson. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Sherry]

I thought of one!!!

Simon Green from The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr.

[Jone]

Here's another:

Nolan Byrd from Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen and Brian Biggs.

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks for the additional suggestions, Sherry and Jone! I will get them added to the master list, and update on the blog when I've collected a few others. Thanks so much for contributing to the list!

[MIchele]

Darn ! I apparently failed to mention Johnny Maxwell of Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell trilogy ! He's a very cool boy indeed...

I feel I must dispute (politely) the inclusion of Nathaniel from the Bartimaeus Trilogy - I never really liked him after the first book and wouldn't consider him cool at all !

[KJ]

Heard about your list from MotherReader's site and thought of a couple more to add add to this list.

Lucien from the Stravaganza Trilogy (City of Masks, City of Stars, City of Flowers) by Mary Hoffman

Falco di Chimici from the Stravaganza Trilogy (City of Stars and City of Flowers)

Sky Meadows from the Stravaganza Trilogy (City of Flowers) by Mary Hoffman

These books are geared towards 7th grade and up.

Also, Alexander from Alexander and the No Good, Very Bad Day.

If I think of any others, I'll be sure to send them your way!

--KJ--

[KJ]

Go fig, as soon as I posted my last suggestions, I come up with another one! How could I have forgotten Aiden Falconer from Gordon Korman's On the Run series. This series is on our Summer Reading Program recommendation list (MR will recognize it.)

--KJ--

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks for the additional suggestions, KJ and Michele! I begin to think that this list will eventually reach 200. Thanks for the help!

[Becky Levine]

Almanzo Wilder as cool? Okay, yes. But what about Cap (I can't remember his last name) from the Long Winter. He was COOL!

Also, Charles Wallace? Maybe. But how about Calvin O'Keefe from the same book? My husband loved A Wrinkle in Time, too, and he doesn't even remember the romance! Sigh.

And...drum roll, because I don't think anyone else has thought of this one...Elmer Elevator from My Father's Dragon!

[Sherman Dorn]

How you can you have Huck and not Jim from Huckleberry Finn???

[Sherman Dorn]

Brain, brain... "boys," not "males." Yep. Go ahead and kill me for that one, folks.

Can someone explain why Henry from Red Badge of Courage is listed? I suppose to each her or his own, but I thought he was as shallow at the end as at the beginning.

[Diane Duane]

Thanks for the mention of Kit! Much appreciated. :)

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks for the suggestions, Becky! I'll get them added soon.

Sherman, I have to admit that I haven't actually read The Red Badge of Courage, and that Henry was suggested by someone else. Someday, I hope to read about all of the cool boys, and the cool girls. But for now, I'm taking all reasonable suggestions (but yes, they have to be children, not adults). Thanks for visiting!

And Diane, thank you for visiting, and for linking. I LOVE Kit, and I added him to the list personally (though he's been voted for by at least one other visitor, too). I just got Wizards at War out of the library today, and very much look forward to it.

[nrkii]

How about...
Eddy from The Diamond in the Window
Freckles from Freckles
Jim Frayne from the Trixie Belden series
Dan from Little Men
Spiller (?) from The Borrowers
Jasper from The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

[nrkii]

Oh, Becky, it was Cap Gardner I think.

[MCS]

Jeffrey Magee from MANIAC MAGEE
by Jerry Spinelli. The book
even describes him as "cool
times ten"!

[Marce]

Good list. One small issue I have with it: you list the main character from Ender's Game as Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, when most everyone would look for and recognize Ender Wiggin first, but Kit from Diane Duane's Young Wizard series as Kit. His name, if you're going with the original style, should be rendered as Christopher (Kit) Rodriguez (See this

[Jen Robinson]

I'm happy to report that these latest suggestions take the master list that I maintain up to 195. Of course, suggestions continue to flood in for the cool girls list, too, so I don't think that the boys will actually catch up. But it's great to have all of these wonderful suggestions and comments.

Regarding Marce's point about the inconsistency of calling Ender "Andrew" and calling Kit by a nickname, I think that it's a valid point. I'll probably just call Ender Ender in the next revision of the list.

More updates soon! Thanks again!

[Greg]

What about Tom Swift? He had a rocket ship he built himself, after all. And the Hardy Boys? They solved mysteries. Encyclopedia Brown may have been a nerd, but he was very smart. And what was the name of that kid from 'The Great Brain'? (Yeah, nobody reads that stuff anymore; I show my age.)

[RM1(SS) (ret)]

Cool - Rush and Oliver Melendy are already on the list (though I don't recall seeing their sisters on the "Cool Girls" list). Also happy to see that Edek and especially Jan from The Silver Sword are here.

Danny Dunn, from the series by Abrashkin and Williams.

Alvin Fernald, from the series (Alvin's Secret Code, &c) by Clifford B Hicks.

Ulysses, from Ulysses and His Woodland Zoo, by Jim Kjelgaard.

Tolly Oldknow, from the Green Knowe series (The Children of Green Knowe, &c) by Lucy M Boston.

Rod Walker, from Tunnel in the Sky, a juvenile SF novel by Robert A Heinlein.

Philip and Jack, from the Adventure series (Island of Adventure, &c) by Enid Blyton.

Bill Bergson, from three mysteries (Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously, &c) by Astrid Lindgren.

[RM1(SS) (ret)]

Jeff Crocker and Henry Mulligan, from The Mad Scientists' Club (and sequels) by Bertrand R Brinley.

Jim Frayne, Brian Belden and Mart Belden, from the Trixie Belden series by Julie Campbell and "Kathryn Kenny."

[RM1(SS) (ret)]

Two more:

Andy Buckram, from Andy Buckram's Tin Men, by Carol Ryrie Brink.

Gaby, from The Horse Without a Head (aka A Hundred Million Francs), by Paul Berna.

[Kevin]

i think that boy 412 from Magyk
should be listed by his real name, Septimus heap!

[Jen Robinson]

I did debate about that, in terms of Boy 412, Kevin. The reason that I listed him as Boy 412 instead of as Septimus was that I didn't want to give away his true identity to people who haven't read the book. I know that it's fairly obvious as you're reading the book, but I still don't like to reveal things that the author didn't intend. Make sense?

[RM1(SS) (ret)]

Sam and Yan, from Two Little Savages, by Ernest Thompson Seton.

[Mary Tichey-Stack]

How about Tom Natsworthy from The Hungry City Chronicles by Philip Reeve? He's a good sort and a historian which is really a LIBRARIAN.
There are four books in this wonderful series: Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold, Infernal Devices and The Darkling Plain.

[Brian Jung]

How about Pi (Piscine Molitor) from Life of Pi? I first read this book thinking it was grown-up lit and later found it marketed as a YA novel. Anyway, Pi's pretty cool and very resourceful.

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks for the suggestion, Brian. I wouldn't have thought of that book, because I tend to think of it as a book for adults that's been cross-marketed to kids. One of these days I'll get this list updated. Meanwhile, thanks for contributing to the discussion!

[Lynn E. Hazen]

What a great list.
I'd be honored if you added Soli a.k.a. "Shifty" from my young adult novel SHIFTY.

Thanks,
Lynn E. Hazen
www.ShiftyTheBook.com

[Jen Robinson]

Hi Lynn,

I'm not adding to the list right now, but when I do, I'll certainly get him on the list. Thanks for the suggestion.