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