175 Cool boys

175 Cool Boys from Children's Literature

From Jen Robinson's Book Page. Lists can be fun.


Artemis from Artemis Fowl
I was somewhat disappointed by this story of a twelve-year-old boy-genius and criminal mastermind. The character just didn't seem to come up to his potential.

Atreyu
and
Bastian Balthazar Bux from The Neverending Story
A wonderful fantasy about the power of literature, Bastian starts out as a reader but becomes a part of the story as it unfolds.


Frank and Joe Hardy from the Hardy Boys series
I remember nothing about these two. I read two of the books in the series when I was a very little kid (the books actually belonged to my older brother). I was reading way over my ability and was never quite sure what was going on. I don't know why I persevered.

Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings
I liked Biblo from the Hobbit much better. I read the Hobbit when I was about eight years old, way, way, before the whole Lord of the Rings stuff got popular in its first wave in the late nineteen-sixties. I never finished the third Rings book.

Harry Potter from the series by J. K. Rowling
Everybody loves Harry.

Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A book with a great beginning, great ending, but way too much middle. Most memorable: Huck is torn because helping Jim, the runaway slave, would be a grave sin:
"All right, then, I'll go to hell"

Jonas from The Giver
A nice fable of the dystopic utopia genre. Veers a bit christian in the end, but Jonas is a great character who Huck Finn like, violates all law and morality to do what's right. Also memorable is the depiction of a boy who nurtures and protects a baby.

Max from Where the Wild Things Are
Max has a wolf suit. How cool is that.

Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter books I always had a special place for Neville in my heart. Harry, burdened with carrying the story, is either annoying or too perfect. Neville is real.

Oliver from Oliver Twist
"Please, sir, I want some more."
Cool, but how can you leave out Pip in Great Expectations, and David Copperfield, and more that I can't think of now.

Peter from Peter Pan
I only read the Barrie book in the last year, thanks to the internet and an unsettled copyright. Peter is more of a full character than I ever gleaned from the cartoons and plays.

Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny from The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter
This was read to me and I've never actually gone back. Peter was cool because he had a cute blue jacket. Yeah, I was a little faggot.

Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter books
Ron's coolness as the stratigist and chess player is diminished by his role as an icon of family life and parallel to his father. He's OK, but I wouldn't bestow cool.

Tom Sawyer from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Another book I first read way ahead of my ability. Re-read it many years ago, and I think I like Huck better.

Will Parry from the His Dark Materials Trilogy
Three long novels that I've read in audio-book form a number of times. A thumbnail sketch is impossible. Does "banned book" get you interested? Also features Lyra, the coolest girl ever.

Related: 200 Cool girls

Link