Measle and the Wrathmonk, by Ian Olgivy

Measle is an orphan that lives with his Uncle who turns out to be a Wrathmonk. What is a Wrathmonk? It is one that can turn people into teeny tiny people. When Measle gets into his Uncle’s way, he is made into one of those teeny tiny people and is set to live in a model train set. Measle soon learns that there are others also living in the train set and they soon learn that working together will help them survive.

Activity: This book was not a hit with the boys. The teen Leaders (one of whom chose the book because he remembered liking it when he was young) were very critical of the poor writing style. So we learned a lesson: use only well written books. Measle and the others need to rely on team work in order to survive, so the older guys led two team building activities. Apparently, the guys needed teamwork to survive this less-than-stellar book choice as well!

Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko

Living on Alcatraz Island at the same time as Al Capone is an adventure, all its own. But, try living there with your autistic sister. This is a humorous coming of age story that is sure to intrigue boys with "What would it be like to live on Alcatraz Island?".

Activity: We contacted the Federal Park on Alcatraz Island and asked if we could have a virtual tour of the Island. A Park Ranger guided the boys via conference call through significant areas of the park in which they visited via the Internet. Our teen guy leaders did an excellent job!