Gift Ideas for Preteen Boys

Preteen boys are at that awkward stage in life when they aren't little kids anymore, and they aren't quite teenagers or young adults. That can make it difficult to choose gifts for them. Do you get them toys, or do you get them more grown-up gifts?

To learn the answers to those questions, I went straight to the source-a preteen boy. Following are several great gift ideas for preteen boys, including gift certificates, books, toys and games. They all carry the unofficial tweener seal of approval.

Gift Certificates for Preteen Boys
If you want to give gift certificates that preteen boys will really appreciate, get them from electronics stores such as Best Buy or Conn's. For older preteen boys, gift certificates from music stores such as Sam Goody are good choices, too. Wal-Mart and Target gift certificates are excellent gifts for preteen boys as well. No matter where you live, there's usually one of these stores close by.

Preteen boys will probably spend their gift certificates on games, DVDs or music CDs. Or, they might save them up to buy the newest video game system on the market this holiday season-the Nintendo Wii (pronounced wee). It features a wireless control that senses motion. This game system runs $249.99, so preteen boys will need a lot of gift certificates to get one of these babies.

As far as giving gift certificates goes, a bonus for you is that it is much easier than agonizing over which video game or "Top 40" CD preteen boys must have these days. Plus, you get to choose the dollar amount.

Books for Preteen Boys
Whether the tweeners on your shopping list already love to read, or you want to encourage their love of reading, books make great gifts for preteen boys. That is, if you get them the right books.

Many preteen boys will enjoy a series of fictional books written by author Max Elliot Anderson and published as the Tweener Press Adventure Series. The author wrote these books with the intention of capturing the imaginations of "reluctant readers," so they are filled with action, adventure and mystery. Some people compare them with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and they've received glowing reviews from Amazon users who've read them.

You can order most of these books for preteen boys on Amazon.com for around $10 each. Titles to look for include: "Newspaper Caper," "Terror at Wolf Lake," "North Woods Poachers," "Mountain Cabin Mystery," "Big Rig Rustlers," "Secret of Abbott's Cave," "Legend of the White Wolf," and "Reckless Runaway." Each book in the series is unique; they don't have to be read in any certain order.

According to my preteen source, other popular authors of books for this age group are Cornelia Funke, Brian Jacques and Gary Paulsen.

Toys and Games for Preteen Boys
Lego Bionicle-Most preteen boys haven't yet outgrown their Legos. A popular line of Legos that preteen boys like is Bionicle. You can find these Lego kits in any toy or discount store. A single figure, which is something like part man and part machine or animal, runs about $10. Preteen boys can build each figure according to the directions or use their imaginations to combine the parts in new ways to create their own unique characters.

"Fact or Crap"-This board game is somewhat of an irreverent Trivial Pursuit but with true-or-false answers. Basically, players decide whether statements are fact or crap (true or false). While it's a game, players inevitably learn a little along the way. Amazon.com offers "Fact or Crap" for $21.99.

Video Games-"The Sims 2: Pets" (rated E for Everyone) for Game Boy Advance and "Final Fantasy III" (rated E 10+) for Nintendo DS are two brand-new games on the market that my preteen source recommends for this holiday season. On Amazon.com, you can purchase "The Sims 2: Pets" runs $26.99 and "Final Fantasy III" runs $39.99.