Not sure why no one has mentioned Brian Jacques's Redwall books yet, but they're definitely aimed at that age group. They haven't survived the test of time as comfort books for me, but I do recall enjoying them when I was 10 or so. Someone mentioned Patricia C. Wrede's Magician's Ward, but I don't think anyone's mentioned her Enchanted Forest Chronicles yet. Those were my absolute favorite books at that age, and I still read them all the time. Tamora Pierce's books are targetted primarily towards girls, but she does have two series, Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens, that are a bit more egalitarian. Her other books are good for that age, too, but I don't know if a boy would enjoy them. Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword and the Hero and the Crown managed to win a Newbery between the two, so I can't be the only person who thinks they're good. Honestly, though, it seems at 11 he'd be ready for just about anything the fantasy/sci-fi section of the library could throw at him. Claire