Book Mama: A Series for Boys

Interested in a series of beginning chapter books for your son?  Then check out the Roscoe Riley Rules books by Katherine Applegate. “Short chapters, simple dialogue with some big words thrown in (proboscis, epidermis) and a very few first grade … Continue reading

Teacher Mama: What Boys Like to Read

I have been reading A LOT of the literature out there about what boys like to read.  Instead of posting a bunch of articles about the topic, I thought I would make things easy and create a brief summary of what boys like to read and share it with you all. Let me know what you think!

First, did you know that a lot of boys are having trouble reading?  (From Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm in Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys: Literacty in the Loves of Young Men (Heinemann, 2002))

  • Boys develop slower than girls.
  • Boys take longer to read than girls do.
  • Boys read less than girls.
  • Girls tend to comprehend narrative and expository texts better than boys.
  • Boys do not value reading as much as girls.
  • Boys have trouble relating to the feelings and emotions of a lot of fiction.
  • There is a lack of positive male role models in literacy.

So, what do boys want to read?

  • Boys are more inclined to read informational texts, magazines and newspaper articles.
  • Boys are more inclined to read graphic novels and comic books.
  • Boys tend to enjoy escapism and humor.
  • Boys enjoy science fiction and fantasy.
  • Boys like to read about hobbies, sports and they they like or would like to do.
  • Boys to read books in a series.
Did you know?
  • Boys  resist reading stories about girls (girls don’t mind reading about boys)
  • Boys read less fiction than girls.

Want some more information? Check out this article:

  • Why Johnny Won’t Read–Schools often dismiss what boys like. No wonder they are not wild about reading.   http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA439816.html