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.

• 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