Reference book for boys’ book titles

Check out the book Boys and Literacy: Practical Suggestions for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents by Elizabeth Knowles and Martha Smith.  Most of the focus is on annotated listings of good books for boys by genre, including graphic novels.  Since the book was published in 2005, it is missing the most recent books, but there are some great titles in here. Also helpful is a list of notable authors of “boys” books with titles of all their books. In addition, there is a list of magazines popular with boys. This would be a great reference book to have on hand when your boys run out of reading material and are looking for the next book.

The book does contain a chapter about research regarding boys and reading. I was a little disappointed that there was not more of this information in the book. However, there is a great list of strategies that parents can implement with their boys to get them reading. Here are some of their suggestions (p. xix)

• Provide a wide range of reading materials in your home.
• Dads need to become active in their sons’ reading.
• Dads should share their reading preferences with their sons.
• Parents need to model reading.
• Have a daily reading time, where everyone reads (turn off electronic devices).
• Continue to read to kids even after they are past the lower elementary grades.
• Have reading parties for your kids.
• Reward boys with trips to the bookstore or library.
• Participate in any special kids’ programs at your local library.
• Read a book, watch the movie version, (or vice versa) and discuss the differences.
• Do not make fun of their reading choices.
• Always allow choice in selection of reading material.
• Don’t look down on graphic novels/comics as sub-literature.

I love these suggestions and most of them are fairly easy to implement, so get started today!

Getting Your Boys to Read: An Overview

According to Linda Ludke in Best Books for Boys, there are 5 main factors involved in getting boys to read. The first one is rather obvious. You must find something that is of  to them. Everyone has something that piques their interest. The key is to finding out what those things are and being willing to find reading material geared to those interests, no matter what they may be! Secondly, boys must have choices. They must be free to choose the types of material they want to read, whether or not we as parents may find it interesting or worthwhile. Thirdly, do not underestimate the power of social factors in getting boys to read. Boys pay attention to friends, family, and teachers. What are their peers or role models reading or are they reading at all? If a book becomes a social phenomenon (i.e. Harry Potter) they are more likely to read it. Fourth, boys want to be involved with the book. Involvement doesn’t include taking a multiple choice test or writing an essay about the book. The involvement should be something active such as art or drama, or even a book discussion group. Finally, boys are interested in a wide variety of reading materials beyond the traditional “book.”   Many boys enjoy graphic novels, comics, magazines, newspapers, e-books, etc. This blog will discuss many of these factors in more detail, but all of these are good things to keep in mind as you encourage your boys to get reading!