If we want boys to love books, it's important to recognize what they want

Houston, we have a problem! No, I'm not talking about the Apollo 13 space mission. I'm referring to earthbound boys whose career choices are significantly limited because of a well-documented problem. The problem is poor literacy, and we've known about it for a long time.

It is the recent emphasis on testing that has brought life to this issue once again and has spawned the "New Boys Movement," which focuses on helping boys achieve in reading and writing. Researchers have been studying what makes boys tick. What they've learned is that boys take longer to learn to read than girls; they read less than girls and are more apt to describe themselves as nonreaders; and they are more inclined than girls to read informational and nonfiction texts. In addition, boys like to read about their hobbies, sports, and things they might be interested in doing. They especially enjoy humor, science fiction, and fantasy. They prefer to physically act out responses to their reading by making or doing something. For many boys, the typical class discussion about what they've read just doesn't cut it. (See "Why Johnny Won't Read," August 2004, pp. 36–39.)

Anne R. Reeves, the author of Adolescents Talk about Reading, believes what stands in the way of boys' enthusiasm about reading is an English/language arts curriculum that "does not help [boys] live their lives." She's not alone in this criticism. Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm, the authors of Reading Don't Fix No Chevys, call it a "disconnect" between what boys are forced to read in school and what they enjoy reading at home. Many boys do read—some are even voracious readers—they just don't read the kind of text that is sanctioned by the curriculum.

What can librarians do? First, they need to educate themselves about the reading process so they are on equal footing with their colleagues when the talk turns to literacy. Librarians must also network with English/language arts teachers and reading specialists to learn how to implement the solutions described in reading research. The reality is that it's going to take all of us working together to create the type of learning environment that fosters boys who read. It is also going to take collaboration to change a staid and old-fashioned curriculum that has created and sustained this problem.

Librarians also need to be proactive right now to make reading more boy-friendly. If reading is to appeal to boys it needs to be presented as a social, rather than as a solitary, activity. That means librarians need to encourage book clubs and discussions about topics that pique boys' interest. Librarians can also turn reading into a more active pursuit by encouraging games, reader's theatre, drama, and any other activity that lets boys act out and build things that show they understand what the book has to say. Librarians also need to take the lead in selecting materials that boys want to read, and then we need to aggressively market those books to them. We need to find texts that boys want to read that complement the traditional books in the curriculum. In other words, it's time to let librarians do what they've always done best—turn kids onto reading.

For More Insight on Boys and Reading…

McCardle, Peggy and Vinita Chhabra. The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research. Paul H. Brookes Publishing. 2003. A good resource about reading research that shows what works and what doesn't.

Newkirk, Thomas. Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture. Heinemann. 2002. The author contends that popular culture discriminates against boys when it comes to literacy.

Reeves, Anne R. Adolescents Talk About Reading: Exploring Resistance to and Engagement with Text. International Reading Association. 2004. A case study of five teens reveals the best ways to turn adolescents onto reading.

Smith, Michael W. and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men. Heinemann. 2002. An award-winning book that relies on research as well as anecdotal evidence to make the case for changing the way reading is taught in schools.

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Jami Jones is an assistant professor in the Department of Librarianship, Educational Technology, and Distance Instruction at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.