by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This post is written by both Elizabeth the Mom and Elizabeth the Author. Although the subject of encouraging boys to read is one that’s been important to me for seventeen years, it recently came to the forefront of online debates with the publishing of a report by UK writer Jonathan Emmett. The report’s findings were covered by industry reporter Porter Anderson in his Publishing Perspectives story on April 22, “What if Boys Can’t Find the Right (Reading) Stuff?” The report focuses on the gender gap in both reading ability and interest in books, and looks for possible causes.
What I wanted to cover today was primarily ways that we can hook boys (early) on books and reading. Early action is best since it’s too hard to play catch-up after boys have had years of poor reading experiences…and have moved on to gaming, television, and other mediums that get it and target boys.
It’s important to preface this post with a note that not every boy is interested in boy-targeted books. And that some girls will be interested in boy-targeted content. And our end goal is just to have options to foster engaged readers. It’s called job security for writers.
As another note—ordinarily we think of our girls being shortchanged, as they have so often in the past. Here is an instance where our boys could be shortchanged…and in an area where we should try for some balance. As Emmett put it on Twitter: “…we need to offer a menu that caters to wider tastes.”
Potential Factors:
I think that the controversy stirred up by the report, Cool not Cute, was caused by news agencies in the UK focusing on the fact that Emmett mentions gender imbalance in publishing as one contributing factor of boys having difficulty finding engaging books. (Imbalance in publisher acquisitions, reviewing—Porter Anderson shares Emmett’s chart showing gender balance of UK children’s book reviewing, library acquisitions, classrooms, and the fact that most children’s books are purchased for kids by women.) This is, clearly, a loaded subject.
There may be another angle here—money. This ties in a bit with publishers choosing books that they feel may appeal to female buyers. Money is usually at the base of many decisions made by publishers…understandable, since publishing is a business (something that’s frequently forgotten). But I wonder if there might be something of a vicious cycle going on there—publishers/editors aren’t choosing content targeted at boys because they haven’t historically been strong sellers. But are they slow sellers because there’s not enough out there targeted to boys…and we’re losing them to other media?
But I’m less interested in the root cause of the problem and more interested in how to go about fixing it. And hooking both boys (who appear to be becoming disengaged) and girls on reading.
My background:
I’ve got a seventeen year old boy who has a preference for boy-targeted books (and also content that appeals to both genders—Hunger Games, Divergent). It has been tough finding him books and he’s an avid reader who can knock out a couple of books a week.
I’ve got a twelve-year old girl with a preference for girl-targeted books (and also content that appeal to both genders…see above). She’s an engaged reader—an avid one when she has latched onto a good series. Since she’s 4 ½ years younger than her brother, I had high hopes of just handing over his (extensive) library to her. No way. She has her own personal tastes and good for her. It has been much, much easier finding books that she enjoys.
My experience:
The hardest part of the process, I think, was picture books and early readers/first readers (books with a maximum of about 1500 words) for my son. We rarely got books for him in the new release section of the picture book area…we relied heavily on classics—Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Thomas the Tank. Because of the rate we were reading, we went through books quickly and read them over and over. I had a tough time finding him exciting early chapter books. I talked to librarians, I quizzed other parents, I pored over websites and book blogs.
When my son was in first grade, I started spending multiple hours a week researching books. My solution to the problem was to quickly advance his reading level (spending many more hours with him—reading to him and listening to him read) so he could have more choices. I could afford to make the time and had the passion for encouraging reading for both my children—but what happens to children when parents can’t make the time?
What we can do:
What the industry can do: I think the best thing the industry can do is to be aware of the problem. As gatekeepers, open up the playing field to content that target both genders and provide a wider variety of books to appeal (early) to children with many different interests.
What writers can do: Although the market for books for the very young and young reader (picture books, some early readers/early chapter books) are still very tied to traditional publishing…self-publishing has really widened the field in terms of selection for middle grade and teenage boys. Perhaps it can do the same with early reading. There are no gatekeepers there but readers. Writers who are looking for a niche that hopefully has the potential for tremendous growth (assuming we can hook boys on books)—and a field that’s wide open compared to other, more competitive markets—should consider boy-targeted material. Visibility equals success in this business, and this would be a way to stand apart from the pack.
There are interesting ideas for writers in this study , which provides a bit of market research for anyone interested in writing boy-targeted picture books…or picture books for girls who also enjoy these elements. There will most definitely be boys who are not interested in the elements listed below. But those readers can find ample material on the shelves that exclude it. The point here is that these are components that are found in other media that have the ability to hook boys…and are scarce in many picture books:
Combat and violence (clearly, this would need to be age appropriate…and may even include cartoon violence that so many of us related to in other media… Bugs Bunny, for instance).
Technology
Peril and threat
Irredeemable villainy
Male protagonist
Rude humor
Cut out the Cute
For further explanation of these elements (and for space considerations for this post), check out Cool Not Cute.
What parents can do:
Find periodicals in a variety of different subjects: We started with “Ranger Rick.” Then we checked out other periodicals from the library to see what he liked—even magazines like “Popular Science” and “Popular Mechanics.” I also had the newspaper open on the breakfast table…there would always be at least one story in the paper that would be interesting to a kid, even if it was in the sports section. And the funnies have always been popular.
Make light reading available. Garfield, Peanuts and other comic books on the table at breakfast and afterschool snack time. Graphic novels of classics were good intros to the classics: Moby Dick, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Beowulf.
Avoid being critical of reading choices our child makes at the school library.
Find elementary reading material with a lot of books in the series—like Magic Treehouse, which appeals to both girl and boy readers.
- Experimenting with genres on sites like Amazon or at the library. Experimenting with both digital and print, classics and contemporary, literary and graphic novels. I looked at it as throwing spaghetti at a wall…I wanted to see what stuck.
Choose audiobooks to accompany a hard copy of the book …an exciting title and a grade level ahead.
Consider ebooks if some covers are marketed to girl readers…if boys don’t see the cover marketing, they frequently do still enjoy the book. Which goes to show again how important cover art can be in terms of promo.
Work with children to improve reading skills. There are more options for boys as they get older. My son and I read together and separately. He used audiobooks and followed along during long car rides and commutes to increase proficiency. Then, finally, we had the good stuff that he longed to read: Tolkien, Lewis. I threw some Treasure Island and Black Stallion at him. He also read The Secret Garden—a “quiet” book, but which a strong and charismatic supporting boy character. And I put contemporary writers like Brian Jacques in front of him: his Redwall series resonated with him in elementary school. And Rick Riordan. Harry Potter was a Godsend.
- Our library had a great blog (still does) for boy readers: Boys Rule! Boys Read! There are many blogs out there. Here are some: The Book Zone (For Boys), Boys Read, Guys Read , and Guys Lit Wire.
If you find a book or series that appeals to your child, plug it into Amazon, even if you get it at the library. Then you use their algorithm to find similar books. You can also search Goodreads’ lists (Goodreads is a bit scary if you’re a writer, better if you’re going in as a reader/parent of a reader), and sites like What Should I Read Next.
Accommodate reading. Help your child set aside time for reading. Make it a priority.
Understand that tastes change. One year talking animals might work well, another year it might be zombies. Make different material available and take notice if reading starts slacking off.
Understand that younger kids need our help to access good books. Maybe older ones, too. A targeted search in the genre that most interests your child and choosing a book that’s well reviewed by young people increases your chances that it will be a good match.
Read in front of your children. By modeling reading for our kids (especially dads for boys), our children can see the enjoyment and value we place on reading.
My hope is that this post will help some parents find ways to introduce and hook their boys (girls too) on books or help them think of their own ways to do so. I’m also hoping to draw attention to the importance of a variety of content for both girls and boys and ensure books (or some embodiment of them in one format or another) stay relevant to the next generation.
So…lots of material and information here. What’s your own experience as a parent, of either gender? What are your thoughts on the material available for today’s boys? Tips for hooking young readers early? Read Porter Anderson’s article or Jonathan Emmett’s report? Thoughts on them?
Image: MorgueFile: mzacha
Great post, Elizabeth. I have three teen sons and this has been an issue in our home. I never belittled their reading choices. I just loved that they were reading. One of my 14-year-olds reads more than the other, but they’re both avid readers as long as they choose the book. They don’t like it when books they’re not interested in are thrust upon them. My 17 yo used to be an avid reader, especially of non fiction. But since high school and classics, he’s lost the joy. Hopefully he’ll get it back.
Julie–I think that’s a big part of it…if they choose books that we don’t consider exactly high literature, it doesn’t really matter, as long as they’re reading.
Yes, my 17 year old is really facing that junior year time crunch right now. I’m hoping things lighten up when they’re seniors.
All my books are heavy on the action and adventure, so I hope that they appeal to both boys and girls, given that I tend towards an even split between male and female characters.
One thing I’m aware of is that boys tend to skip the “YA” stage more than girls, certainly in SFF or horror, and want to read more “grown-up” books sooner. Perhaps part of the problem here is that as so many writers are going in for more and more gritty content, there’s less adult fiction that parents want their kids reading than there used to be?
Paul–I think you’re absolutely right. I’ve had parents ask me for book recommendations for their sons and asked for no gritty content. It’s tough to make those types of recommendations because they *are* quick to jump into adult books. For me, I’ve tried not to censor his reading much…simply because then we’d have even less to choose from. But that’s not the best option, either.
I believe it’s up to every parent to decide what’s suitable for their kids to read, and while I fully support difficult subject matter in books, I do worry that there are authors including it for the sake of being seen as mature or edgy, without really taking the care to address issues properly.
I’m quite glad none of my books so far have been particularly gritty. While some horrible things do happen, a lot is left to the reader’s imagination and the focus stays on the heroism and adventure.
Certainly, the big-name authors in SFF these days are known to include some disturbing scenes. It’s a shame there isn’t more SFF that’s accessible to a wider age range, because SFF is what a lot of boys are more likely to be drawn to.
Paul–I absolutely agree–a lot of stuff included for “shock value” and the hopes of stronger sales. But what many writers would do well to remember (and I might be straying off topic here) is that there’s also a strong market for gentler reads and the readers who seek that out, actively. I’ve been amazed at the number of my reviews that positively mention the lack of gore or language in my books–and it meant that I continued on the course I was already on. For me, that was a sales and marketing decision, not so much a moral stance, etc.
Definitely. I think it’s worth authors looking at it like that, taking it from a marketing perspective rather than a moral one. The more accessible our books are, the more they’ll sell.
There is a growing market for books which don’t contain all the graphic stuff, not just for kids, but for adults. A self-published author could fit themselves into a tidy niche writing action-adventure and/or scifi fantasy stuff which kids would devour but which parents wouldn’t worry as much about.
It’s one reason we still steer our Little One (youngest of 7) toward classics. She re-reads her 3 Wizard of Oz books every week lately. I need to get her the rest of the books. And she absolutely devoured Richard Halliburton’s 1931 true life adventure “The Royal Road to Romance” which, if it had a different title, would be every young boy’s favorite book in the world.
I’ve written light mysteries aimed at adults, and children’s stories. I’d love to write for that difficult to please group in the middle.
Seven! You have a lot more patience than I do, Joel. :) Wizard of Oz is another great series…that was one of the ones I gave to my son early on.
Middle grade is tricky to write, isn’t it? I’d like to try it.
I’ve found that keeping the worst off screen, either just showing the characters’ reaction to the thing, or having the couple go to their bedroom and resuming the action the next morning, works. Those who want to imagine more can do so, and those who don’t, don’t have to read glowing descriptions of [violence, sex, yes]. My alt-history sci-fi is lighter handed with less cursing than my mil-sci-fi, in part so younger readers can get involved. I’d still recommend 13 as the youngest reader, though.
Alma–That’s exactly the way my genre (cozy/traditional mysteries) works–murders happen off-stage, no gory descriptions, no forensics. It’s a puzzle mystery. I did use profanity in my books until about 2 or 3 in…and then I got email from readers regarding it–and that’s all it took to take it out of the books. Again, just responding to the market.
This is such a great post Elizabeth! I’m a teacher and mother of a son too. In my class and at home I’ve spent a mini fortune buying a huge variety of books that will entice boys to read. Fiction and nonfiction. All kinds of genres. And you’re so right that we need a huge selection to appeal to all our readers.
Jemi–Thanks! As I teacher and mom I can imagine you were facing even *more* of a challenge than I was to supply exciting material to your son and students.
Elizabeth – What a thoughtful, well-written post! It is so important as you say to get boys reading early if they’re going to be readers at all. And as you point out, it’s just as important not to pigeonhole boys as readers. If I may, let me say a few things about what the teacher can do. Teachers are in an excellent position to see which topics interest their students and which ones don’t. When the teacher really observes her or his students and sees what gets their interest, that information helps in suggesting things to read. What’s more, when teachers add options to reading assignments, so that students can at least sometimes choose what to read, this frees boys (girls too) up to select something they want to read. Teachers who 1) know their students 2) provide choices in reading and 3) give guidance as to where to find books of interest will help to stimulate readers.
Margot–I really like your perspective. Teachers are a logical choice to help connect boys to books…especially in the early grades when the teacher spends all day every school day with the children. I’d like to think that, if parents do fail their children in terms of reading, that good teachers will be there as a safety net to connect them to good books.
When I was younger, I gravitated to the adult fantasy and science fiction books. Back then, most of them didn’t have elements a kid shouldn’t read.
Alex–That’s one reason why I introduced my son to them early on…at age 9, you really don’t want a lot of rated R stuff in there.
Elizabeth–
I comment as a stepfather (and grandfather), not as a father. It’s hard to think of a more important subject relative to reading and books than the one you’ve taken up here. We all know–or should know–how many more books are bought/read by women than by men.
My limited first-hand knowledge of child development leads me to believe that with the onset of adolescence–and perhaps much earlier–parental influence greatly diminishes. This means this influence must be smart and concentrated in the early years. In those few years, I imagine parental example more than content in children’s books is the key factor.
What do I mean? Since the issue is how to get BOYS to read, is all or most of the book-related influence coming from Mom? Does Dad read to his son at bedtime? Is Dad seen reading books and a daily newspaper? If all the reading is the purview of Mom, of course a boy will come to think of it as woman’s work and woman’s pleasure. Or so it seems to me.
Yes! This is absolutely spot on. It’s those early years where the real love of reading should be fostered and encouraged.
Paul–And it does need to be early before gaming and other media lure them away too fast. Nothing against gaming/TV/films, but we want them ideally to be readers who *also* enjoy gaming, etc.
Barry–Yes! Fathers modeling reading and reading with and to their children (particularly sons) is incredibly important. I was lucky enough to have that influence for my son here. Of course, my husband is frequently reading computer tomes of about a thousand pages, but if George R.R. Martin would write a bit faster, my son could see his father read some fiction, too. :)
And moms just have to think like their son thinks when they shop for books or pick them up at the library. It was easy for me…maybe not so easy for others.
You brought up some great points, Elizabeth. At our last Book ‘Em North Carolina event, we had a number of boys who were actively looking for books that appealed to them. It was very difficult because most of the authors at the event had written books that for one reason or another appealed more to a female audience. One of my goals for our next book fair (February 28, 2015) is to bring in more authors of books for boys. Since they were interested enough to attend our book fair, I want to encourage their interest in reading, especially since one of the schools will be heading up an important section of our next event. If you have any followers who write books for boys of any age, I’d love to hear from them. Our website is http://www.bookemnc.org and they can contact me at bookemnc (at) pmterrell.com. I really enjoy your posts, Elizabeth!
P.M.–And I’m sure your event represented perfectly on a smaller scale what the big picture of the market today is. Thanks for actively looking for authors and books that will appeal to boys and encourage them to read! Hoping some of my readers will email you on it. Thanks for coming by!
My experience has been somewhat different. Maybe we had a good library, but we had no trouble finding books for my son when he was little. I read the article “Cool not Cute” and noted that the author introduced his son to more grown-up movies at quite a young age. Yes, I suppose if you let Star Wars set the bar for a four year old, you might have trouble getting him to prefer reading picture books! Perhaps it’s how parents raise their sons, not the lack of content that makes the difference.
Shonna–That’s great that you had such an easy experience…that’s what I’d like to hear from more people. I understand what you’re saying about setting media boundaries for kids, too. But, realistically, media from a variety of sources is definitely encroaching on kids’ time and competing for their attention. We’ll have to work harder to combat that.
I have a 7 year old boy who is just starting to read on his own, and I’m starting to hunt for books. He enjoyed the heck out of the Troubletwisters books (and asks for a new one every time we go to the library), and Howl’s Moving Castle has been a big hit. Fortunately I have a lot of Diana Wynne Jones–her books are very palatable for boys and girls alike. Lots of male protagonists. (I’m so excited to introduce him to Chrestomanci!) I’m considering Artemis Fowl and N.D. Wilson’s books next.
It’s funny, but my kids don’t like ebooks. They want a book they can handle and look at the cover art while I read. There’s tons of books I’ve downloaded that they’re not interested in, but once I get the physical copy, they love. But they’re still pretty little.
Kessie–My son liked Artemis Fowl a lot…nice series and a good number of books in it.
My daughter will *not* read ebooks. I buy physical books for her. My son read physical books until ebooks became so prevalent, and then he liked being able to read the books on his phone and have them with him whenever he had a minute to read.
Great post! I love that you gave parents a list of simple things they can do to get their boys reading. I also appreciate that you posed the question about what happens when parents don’t have the time it takes to get some boys into reading. And don’t forget parents who haven’t read your post and simply don’t know *how* to get their boys reading. As a teacher, I find that a lot of parents want to support their child’s learning but don’t know how to go about it.
I also loved that you mentioned non-fiction sources, such a periodicals. Many parents don’t know that they can order those lovely Highlights magazines they find in their doctor’s office for home delivery. And Nat Geo for Kids was so popular at our house I couldn’t stop paying for that subscription until my youngest was in her teens. I especially like these because getting mail that’s addressed to them is always a big deal for young kids – meaning they’ll look forward to it even more. I started taking these into my classroom once they’d been devoured at my house and found that my male students devoured them.
Kendra–That’s such a good point…many parents would like for their kids to be readers and aren’t sure how to go about it.
And thanks! Yes, non-fiction has been popular at my house and I think it can really help develop reading comprehension. You’re so right about getting mail addressed to them…this was one of my kids’ favorite things about the magazines.
Middle grade boys especially, and girls, are loving my series. Schools and the Australian government are loving the effect they’re having on kids so much that they’re buying my whole set for each of their students. I’ve never heard of that being done before.
They’re gritty, but in a wholesome and hilarious way. Check out the reviews on my page. This sounds awfully like a blatent commercial but I find so few people and places addressing the issue of boys reading, and I’m passionate about it.
I’ve just released book 8 with 12 planned. They’re averaging around 15 thousand words each and they’re very easy to read. Wendy from the UK says her son Andrew reads them over and over again. WD LaRue from The New York Book Review is in his, actually I don’t know, but he’s very old and he loves them.
Check them out here http://BunyaPublishing.com and please spread the word. Thank you Elizabeth for your wonderful post. I’m off to make some noise on the links you posted above. Good luck all and thanks again, Elizabeth.
Gary–That’s wonderful that you’re focusing on this market and that boys are responding to it so well. It looks as if you’ve got a lot to pull readers in…not too challenging to read, subject matter that appeals to boys, etc. Thanks for coming by.
Your point about books and the lack of cover art is a great one. For years I have carried around and checked out books “for me” that my ten year old son refused to be seen holding because they had covers that were too girly. Then he would be absorbed in them the minute we got in the car. I never thought about the fact that reading ebooks would alleviate that problem. He doesn’t mind the covers himself, just being seen with them. I think he likes books aimed at girls better because they tend to be less violent and have gentler conflicts.
My real trouble is that he is a picky reader. Once he has started a series, I don’t see him again until he has finished, but I have a hard time keeping him in books because he isn’t drawn to very much. The libraries here have smaller collections and fewer librarians who know kid lit than our old town and it is crushing us. I’ve been using Novelist to find read-a likes, but I’m running out of ideas. Anybody have any suggestions?
The covers do make a difference. We all know they *shouldn’t*, but being realistic…of course they do to young boys. Ebooks totally solve that problem, which is nice.
What I’ve done for my son is to use http://whatshouldireadnext.com/ and Amazon (I pull up a few titles he’s enjoyed in a few separate windows on Amazon and then look at their “customers who bought this also bought” selections. I’ve also used Amazon’s listmania (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/createpipeline?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 …and then search in the search box instead of creating your own) and Goodread’s listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list . That’s to *find* it. And then, unfortunately, although we have a large library system here in the Charlotte area…I frequently ended up having to buy the books. Which got expensive when he was reading several books a week. Many self-published books are a bit less-expensive and many of them are high quality, so that can help.
Very interesting article! We are just at this point where our son is starting to read a bit for himself, but mainly we still read to him at bed time. He is also a strong fan of series and it’s hard to get him interested in a new thing once he’s read all the books.
I was wondering: At what age did you stop reading the book before handing it to your son? Or do you still read it (for example indie books) to see if it’s good for him?
My parents read all our books before giving them to us to read (or reading them to us) – which annoyed me as a child, bec. I had to wait for them to finish it :-) But I am pondering to pick up the habit because we had some bad experiences with books from publishing houses that just weren’t well written or had content that my son found disturbing – even if the age group was right for him and the description and first chapters were fine.
Thanks for coming by, Brida!
I’ll admit that it was pretty early when I stopped reading them, myself. Maybe 4th grade? I ran into a wall with the amount of time I had at that point. What I did, though, was read lots of reviews that parents, etc. had written. And I told my son that if he ran into any point in the book where something made him uncomfortable, to just move onto the next book we had waiting for him. That was our agreement–and I didn’t quiz him on what it was that bothered him.
Interestingly, now he’ll complain more about typos–those are with traditionally published books and self-published. I agree…it does take a reader right out of the book.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome—good luck!
[…] Hooking Boys on Books | Elizabeth Spann Craig […]
[…] discussion has arisen in the wake of our start on it here last week. Let me point out, for example, Hooking Boys on Books by “Elizabeth the Mom and Elizabeth the Author” Craig. She writes, in […]
Thanks so much for mentioning the Boys Rule Boys Read blog–and for writing about this topic. And, please, everybody, if you know some boys who are looking for good reading material, steer them our way. Don’t forget that we encourage boys to participate and tell us about their favorite books. All the instructions are on the left-hand side of the page.
Carl–Y’all have gobs of recommendations. Thanks for all you do.