Day two of the blogging A – Z Challenge.
I’m excited about the letter B because it gives me a chance to blog on something I’m passionate about: boy readers. People will tell you this small human is more elusive than unicorn and twice as ornery about reading, but as the mom of two tween boys, I’m here to tell you, they’re not complicated, just misunderstood.
So here are a few things you might not know about boy readers.
There are real social and biological reasons boys might fall behind as readers. Statistically boys are more likely to read if they were read to as young children and have adult role models, especially male figures who value reading. Patchy reading skills often make them reluctant to pick up a book. They don’t want anyone to see them reading a book below their grade level, but they get frustrated and discouraged when a book is too hard for them. Once a negative cycle starts it’s hard for them to break out of it without lots of encouragement.
Authors and parents can help by supplying them with tempting high interest, easy-to-read books. And yes, some of those books will be cartoon based.
Boys love their tie-ins. If a writer can hook into something critical to boy culture, be it baseball, super heroes, or Dr. Who, boys are more willing to give a new book or a new author a chance.
Boys often reach for nonfiction first, or fiction that reads like nonfiction. Boys will line up in droves for books about well-known historical events if they’re filled with adventure, danger, and courage.
When boys find an author they like, they are insanely loyal. Really they are, trust me. They will read every book (in order) and wait for the new books to come out with enthusiasm.
Boys will gladly overlook something they don’t like in a popular author. This might be the inclusion of a “yucky” love story element. Remember even boys who like a bit of romance in their story are busy looking over their shoulders trying to make sure their friends don’t notice them liking it. Back up that romance with enough action and intrigue to camouflage the romance if you want to keep the bulk of your boy readers happy.
Boys don’t mind reading about girl protagonists as long as they’re cool girls. What makes a cool girl is subjective, but the hallmarks of uncool girls are pretty universally clear–they’re whiners, bossy, scared of their own shadows and boy-crazy gigglers. Cool girls are sporty, smart (but not snotty about it), and adventurous. If the girl is resourceful and knows lots of helpful stuff, making her the sort of person any boy wouldn’t mind being stranded in alternative reality with, you have a winner. I’ve spent a lot of hours volunteering in literacy programs, school libraries and book club programs, and I see just as many copies of the Hunger Games under the arms of 5-6th grade boys as girls.
A hit list of some things boys tend to like in no particular order:
Humor: Tickle a boy’s funny bone and he’s yours. Scare him while tickling his funny bone and he’s yours for life.
Kid success stories: From running a million-dollar empire, to surviving a year alone in the woods, boy readers love kids who make good against all odds.
Underdogs: Boys need to see characters who stands up to a nasty adult, or a schoolyard bully. Maybe they can’t wrangle the courage to do it for themselves, but it helps to know they’re not alone.
Characters who are smarter, braver and have more annoying siblings than they do: And if they have some supernatural house pet, a zombie or a robot, all the better.
Most boys I know would like to be better readers, but they need help and a steady supply of great books to do that. As writers we can introduce advanced vocabulary in a friendly way. Keep stories high interest and avoid overly complex sentence structures. Most of all, authors should treat all kids with respect and never, ever talk down to them. Reading is an escape for kids just as it is for adults. They want to walk around in another kid’s shoes for a few hours, and those shoes better go someplace amazing. Boys have less time to read and more distractions than in their parent’s generation, so books need to grab them quickly and not let go.
Hi, this is so interesting. Thank you! I had a fun experiment with my 2 grandchildren, ages six (granddaughter) and eight (grandson) at the library. My granddaughter went nuts over all the “princess” books (no surprise), but my grandson kept saying he wanted ‘real’ books only. I took him over to the nonfiction section and he discovered ‘boy heaven’. I think he took home seven books that day. Subjects were all over the map!
http://shells-tales-sails.blogspot.com/
You are so right, kids know what they like. We adults just need to learn to listen. This is the message I wanted people to get, let boys drive their reading picks. If they only want to read non-fiction let them! It’s all about building those skills and they’re going to practice more if they like what their reading. Thank you for dropping by, I love hearing about kids who want to read.
My soon always had trouble reading. He processed slow. If on the rare occasion he liked a book it took him a while to finish but I was so proud. Then came fixing cars with his dad so I bought auto magazines and popular mechanics. He read the driver manual for a book report. 🙂 excellent post!
History Sleuth – Blogging A-Z
I’m gonna have to go with the boys on what makes a cool girl/heroine. So true for me in what I read too! lol
Happy A to Z-ing!
~Anna
herding cats & burning soup.
Two of my students are boys in 5th and 7th grade, and they are avid readers. They make me very happy as a teacher as they always come to class wanting to talk about the books they’ve read. What’s even better, they are reading many of the books I read when I was young. Recently they requested that we do reading assignments in class, and I’m more than happy to oblige them.
I agree, getting boys to read is all about appealing to their interests and setting the example that reading is a worthwhile hobby to have. Great post!
Thank you! I started working with boy readers many years ago and I’m with you always thrilled when I see one who loves to read. Having wonderful teachers who understand their challenges and are willing to be flexible is a huge help. Keep up the good work. Thanks again for dropping by. Robin
This was great, I agree, they’re a sadly overlooked audience. They’ve special requirements as you said but not impossible to meet! Thanks for the post!
Andrea, #atozchallenge Mighty Minion Asset
Hi Andrea, Boys are overlooked, I think in part because their needs scare writers off. But the writers that make the effort win loyal fans. Please thank the whole A to Z Challenge crew for us, we are loving taking part in this process. And yes, we know our posts are a tad long, and we’re working on it. I’ll swing by your blog today and check it out. Thanks again, Robin
We’ll, I’m not an author and I don’t have tween boys…but I’ll be passing this info onto my friends who do have boys! I’ve always loved reading and love seeing the next generation immersed in a good book!
Hi, This is just what boys need, an network of adults that care and are willing to encourage them to read. Thanks so much for reading my post and for the comments. Robin
I don’t write YA but one day I hope to, so this post had a lot of good information in it. I’m bookmarking it for future use. 🙂
Hi,
Glad you liked the post. We tend to do a lot of stuff on YA writing. Heather (our Monday blogger) has a number of topics lined up for the A to Z challenge.
Good luck with the writing projects, and the A to Z posts.
Robin
Loved this info and tweeted it for all to see! As a mid-grade author, this was gospel!
Hi Alfred, I’m glad to see some MG writers stopping in today. I love MG readers, it’s where a lifelong reader takes root and blooms. Thanks for dropping in. A-Z challenge is amazing.