1. Boys & Books
“I hate to read” – what does it mean, why did he say it, and what you can do about it
Two resources
One story from JDC
One personal reflection

2. BOYS & BOOKS For more information, visit: www.guysread.com
For the power point and handouts, visit
For more info, me:

3. What do boys see as obstacles to reading?
Connecting Young Adults and Libraries Patrick Jones Getting started
What do boys see as obstacles to reading?
What are the facts about boys and reading?
What are one hundred great books for boys?
What magazines and comic books will boys read?
How do you make the connection between boys and books?
Where can I find more information?

4. What do boys see as obstacles to reading?
A national survey conducted as part of YALSA’s 2001 Teen Read Week celebration netted more evidence about what boys see as obstacles to reading. These are the responses of teenage boys; the average age of the survey respondent was 14:
Boring/not fun 39.3%
No time/too busy 29.8%
Like other activities better 11.1%
Cant get into the stories 7.7%
I'm not good at it 4.3%
Makes me tired/causes headaches 2.5%
Video games/TV more interesting 2.3%
Too much school work 1.4%
Books are too long 0.09%
Friends make fun of me 0.01%

5. What are the facts about boys and reading?
How much do you know about boys and reading?
Answer true and false to each question

6. What are hundred great books for boys?
Many books boys are asked to read don’t appeal to them. They aren’t motivated to want to read.
SO what does appeal to them?

7. What do guys read?
Top Titles from guysread.com
Quick Picks 2004
Magazines
Nonfiction subjects

8. FOR YOUNGER GUYS
The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss. Illustrated by Crockett Johnson.
Go, Dog. Go!, by Philip D. Eastman.
The Stupids Die, by Harry Allard.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
??????

9. FOR EARLY READERS
Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days, by Stephen Manes. Illustrated by Tom Huffman.
Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown
Captain Underpants
Time Warp Trio
????????

10. FOR EARLY READERS
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Alvin Schwartz, editor. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar. Illustrated by Julie Brinckloe.
The Twits, by Roald Dahl. Illustrated by Quentin Blake.

11. FOR OLDER GUYS Tangerine, by Edward Bloor. Holes by Sachar
Lemony Snicket books
Gary Paulsen
Cirque du Freak / Shan
??????

12. FOR OLDER GUYS
Card, Clancy, Crichton, Jordan, King, Koontz, Patterson, and Sanford
Dickey and Tyree
Goines? Holmes?
Coldest Winter Ever
?????

13. POETRY
Kids are the best judge of the poetry they like, young boys in particular like Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. Older boys will like Tupac, poems written by other teens, and love poems.

14. NON-FICTION
Choose books based on the subjects they care about. Look at books by Russell Freedman, David Macaulay, Jim Murphy, and Seymour Simon. Older boys won’t read authors as much as subjects of interest.

15. FACTS ABOUT NONFICTION
Researching reading and at-risk teens is a focus of Dr. Teri S. Lesesne from Sam Houston State University. She says, “In my seven year study of at-risk teens, one of the observations I have been able to verify year after year is that nonfiction matters to these less than enthusiastic readers.  Even though some of them read nonfiction regularly, they do not see themselves as readers because nonfiction is not as valued in the English classroom.” .

16. Why don’t boys like to read
1. Associate with failure
2. Time and energy
3. Negative pressures
4. Not stimulated by ideas
5. No encouragement
6. Not a priority
7. Can’t find the good books/stuff to read

17. Reaching reluctant boy readers with fiction (Quick Picks list)
have a hook to get the reader’s attention immediately
move at a fast pace with only a few characters
have a single point of view and few flashbacks or subplots
deal with real-life situations/high interest topics
have emotional impact; they are gripping and memorable
use short sentences and paragraph and non challenging vocabulary
have attractive covers, wide margins and easy to read type face and be less than 200 pages

18. Reaching reluctant boy readers with nonfiction (Quick Picks list)
Nonfiction will meet many of this criteria, but also will
contains lots of illustrations to complement the text
adopt of magazine style layout approach
contain first person narrative and real life experience

19. Maintaining a collection
Reading is more than fiction; more than books;

20. Maintaining a collection
Collection development doesn’t mean buying new books

21. Young adults like magazines
1. Visual
2. Appeal to short attention spans.
3. Speak to developing special interests.
4. Socially acceptable reading material.
5. Information on important stuff - sex, sports, etc.
6. Fads/celebrities
7. Easy reading level
8. Don't have to read them at school: no pressure
9. Dream/fantasize/set goals: the case for comics

22. Computer Gaming World

26. Teen People

28. Dewey or don’t we know ?
What are the nonfiction areas, by Dewey number, which are popular with boys?

29. Dewey or don’t we?

30. GUYS READ: more information
Brozo, William G. To be a boy, to be a reader : engaging teen and preteen boys in active literacy. Newark, Del. : International Reading Association, ISBN:
Gurian, Michael. What stories does my son need? : A guide to books and movies that build character in boys. New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2000 ISBN:
Odean Kathleen Great Books for Boys: More Than 600 Books for Boys 2 to 14 Ballantine Books (Trd Pap); ISBN: ; (March 1998)
Smith, Michael. Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of You Boynton/Cook Pub; ISBN: ; (March 2002 )
Sullivan, Michael. Connecting Boys With Books: What Libraries Can Do. ISBN ALA Editions, 2003.

31. GUYS READ: ten action steps
Link to guysread.com
Reward reading
Booktalk or tell a story
ALA posters: purchased and created
Work with coaches

32. GUYS READ II: this time it is personal
Buy less fiction
Recruit boy volunteers (community service)
Ask and listen
Put the books where the boys are
Buy books boys will want to read

33. Things Change
(Walker and Company, April 2004)

34. Author visits to schools patrick@connectingYA.com
Connecting Young Adults and Libraries Patrick Jones
Consulting, training, and coaching for library staff to provide powerful youth services
Author visits to schools

35. GUYS READ For more info, email me: patrick@connectingya.com
For a full handout packet, visit
For the power point, visit:
For more information, visit:
For more info, me: