The Other Views: Boys Reading YA

Now you’ve heard my opinion…want to know what other people are saying about boys reading? Here’s a few links.

When did YA books become YAwns for Boys?
http://bostonbookbums.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/when-did-ya-books-become-yawns-for-boys/
Great article about how publishers are only publishing teen books for girls.

Guys Read by Jon Scieszka
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/guysread/index.html
A site put together by Jon Scieszka, tackling this issue head-on. However, on the recommend list, there are very few books for teens.

Boys and Reading: Tips for Making Reading “Boy-Friendly”
http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2009/08/boys-and-reading-tips-for-making-reading-%E2%80%9Cboy-friendly%E2%80%9D.html
Even though this is more for younger boys, it still has useful tips (boys are visual learners, that’s why they like comics and manga…I never thought of that.)

Reading is for the boys (and girls)!
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/676
An in-depth, scientific look at why boys don’t read, and what teachers can do about it.

YA Novels Teen Boys Will Like
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/resource/readlist/favya1.html
A look at some lesser-known titles that boys would read if they just knew about them from the Children’s Literature Network.

Library Thing: Do boys read?
http://www.librarything.com/topic/45803
If you want to join in a discussion about boys reading, here’s a good one.

Changing the Cover of YA books for Boys
http://tabwriter.blogspot.com/2010/03/changing-cover-of-ya-books-for-boys.html
A post about how boys won’t pick up covers with girls on them…Thank goodness they didn’t put Katniss on the front of Hunger Games, huh?

Keep Boys Reading
http://ink-spells.blogspot.com/2009/12/keep-boys-reading.html
This has an excellent list, reading levels included, for boys (though again, mostly for the middle grade group.)

Gender and Reading Habits Part One: Let’s Hear it For the Boys
http://www.comixology.com/articles/41/Gender-and-Reading-Habits-Part-One-Lets-Hear-it-for-the-Boys
Fascinating article comparing boys and YA with girls and comic books: boys don't read YA books, so YA books aren't created for them; girls don't read comics, so comics aren't created for them.

What Is It With YA Book Covers?
http://www.liakeyes.com/?p=1880
Another blog post bringing up the fact that no boys would be caught dead buying the girly covers seen on most teen books.

Thanks for participating in the discussion this week! Let me know if there are any great articles that I missed!