Boys' lack of interest in reading tackled by groups

Reading may be fundamental, but too many boys in middle school lack that critical educational building block.

For the last decade, educators fretted over the academic gender gap -- girls outperforming boys on standardized tests -- yet the divide remains obvious in reading.

There is plenty of blame to go around -- disengaged parents, uninterested publishing houses, distracting video games and teaching styles -- but not as many clear answers.

"I would say there is a crisis," said Walter Dean Myers, a children's book author. "Too many parents have walked away from this idea ... that education is a family concept, is a community concept, is not simply something that schools do."

There is also hope.

Myers will speak Wednesday at the University of Washington's Information School on "Books & Boys -- Making It Work!"

The debate over whether boys are falling behind and in crisis has raged for years among academics, educators and writers. Reading remains one of their top concerns. In Seattle's public schools, sixth-grade boys trailed their female classmates by more than 10 percentage points in the standardized reading test in 2006.

Reading often loses its hold on these children as they near and hit middle school, a time when reading and their social worlds become more complex.

"A lot of times, when boys get to middle school they are feeling sort of disenfranchised from the educational" experience, said Pamela LaBorde, children's librarian at the Seattle Public Library's Ballard branch.

The problem isn't necessarily that boys don't read, it's that they are often practical readers, LaBorde said, reading magazines and even manuals.

"I think we feel like boys just aren't good readers because they aren't curling up with 'Little Women,' " LaBorde added.

The reasons behind the reading gender gap are complex -- everything from cultural changes to behavioral differences -- but researchers know the brains of boys and girls develop at different rates.

Myers offered other reasons, such as boys being typically more comfortable telling teachers to buzz off.

They also may feel ignored. That's because the publishing industry tends to focus on girls, Myers said.

"The publishing industry doesn't think there is a market, so they just don't market them," said Hayden Bass, teen services librarian at Seattle Public's Library's downtown branch.

To engage male readers, books need to tackle their issues: what it means to be a man, walk away from a fight, play sports and even go to war, Myers said.

"I've never had a male editor," the New Jersey-based author said. "When you see the books that win the awards, you see books that are much more suitable for girls."

When Myers wrote "Fallen Angels," a teen novel about Vietnam, it was a big hit with male readers.

"The basketball books I write make beaucoup bucks," added Myers, who has a new book on the Iraq war, "Sunrise over Fallujah," scheduled for release this summer.

Experts say there are titles for reluctant male readers -- "The Outsiders" comes to mind -- just not enough.

"The real requirement is that there is a male protagonist. Boys will not read books that have a girl protagonist," said John Martin, a Ballard novelist who writes for young adults, and started BoysRead.orgthis year to address the reading gap.

The problem is not lost on local educators. Seattle Public Schools spent nearly $3 million over the past three years to create 600-book libraries for classrooms and outreach, and plans to spend more.

In Seattle schools and elsewhere, a broader scope of reading materials is welcomed. Comic books are embraced, graphic novels are praised and audio books are seen as helpful.

But like many student challenges, the first steps begin at home.

"Getting kids reading ready by talking to them, by having conversations with these boys and telling these young readers that they have to join our society, we don't have to join theirs," Myers said. "You have to interact with your children."

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Here are five books that Hayden Bass, teen services librarian at the Seattle Public Library's downtown branch, recently recommended for middle school boys who think they don't like to read.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian"; Sherman Alexie, illustrations by Ellen Forney. FICTION

Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

"Grooves: A Kind of Mystery"; Kevin Brockmeier. FICTION

After seventh-grader Dwayne Ruggles discovers that the grooves in his blue jeans are encoded with a cry for help, he must find out who is sending the distress signal and why.

"Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life"; Wendy Mass. FICTION

What if you had the meaning of life inside a locked box, but you didn't have the key?

"Runaways, Volume 1: Pride and Joy"; Brian K. Vaughn. GRAPHIC NOVEL

What if you found out that your parents had superpowers ... but they weren't heroes? First in a series.

"The Action Hero's Handbook: How to Catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills"; David Borgenicht and Joe Borgenicht. NON-FICTION

The next time a friend of yours is dangling from a cliff by his fingernails, he'll thank you for reading this book and knowing how to save him.