Getting Teenage Boys to Read
If you have a teenage son who simply never reads a book then there are no easy answers. Whatever survey or set of statistics you read you will find boys enjoy reading less than girls. This is true for all age groups, but it also appears that the reading gap increases as children get older.
In my view the reason that boys do not read as much as girls is that there are simply not enough books around that boys like. Taking my own son as an example there are series of books he has enjoyed reading, but once a series has been finished it has proved so hard to find new authors to move onto. Hey! There must be a career out there for someone with good ideas for stories boys can enjoy.
As it is not easy to find books for boys to read you have to be a bit careful. If you visit your local book shop and start to buy books you think a teenage boy may like you may find you have spent a lot of money for nothing. It is a lot cheaper to borrow books from the local library.
There are three types of book that I suggest trying. These will not be suitable for all boys and you may have to look elsewhere to find books for your own son. My three suggested categories are sports books, books related to hobbies and adventure books.
Studies have shown that boys are more likely to read non fiction books than girls. This could explain why books about sport and hobbies can help to make the breakthrough. Most teenage boys have a sporting hero even if they don't like to admit to it. These days there are an ever increasing number of sports biographies available and it is worth giving this route a try.
In fact biographies seem to be big business these days. Therefore if you have a son interested in music it is worth checking out the list of music biographies available. Depending on the age of your son you may wish to take a look at any prospective book yourself before you introduce him to the world of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
When it comes to fiction action stories are usually the most successful. As a boy gets older, many also like the action and adventure to lean towards horror as well. This is likely to be because the horror adds to the excitement of the book. The books that tend to work the best show the lead male as a powerful dominate character. This could be based around a spying (James Bond type) or fighting role. A number of popular books show the lead male as a teenager. This helps to engage boys who are more likely to be able to see themselves in this role.
Authors you may wish to consider for fiction reading include Melvin Burgess and Anthony Horowitz. Anthony Horowitz in particular has a number of series of books available. Some of these include a level of humour as well. This can also add to the enjoyment of the book and make boys more likely to read. Charlie Higson is another author to consider with his series of books based around a teenage James Bond.
You can also be a role model for your son. Boys are far more likely to read if they see their parents doing so. This is especially true of fathers.
What do you think?
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