Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Why "Books for the Boys"?

When I was teaching 8th grade language arts, I struggled to find books that boys wanted to read. Maybe that was because the boys just didn't like to read. Maybe not. There were a couple of books that really, really interested them. Many of them were nonfiction, and I just didn't get that. I rarely saw girls with nonfiction "fun" books. The boys gravitated more toward science fiction than the girls did. I noticed, for better or worse, there were definite differences in what the boys and girls read.

Flash forward a decade or so. Two of my sons, ages 9 and 8, are voracious readers. As a mom, I have a different perspective. My struggle is not finding books that my boys want to read, but finding books that I want them to read. You see, I am still a teacher, but the difference is that my students are my own children, my precious gifts. I do not want their heads filled with raunchy and lame humor. I do not want their heads filled with bad language. I do not want their head filled with gratuitous sex and violence. And at this tender age, I do not want their heads filled with philosophies that might hurt them in the long run. If at all possible, I do not want a bunch of words carelessly spewed out on paper that pathetically take on the form of a book.

What I do want is books that uplift them, challenge them, engage them, fill them with the beauty of images and the music of words, teach them the certainty of truth, and make them want never to stop reading. When they are reading, I want to watch my sons giggle hysterically, whimper in sympathy, cry in sorrow, shout in victory, and sigh at the joy of it all.

So why not a blog dedicated to all books--both for girls and for boys?  Much has been noted recently that our schools are biased toward girls and the way they learn. So many of the books out there today are also geared more toward girls and how they think. While I think it's great that girls now have that chance to learn and follow their talents, I want my sons also to have that opportunity.

I know many other parents, grandparents, and teachers desire that same chance for the boys in their lives. That is why I am starting this blog. Maybe I can introduce you to a great book for your boy or steer you away from one that is less than ideal. Maybe you can give me your feedback on a highlighted book or author or even suggest another great read. Maybe you'll disagree with me, and that's fine. I know I'm opinionated.  But I will attempt to include enough objective details in my reviews that you may use your own standards and values to judge whether or not a book deserves to be the object of Bobby's book report or that special birthday gift for Ralph. Above all, I hope I can be helpful to you as you try to instill that lifelong love of reading.


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