Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys [Paperback]

This book shares some wonderful information about how boys feel about reading and how the things that parents and teachers do can help cultivate the way they feel about reading throughout their life.
Why the focus on books for boys? The author provides wonderful statistical information that answers this question. She shares one study done by the National Endowment for the Arts that showed that by 12th grade, boy's average 13 points lower than girls on proficiency tests.
One of the main things that I took away from this book is that teachers may not be giving boys books that they WANT to read. Boys should be allowed and even encouraged to read a variety of topics as well as genres. This can include video/computer games, sports page/magazines, comic books/graphic novels, text messages, web sites, and blogs. Another wonderful resource available in this book is an annotated list of book titles and series available that might interest boys. This list is broken up into emerging, developing, and maturing levels and into several topics, such as Action and Adventure and Comic Books and Graphic Novels. I plan to spend time this summer reorganizing my classroom library and adding in some of the books listed in Best Books for Boys that I know will interest my male students!
I highly recommend this book for all teachers. The extensive list of books sorted by level and topic will be something that I pull off the shelf to refer to for years to come. It is a wonderful resource for teachers for all grade school and middle school teachers!

Pam Allyn presents great insights to ways to get boys involved and excited about reading. She provides an excellent list of books for different reading levels.
A great book to have on hand when selecting books with boy readers in mind!

Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys is an excellent resource for parents and educators who want to make reading an enjoyable experience for boys.

The book begins with an explanation of the different reading styles and tastes that boys may have, and the value of finding materials that are both age appropriate and at the right reading level. She gives a variety of suggestions of ways to encourage readers, including recognition of non-traditional book reading (such as comic books).

The bulk of the book is a reference guide of book lists that is divided by topic and then sub-divided by reading level. Some of the topics include: Action/Adventure, Biographies/Memoirs, Comic Books/Graphic Novels, History, How-to, Sports, and many more. Each section is broken down into books by reading level (Emerging, Developing, and Maturing).

The book lists include short plot summaries of the main titles that are recommended. Sometimes discussion questions are included, as well as lists of titles for further reading (e.g. if you like this book then you'll also like...).

What I liked best about the book is that it was compiled from the recommendations and preferences of boys themselves. The true test though was whether or not I would find my own sons' favorites on those lists, and I did find many books that my boys have read and loved. In fact there were only two series of books that my boys love that I couldn't find in the book. Overall I was very impressed with what I found.

Not every boy is going to want to read "boyish" books, but this volume is an excellent reference book to go to as a starting place. I've already been able to make one recommendation to my nine year old that was received enthusiastically.