Boys and Books

Is There Really a Difference?

The Eye Roll

Up until past few years, boys have been “ignored” in Book World. Why?◦Perceptions and Stereotypes:

…Boys aren’t (often) “ideal” reader

Recent years, Renewed interest

Energy Level Disruption/mess

Reading Choices “Lost cause”

Boys’ ThoughtsA 2001 YALSA Teen Read Week Survey asked

boys, “If you don’t read much or don’t like reading, why?”◦ Boring /not fun (39.3%)◦ No time/too busy (29.8%)◦ Like other activities better (11.1%)◦ Can’t get into the stories (7.7%)◦ I’m not good at it (4.3%)◦ Makes me tired/causes headaches (2.5%)◦ Too much school work (1.4%)◦ Books are too long (.09%)

Librarian/Teacher/Parent Hang-ups

What are some hesitancies that you’ve had or heard from these areas on focusing “tailored” attention on boys?

Generalizations about boys vs. girls, but there are developmental differences

Waffles and Spaghetti

Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Can be “generalized”/stereotypical, but helpful to

understand◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female

brain Corpus Callosum (bridge between hemispheres) less

developed at 5 years old 15-20% more neural activity in girls brain at any given time Girls have greater number of nerve fibers (feel more pain)

Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.

Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and

female brain Girls have more white matter, which is what constantly

networks brain activity to different parts of brain; boys have more gray matter, which keeps brain activity in a single place.

Boys’ brains “shut off” (enter “rest state”) more times per day than girls’

Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.

Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female

brain Boys have more neural centers that focus on how objects

move around physical space Boys process more through amygdala (the

aggression/emotion center)

Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.

Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female

brain Boys’ hippocampus (major memory center) is generally less

active than a girl’s, especially during emotional/relational experiences

Chemical differences: 10-20% more testosterone (risk-taking/aggression), less oxytocin (bonding chemical), less serotonin (calms us down)… especially in frontal lobe (decision making center)

What does it all mean?

Practical Implications Boys need to be led to

emotional/motivational/purposeful experiences by mentors to learn how to function purposefully

Boys do before talk, so boyhood experiences often based on trial and error

Many parts of brain are set after first few years, but hippocampus (memory center) is constantly creating new neurons

How does it affect us as librarians? We need to engage boys in reading, which requires AND encourages “fuller usage of brain”

Boys and Books

Reader’s Advisory◦Preferences in formats and genres

ProgrammingGaining AlliesWELCOMING ENVIRONMENT

Boy-friendly Formats

Pictures: picture books, graphic novels, comics, manga, hybrids

Audio: books on tape/cd, podcastsOnline contentNewspapers and magazines

Boy-friendly Genres

Adventure FantasyHumorNon-fictionScience fictionSports

Adventure39 Clues seriesEoin ColferCharles Higson (Young Bond series)Will HobbsAnthony Horowitz (Alex Rider)Gary PaulsenRick Riordan

FantasyDave Barry and Ridley PearsonEoin ColferChris D’LaceyCornelia FunkeDerek LandyBrandon MullPhilip ReeveJ.K. Rowling

HumorMac BarnettAndrew ClementsDan GutmanGordon KormanJosh Lieb Dav PilkeyLouis SacherJordan Sonnenblick

Pseudonymous BoschJack GantosJeff KinneyJarrett KrosoczkaDavid LubarDaniel PinkwaterJon ScieszkaEric Wight

Non-fictionLearning how to do anything they’re

interested inLearning history/facts behind somethingAutobiographies/biographiesHow to make thingsGross-out

Science FictionOrson Scott CardJames Patterson (Maximum Ride series)Star TrekStar Wars

SportsTiki and Ronde BarberMatt ChristopherJohn CoyTim GreenDan Gutman Mike LupicaJames PrellerJohn Ritter

ProgrammingWhat can you do in a school? ◦Boy friendly topics, instruction styles ◦Guys Read/Boys Only, ◦Male teachers/staff

Gaining Allies

ParentsTeachersAdministrationPUBLIC LIBRARY

Welcoming EnvironmentEasier said than done… take a look at

your space, your response… roll eyes?Boys AND fathers

Boy-friendly Programming at LML

Daddy and Me storytimes quarterlyDaddy Catcher DaysIncorporate active/boy friendly topics

into programming scheduleUse non-fiction in storytimes Be welcoming of boys and dadsInformation source/anxiety ease-r for

parents

Boy-friendly ActivitiesChessScavenger huntsMake a desktop catapultGross out special effectsCreate-a-sportMagic tricksJoke-telling/creating

Guys Read GroupsGuys Read website: www.guysread.com

Guys Read GroupsContacted schools in East Penn for initial

interest of male teachersDisplay, collected interest from patronsStarted in spring and ran for four months◦We saw a HUGE difference in attitudes toward

reading and the library right away◦Moms emails

Emails from ParentsEmails began to pour in from parents before

9am the next morningResponses to reminders were “wouldn’t miss

it!!”, “my son’s been asking me non-stop when the next club meeting was”, and if they couldn’t make it because of something coming up, parents were saying their sons were “mad” at them!

“You’re Not Alone”Resource for parentsOffer reading lists in libraryAlso talk to teachers

Resources Bronzo, William: To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteens in Active

Literacy Eliot, Lise: Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps–

and What We Can Do About It Gurian, Michael:

◦ Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A Guide for Teachers and Parents; ◦ The Purpose of Boys: Helping our Sons Find Meaning, Significance and Direction in Their Lives; ◦ The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men; ◦ What Stories Does My Son Need? A Guide to Books and Movies that Build Character in Boys

Knowles, Elizabeth: Boys and Literacy: Practical Strategies for Libraries, Teachers and Parents

Smith, Michael: Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men Sullivan, Michael:

◦ Connecting Boys with Books: What Libraries Can Do; ◦ Connecting Boys with Books 2: Closing the Reading Gap; ◦ Serving Boys Through Readers Advisory

http://www.literacycouncilofalaska.org/guysread.html - Has a link to Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries GR Manual (with info for school)