Get Those Guys Reading!
Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love
by Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia Agness Kochel
May 2012, 220pp, 8 1/2x11
1 volume, Libraries Unlimited

Paperback: 978-1-59884-846-5
$50, £39, 44€, A69
eBook Available: 978-1-59884-847-2
Please contact your preferred eBook vendor for pricing.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, boys have scored worse than girls on reading tests in every age group, every year, for the last three decades. The 2006 U.S. National Health Interview Survey found that more than two-thirds of all students receiving special education services are male. Clearly, American boys could benefit from being encouraged to read.

Want to identify fiction books that boys in grades three through nine will find irresistible? This guide reveals dozens of worthwhile recommendations in categories ranging from adventure stories and sports novels to horror, humorous, and science fiction books.

In Get Those Guys Reading!: Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love, authors Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia A. Kochel provide compelling and current reading suggestions for younger boys—information that educators, librarians, and parents alike are desperate for.

Comprising titles that are almost all well-reviewed in at least one major professional journal, or that are such big hits with kids that they’ve received the “stamp of approval” from the most important reviewers, this book will be invaluable to anyone whose goal is to help boys develop a healthy enthusiasm for reading. It includes chapters on adventure books; animal stories; graphic novels; historical fiction; humorous books; mystery, horror, and suspense titles; science fiction and fantasy; and sports novels. Within each chapter, the selections are further divided into books for younger readers (grades 3–6) and titles for older boys in grades 5–8. Elementary and middle school librarians and teachers, public librarians, Title One teachers, and parents of boys in grades 3–9 will all benefit greatly from having this book at hand.

Kathleen A. Baxter is a children's literature consultant, longtime School Library Journal columnist, nationally known presenter, and a promoter for letting boys read the books that appeal to them. She was formerly coordinator of children's services in Anoka County Library in suburban Minneapolis, MN.

Marcia Agness Kochel is head librarian at The Galloway School, Atlanta, GA, and previously worked as a middle school library media specialist in Bloomington, MN. She was a member of the 2006 Sibert Committee and reviews books for School Library Journal. Baxter has published several books of nonfiction booktalks with Marcia A. Kochel, including Libraries Unlimited's Gotcha for Guys!: Nonfiction Books to Get Boys Excited about Reading.

Reviews

"It is an important and timely topic since research has shown that American boys have consistently scored worse than girls in reading tests for the past three decades. . . . Useful for readers' advisory, collection development, titles for a display, or simply as a place to turn for ideas, this book will assist all."—ARBA, January 1, 2013

"Every once in a while a book comes along that makes you wonder how you ever did your job without it. For school- and youth-services librarians, this may be just such a book. It’s packed with hundreds of titles that will appeal to boys. The authors are seasoned professionals with decades of experience in the library trenches. . . . [T]his resource is highly recommended for public and school libraries—parents of boys may also be interested—so a copy for circulation should be considered."—Booklist, Starred Review, January 1, 2013

"The authors demonstrate a keen understanding of their target audience; this well-organized and easy-to-use compilation will be indispensable to engaging boy readers."—School Library Journal, October 1, 2012
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