Best Books for Boys: A Resource for Educators (Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference Series) / Edition 1

by Matthew D. Zbaracki

Overview

Looking for books guaranteed to grab the attention and interest of boys? Dip into this guide for a wealth of ideas. This book is designed to help librarians, teachers, and parents find fiction and nonfiction titles that will be both interesting and motivating for young male readers. The 500 entries are organized by genre, each with a brief plot summary, indication of reading level, and complete bibliographic information. This volume will help adults sift through the plethora of titles published for children each year and identify suitable titles for individual boys. Grades 3-10.

Looking for books guaranteed to grab the attention and interest of boys? Books that will keep them reading to the end? Books that will turban them onto reading, or turban them from reluctant readers into lifelong readers? Dip into this guide for a wealth of ideas, all carefully chosen to help librarians, teachers, and parents.

The approximately 500 entries have been selected for the general appeal and for their ability to engage and involve readers. Covering a broad span of literature, the book focuses on titles published within the last decade. Genres covered include humor, realistic fiction, adventure, sports, fantasy, historical fiction, graphic novels, nonfiction, and even poetry.

Entries are organized by genre and each includes a brief plot summary that highlights the appeal to boys, an indication of reading level, and complete bibliographic information.

In recent years, educators and librarians have become increasingly aware of their failings with young male readers, and eager to enlist boys in books and reading. If you are among those educators hoping to more successfully reach out to boys and promote reading, this book is for you. A wonderful tool for collection development, book lists, and displays, this volume will help adults sift through the plethora of titles published for children each year and identify suitable titles for individual boys in grades 3-10.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591585992
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/30/2008
Series:	Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	189
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

MATTHEW D. ZBARACKI is Assistant Professor of Elementary Education, Rhode Island College, Providence. He is active in the International Reading Association and has presented on the topic of books for boys at its annual conference. He has also written for professional jourbanals and co-authored two books for Heinemann, Listen Hear (2003) and Books and Beyond (2006).

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1: Boys and Books
Chapter 2: Humor
Chapter 3: Nonfiction
Chapter 4: Realistic Fiction
Chapter 5: Fantasy
Chapter 6: Historical Fiction
Chapter 7: Poetry
Chapter 8: Graphic Novels
Chapter 9: I Can't Resist These

Editorial Reviews

The first chapter focuses on factors that play into effectively selecting books for boys and offers concrete ways to use these criteria in a library or classroom setting, which will be appreciated by many professionals. The bulk of the text is devoted to annotated lists of books organized by genre (humor, fantasy, poetry, etc.). Each chapter is prefaced with a brief introduction, covering why the genre is appealing to boys and explaining the arrangement of the annotated lists….Zbaracki's relaxed writing style is accessible to all types of readers….Good source notes guide readers to additional writings on the topic and speak to the author's significant research in his field. Nicely indexed by author, title, and subject, this easy to navigate resource will complement most mid-sized and larger young adult readers' advisory collections.” —VOYA

“This guide is arranged by genre and then by type of material (e.g., picture books, novels); the author, title, and subject indexes make it easy to use. There is an exceptionally useful chapter on graphic novels and their importance. The book will be helpful for those with a very limited knowledge of childrens books.” —School Library Jourbanal

“With the current concerns for hooking boys on reading and the difficulties boys have with getting and staying interested in books, this book will be a jewel…Highly Recommended.” —Library Media Connection

“Zbaracki has collected 400 recommended titles that he feels will attract a male reader. The book begins with an excellent essay about reading and boys, which is followed by the annotated list of humor, realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, graphic novels, nonfiction, and modern classics.” —Teacher Librarian

“Clearly Zbaracki has done his research. He has included the books that parents would want their sons reading and those which might be a little more risqué that the boys desperately want to read. His mission is clear: get boys to read now. If your eyes glaze over at those reluctant male readers, or you have a boy who seems to have read everything in the universe, get this book in your hands. They will walk out with a good book, and hopefully a bounce in their step.” —Colorado Association of Libraries

“Although geared toward the male audience, as indicated by the title, this work can also be of use to any librarian or educator working with students in grades 3 through 10 who wishes to find reading suggestions for their classes on these specific genres.” —ARBA

From the Publisher

This guide is arranged by genre and then by type of material (e.g., picture books, novels); the author, title, and subject indexes make it easy to use. There is an exceptionally useful chapter on graphic novels and their importance. The book will be helpful for those with a very limited knowledge of children's books, but it will have little relevance for those who are familiar with the literature. Many of the authors, great as they may be, are mentioned time and time again, making the lists redundant. There are also very few lesser-known titles or "sleepers" included. Kathleen Odean's Great Books for Boys (Peter Smith, 2000) has more variety, though it hasn't been updated recently. Overall, Best Books for Boys might be a useful addition for new teachers or librarians who need an introduction to books that boys might enjoy.-Jessica Kerlin, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH

School Library Journal