Authors Share Tips on Getting Boys to Read

Humor, war, and even emotion, if handled the right way, can all lure boys into a good book, writers advise teachers

Winchester, Va.

Boys like to read books about trucks, boys who get into trouble, sports, animals, and war. More than girls, they lean toward nonfiction. And don’t forget the humor or action in stories.

Those are some of the insights that well-acclaimed children’s authors and illustrators—most of them men—conveyed to about 300 teachers and librarians—most of them women—at a recent conference here. Hosted by Shenandoah University, the meeting focused on how to get boys hooked on reading.

At the same time, a couple of authors and an illustrator stressed that boys are drawn as well to books with...