Join the conversation: Books that boys can’t resist

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

Girls will read books about boys. Boys will not read books about girls. Yes, that is a generalization, but any astute educator will agree with me. We need to understand that boys can be fickle readers, and one of the best ways to attract a boy to a book is to put a corpse on the cover or ‘diarrhea’ in the title. – Danny Brassell, “Ten Ways to Get Boys Reading"

Join me for an #engchat conversation at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, on the theme of getting reluctant adolescents to read.

What’s #engchat? It’s a way for English teachers to collaborate with each other on Twitter by sharing ideas and resources. It attracts teachers from all over the country in rich discussion every Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

The chat will focus on how to engage disengaged young men in literacy and writing. Although much of my teacher research has focused on young males, the discussion will be relevant for educators who support all reluctant readers.

To participate in Monday night’s conversation, log in here using your Twitter account or follow the conversation via the hashtag #engchat. If you have questions on getting started, feel free to reach out to Meenoo Rami or myself. We’re happy to help in any way we can.

Come share resources and learn tips and strategies that invite students to actively engage in reading, writing, and critical thinking. We’ll explore how the culture of reading in classrooms influences students’ own literacy agency.

Read my previous post "Books boys can’t resist" to find out more on the origin of this conversation.