Should Boys Read Girl Books?
No one gives a second thought about girls reading books that have a boy as the protagonist and that’s good. However, there is a negative connotation by society to encourage boys to read books with a girl as the protagonist. Books that are considered “girl books”. Boys need to see what girls are thinking and feeling and be aware of the struggles that they go through. This is a disservice to boys since they aren’t being offered and encouraged to see how “the other side” lives. Often boys are discouraged to read these books by peers as well as parents, teachers, and librarians. This isn’t necessarily intentional but boys are usually steered to adventure, sports, fantasy, or science fiction that have a male protagonist. Here is a link to a great article addressing this topic http://ideas.ted.com/why-boys-should-read-girl-books/
Author Shannon Hale has an article in School Library Journal on this subject -
As a mom of boys, I know that my sons tend to read books about boys. I have always encouraged them to read books where a female is the protagonist and had little luck until The Hunger Games and the Divergent series. I think since they both had an adventure aspect to them, that is why my sons liked them.
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