A prominent debate on how to engage boys with reading has been reignited, moving beyond a simple choice of book genres to a call for deeper, systemic change within the education system.
The Problem with 'Boy Books'
The discussion follows recent comments by author Lee Child, who suggested thrillers should be added to the UK school curriculum to boost reading rates. While welcoming any initiative that encourages young people to read, educators warn that simply swapping classic literature for action-packed novels misses the core issue. Louis Provis, Head of English at MyEdSpace, argues that a more fundamental shift in how schools perceive boys' reading is required.
"In my experience as an English teacher, despite having access to more books than ever before, schools often see books with glorified violence at the centre as 'boy books', and so fill the curriculum with this content," Provis states. He contends that this approach is counterproductive, noting that "this does nothing to combat toxic masculinity – rather, it fosters it."
Credit Where Credit's Due
The central plea from Provis is to avoid patronising young men by limiting their literary diet based on societal stereotypes. "We shouldn’t patronise boys by telling them what society thinks they should become, but instead give them a bit more credit in their reading interests," he explains. He provides a powerful anecdote from his own classroom, revealing that he has "had plenty of young men tearing up in my classroom when reading Jane Eyre."
Encouraging engagement with a wide range of literature, he believes, is key to developing more empathetic and well-rounded individuals. While not a complete solution, broadening horizons beyond a narrow definition of 'boy-friendly' books is a significant step forward.
Proof from the Past: When Initiative Works
Supporting the need for creative engagement is a recollection from Jacqueline Robson from Ipswich, Suffolk. She shares a success story from the late 1970s, when teaching a disengaged Year 10 group in a Lincolnshire comprehensive school. To spark interest, she introduced a set of Dick Francis novels for weekly shared reading lessons.
The initiative proved so compelling that a group of students broke into the stock cupboard to steal copies near the end of a novel, desperate to discover the conclusion. "We had to feign disappointment," Robson recalls, marking the moment as a clear victory. The scheme's success was cemented when many students subsequently requested more novels by Francis from the school library.
This historical example underscores that finding the right material to ignite a passion can have a lasting impact, but experts like Louis Provis maintain it must be part of a larger, more thoughtful strategy that respects the diverse emotional and intellectual capacities of all students.
