UK: Computer-esque books to lure boys

Submitted by anthony on Thu, 2009-01-08 05:21

Story here. Excerpt:

'Oxford University Press (OUP) claims the "truly boy-friendly" content and structure of its Project X books will appeal to boys up the age of nine.

The books have been tested in 2,000 schools and can be used interactively through CD-Roms and whiteboards.
...
Professor Elaine Millard from the National Association for the Teaching of English said the books were a shallow response to the problem of boys not enjoying reading.

"It's counterproductive - we want them to engage with the text so that they enjoy the pleasure of words.
...
But Elizabeth Blinkhorn from OUP said the books were aimed specifically at getting boys involved.

"We know that boys are very motivated by facts and 3D images and gripping story lines. There are short chapters to keep them motivated.

"And boys really want to be part of the story and in Project X they are part of the story."'

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Comments

You look at this article, and it's insulting - basically it's a piece of chewing gum for the brain so the boys can look busy while the girls get on with the 'real reading'.

I have two sons, one aged 10 and the other just turning 12, and they both love books, but aren't so fussed on reading (unfortunately I read to them from a young age and they prefer it when I do the voices). I'm always trying to get them to read more, and already I've noticed how purile and facile many 'boys' books are. The girls get exciting GO GIRL titles where the heroes (always girls) overcome the villains (almost always boys) and achieve and win. The boys titles on the other hand are titles like Captain Underpants and the Zombies from under the Toilet - I kid you not.

When you find a good boys book that has the same structure as those girl titles (boys in adventures overcoming dangers and achieving) they love it, you just have to look much harder.

Books like this basically just state that boys are dumb idiots with no attention span at all, and that we should placate them with pretty pictures while the girls get on with life. Insulting all the way. No way in hell I'd ever let my sons read this, and I've emailed Oxford University Press to tell them so.

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Submitted by GaryB on Thu, 2009-01-08 21:10

...GaryB, and I think you'll find that the boys are enthralled, even if the language is a bit dated.

They'll like older books even better because in those, boys were allowed to be heroes and good guys, not just something for the female protagonists to crap all over in order to make themselves feel better.

If they're into the fantasy genre, there's the Lord of the Rings (10 or 12 is NOT too young for that stuff if you start them out on The Hobbit), sci fi has endless options, then there's the true classic adventure stories: Jules Verne's stuff comes immediately to mind, but there's all sorts of adventure, spy and other fiction out there that was written long before feminists pissed all over the library to mark it as their territory. Hell, give 'em an early Stephen King short-story collection when they're 12 or 13 (I always liked Skeleton Crew), it'll scare the hell out of them and they'll want more. Don't worry about getting them into the teacher-approved garbage just yet, their tastes will evolve all on their own.

One of the biggest casualties of the feminist crusade against everything has been the human imagination. Reading is one of the best ways to make an imagination grow. If you can help it, don't let your sons lose theirs.

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Submitted by RandomMan on Fri, 2009-01-09 06:00