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Book Reviews see all articles in this section BookNotes BookNotes is your monthly guide to good, informative reading. Each month BookNotes will feature the Editor's choice of titles. This month our Editor has selected these books on the issue of "Boys and Literacy". Reading Don't Fix No Chevy's: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men Publisher: Heinemann Author: Michael W. Smith, Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Tom Newkirk (Foreword) The problems of boys in schools, especially in reading and writing, have been the focus of statistical data, but rarely does research point out how literacy educators can combat those problems. That situation has changed. Michael Smith and Jeff Wilhelm, two of the most respected names in English education and in the teaching of reading, worked with a very diverse group of young men to understand how they use literacy and what conditions promote it. In this book they share what they have learned. Through a variety of creative research methods and an extended series of interviews with 49 young men in middle and high school who differ in class, race, academic achievement, kind of school, and geography, the authors identified the factors that motivated these young men to become accomplished in the activities they most enjoyed—factors that marked the boys' literate activities outside of school, but were largely absent from their literate lives in school. Their study questions the way reading and literature are typically taught and suggests powerful alternatives to traditional instruction To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy Publisher: International Reading Association Author: William G. Brozo When it comes to reading, teen and preteen boys are your toughest students. Now, solutions are at hand in this one-of-a-kind book that offers ideas for using literature with positive male archetypes to motivate boys to read and capture their unique imaginations. Author Brozo defines several such archetypes and shares instructional vignettes in which teachers across the curriculum develop innovative strategies and activities using young adult books with these archetypes. He also shows you how to work with adults in the community to positively influence boys’ literacy behavior and create conditions that encourage them to read. A foreword by Jon Scieszka explains why the need to help boys is so urgent. An appendix offers a booklist of 300 titles to help you identify appropriate archetypal literature. Although this book is geared specifically toward helping boys, the author points out that the strategies presented may also benefit girls by exposing them to positive male images that are unlike the stereotypes of masculinity they are exposed to every day. To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader will help you stop the cycle of adolescent boys’ struggles with reading and engender a love of reading that last a lifetime. Differently Literate: Boys, Girls and the Schooling of Literacy Publisher: Taylor & Francis Author: Elaine Millard Parents research into the differences in boys' and girls' experiences of the reading and writing curriculum at home and in school. The book is divided into three sections: an outline of the theoretical debates on gender difference and academic achievement; a description of the research into these issues conducted by the author; and an analysis of the author's findings. In discussing the outcome of her research, Millard highlights further areas for more detailed study and makes recommendations for the development of literacy policies. Boys and Literacy: Exploring the Issues Publisher: Taylor & Francis Author: Trisha Maynard Trisha Maynard reports the findings of a case study of a primary school whose staff wanted to explore and improve boys' attitudes towards and attainment in literacy, and in particular their difficulties with writing. To buy these books, click on the book covers above or visit our comprehensive online bookstore at: www.galtbooks.com www.galtbooks.com has been created with a mission to assist not-for-profit organizations within your community. Proceeds from every sale are donated to the organization of your choice. Click here to learn more. You may wish to submit a book review of your own for inclusion in The Galt Global Review. Please send your review to editor@galtglobalreview.com for consideration. We look forward to receiving your feedback and suggestions. © Copyright 2004. Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Unless otherwise specified, you may reprint this article, quote from it, use it in research or projects, duplicate it or distribute it. Credit of authorship and source MUST be given to galtglobalreview.com. Ownership of Copyright remains with Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Return to Top      Business News / Business Roundup - Australia / Canada / Europe / United States / Careers / Classified / Information Technology / New Technology / Education News / World Facts / Book Reviews / Archives/Research