tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post8952674081878219311..comments2023-12-25T00:38:19.500-08:00Comments on Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog (archive): Books, Boys, Boy-Books...Sarah Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-78520127354114352892007-05-23T11:43:00.000-07:002007-05-23T11:43:00.000-07:00Bless you, C.K. - you have put it in the most succ...Bless you, C.K. - you have put it in the most succinct of terms: are we teaching boys and girls, or are we teaching them <I>how</I> to be boys and girls? And to whose standards are we thus teaching them to adhere??? As much as the UK folk may admire Secretary Johnson, does anyone want him determining that for their children?tanita✿davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01671822274852087499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-79525869417108537312007-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:002007-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:00"In a world where so much of what we are expected ..."In a world where so much of what we are expected to achieve comes from other people's expectations of our gender and sex, it seems limiting and wrong to be building a negative expectation as early as primary school. (You are this, you will read this; you are unable to do this and this.) It is just one more label on a group of students by gender rather than seeing to their individual needs. As both a former teacher and a YA writer, that gets on my nerves."<BR/><BR/>Tad, you are my hero! I think this bookshelf idea is terribly confused. Is the idea to teach boys and girls or to teach them <I>how</I> to be <B>boys</B> and <B>girls</B>?C. K. Kelly Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03152997234365905131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-30124877515529964272007-05-18T14:26:00.000-07:002007-05-18T14:26:00.000-07:00I think you're missing my point. Ryan, to me this ...I think you're missing my point. Ryan, to me this isn't about targeting books to boys. The is about adults dividing them by class and gender.<BR/><BR/>Yes, we know all of these "facts" about boys, but why would we single them out in a classroom setting as dumb or challenged or, worse, as gender-identified readers who we EXPECT to be unable or unwilling to sit still or unable to read fiction without explosions, spies, or chase scenes? Boys are not learning differenced, they're <I>male</I>. <BR/><BR/>In a world where so much of what we are expected to achieve comes from other people's expectations of our gender and sex, it seems limiting and wrong to be building a negative expectation as early as primary school. (You are <I>this</I>, you will read <I>this</I>; you are unable to do this and this.) It is just one more label on a group of students by gender rather than seeing to their individual needs. As both a former teacher and a YA writer, that gets on my nerves.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, it's intriguing that people keep dragging out books from the 19th century for their examples of "girl's books." Jane Austen and now Little Women?tanita✿davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01671822274852087499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-38324737360184864242007-05-18T13:55:00.000-07:002007-05-18T13:55:00.000-07:00Really interesting points, Ryan and TadMack.To me,...Really interesting points, Ryan and TadMack.<BR/><BR/>To me, the difference in reading interests between boys and girls is especially pertinent when you're looking at materials that will try to interest kids in reading in the first place; when it comes to the more literary "required reading" you usually see in English classes, I'm honestly not sure how much difference it makes whether one chooses Pride & Prejudice or Treasure Island (to make a whirlwind comparison)--students of either gender who are not already engaged in reading are less likely to get something out of literature regardless of whether it's "girl-focused" OR "boy-focused."<BR/><BR/>It would be an interesting curricular experiment (but more work for teachers, I guess) to compile a list of literature which appeals to a variety of readers--boys, girls, or both--and then allow students to choose a selection of books that interest them to study for the year, as well as studying other books as a class. <BR/><BR/>I remember doing individual or group projects--in junior high, in particular--in which each person or group is assigned a short story or novel and then must prepare an oral or visual presentation for the rest of the class. I would have loved to be able to have some say over what my chosen reading material was--even if I'd had to choose from a list. I wonder if that could ever work, given the increasing restrictions and decreasing budget for our education system...Sarah Stevensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-40666835083362225472007-05-18T13:12:00.000-07:002007-05-18T13:12:00.000-07:00I'm afraid I tend to agree that there need to be m...I'm afraid I tend to agree that there need to be more books that TARGET boys. <BR/><BR/>Like it or not, in general, boys and girls are different. Their interests are different, and even the way their brains work is different. While you can find boys who will read anything, it is much harder to get boys into reading than girls. <BR/><BR/>It is a well-known fact that girls master language skills at a much younger age, and this continues well into adulthood.<BR/><BR/>Boys are different. And so, finding books that will interest a broad range of boys is tricky. While you might find girls reading, say, Star Wars books, you'll be hard-pressed to find many boys reading Little Women.<BR/><BR/>As a writer myself, even if I write stories with a female protagonist, in the back of my mind I try to make sure there is a certain level of action that will draw in boys. <BR/><BR/>Targeting boys doesn't imply that girls won't like it. It is, instead, suggesting that boys are far harder to please than girls in certain ways. Even as adults, men tend to read very different, and limited, types of books compared to women, who will read a far broader range of styles.RyanBrunerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07005305431656919479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-22953198175574988632007-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:002007-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:00As you know, TadMack, I find it weird too. Weird ...As you know, TadMack, I find it weird too. Weird and unnecessary.<BR/><BR/>But the big thing is...congrats on editorial excitement. That's awesome :)Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15169707337312707247noreply@blogger.com