Boys and academic reading

In the New York Times today, an op-ed article explored why American high school boys seem to have lower reading scores and grades compared to female students. It suggested that they may get bored with the materials they are required to read, so promoting more adventure and gross-out may help.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28kristof.html?th&emc=th

In my case, I think my confidence as a reader developed mainly by pleasure reading of suspense/spy (Clancy, Clussler, Grisham), horror (Steven King), fantasy (Tolkien) and science fiction (Dune series), which was stuff lying around home from my Dad's tastes when I was in junior high and high school...so I would go for the "spice up the reading list" theory.

Of course, the literary fiction I read in my high school English classes--the usual like Catcher in the Rye and Grapes of Wrath helped as well, but not for self-sustaining addictive reading, which is probably what makes the difference between minimal readers and the avid.

My son, age 6, is a good reader for his age, but I really need to work on our reading shelf...