Get boys reading by grossing ’em out

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This article was published 21/07/2010 (5627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CAN fart jokes save the reading souls of boys?

Boys have lagged behind girls in reading achievement for more than 20 years, but the gender gap now exists in nearly every state in the U.S. and has widened to mammoth proportions — as much as 10 percentage points in some, according to the Center on Education Policy.

"It certainly should set off alarm bells," said the centre’s director, Jack Jennings.

Parents of reluctant readers complain boys are forced to stick to stuffy required school lists that exclude non-fiction or silly subjects, or have teachers who cater to higher achievers and girls. They’re hoping books that exploit boys’ love of bodily functions and gross-out humour can close the gap.

"It’s like pulling out fingernails. He absolutely does not want to read," said dad Todd Thompson of his 13-year-old, Hunter.

Growing up, the 47-year-old Thompson loved two things: football and books. His mom encouraged trips to the library. His dad inspired him to dig into the Chip Hilton sports novels written by basketball coach Clair Bee.

Thompson and his wife did the same with their reading-allergic son. No go. They’ve tried bribing him with new video games. Nope.

"Some books can be pretty boring and I just don’t feel like reading them," said Hunter, a good student who reads what he has to for school. "I think a lot of boys feel like that."

The angst among parents, teachers and librarians has been met by a steady stream of sports and historical non-fiction, potty humour, bloodthirsty vampires and action-packed graphic novels and fantasy.

Butts, farts. Whatever, said Amelia Yunker, a librarian in Michigan. "Just get ’em reading. Worry about what they’re reading later."

Patrick Carman has gone a step further with his wicked creepy Skeleton Creek series from Scholastic. The upper-grade books use password-protected websites to alternate book text and quick fixes of shaky, hand-held video. To follow the story, reading and watching online are both required. "We’re meeting them halfway," Carman said. "It’s the idea that these books understand where they’re at."

Farts are Ray Sabini’s halfway point for younger kids. The Grade 4 teacher heard from dozens of grateful parents, teachers and librarians after he self-published his SweetFarts in 2008 under the name Raymond Bean.

The book chronicles a nine-year-old boy’s multimillion-dollar invention of tablets that can change foul-smelling gas into the culprit’s scent of choice: summer rose, cotton candy — even pickles, as requested by his little sister. It climbed to No. 3 on Amazon in children’s humour in October and prompted a sequel, Sweet Farts: Rippin’ it Old-School, to be released next month.

"Reaching those reluctant boys, it’s a challenge I take very, very seriously and this is what they think is funny," Sabini said.

 

— The Associated Press