This was okay, and the authors raised some worthwhile points, but I'm just not sure that I agreed with their overall assumptions.

I'm all for discussions on a book instead of meaningless busy work (it's how I choose to teach). I'm all for letting students have more choices when it comes to what they read. I'm all for removing plenty of boring "classics" from the curriculum.

But I kind of balk at the idea that kids always need to find school/learning "fun" or that all learning needs to be immediately applicable to a student's life outside of school - let alone that teachers need to specifically aim for this in everything. I believe that part (not all) of high school is preparation for life after school, and so it's a time for students to "practice" doing things they don't like just because they have to do them (like most adults working any sort of job), and taking a long-term view of things - having the patience and persistence to work at something without seeing immediate results (a skill that will come in handy in many facets of life).

A couple other notes:
- There were a ton of typos, which was frustrating - not to mention ironic in a book about English education.
- The chapters felt really long.
- There was a small amount of profanity in direct quotes from students.
- There were a couple spoilers. I specifically remember seeing one for The Sixth Sense.
- Students were quoted more or less verbatim, complete with lots of ums, likes, and incomplete/run-on sentences. This was really obnoxious to read, and proved that the grammar side of English should probably get more classroom time than the literature analysis that the authors care about. Students would certainly be able to implement grammar in their lives immediately! ( )

The authors conducted a study of boys and reading, focusing on a racially diverse group of 49 boys and tracking their reading interests and reactions. Although research on boys and literacy has highlighted general themes, the authors caution that individuality must be taken into account. They found the following "flow experiences" as key to inspiring/maintaining boys' interest in reading: a sense of control (provide choice!) and competence (suggest teachers frontload info before a reading, create relevance), challenge, clear goals and feedback (suggest creating displays, projects) and a focus on the immediate experience (social relationship with characters, engaging materials). They stress the importance of teachers rethinking they way they teach English/reading based on their study.

Recommended by teachers involved with Club Bili, a boys reading group in an Alexandria middle school. Reports on their research with adolescent boys, finding that they would respond to inquiry-based instruction (where the students used their texts to get an answer to a problem), having choice, and being allowed to be social (working in groups). Raises a lot of ideas and concerns about how to better educate and why today's educators often don't engage students. ( )