Mike McQueen's blog

 Interested in the best books for boys? This list of topics is based on my 15 years of experience in education. For the most part, the list addresses boys of all ages.

1. Misc. Nonfiction! Materials that match his current interests! Various formats - web sites, magazines, books. Examples: Guinness World Records, Star Wars Dictionary, The Way Things Work, Dinosaurs, Pirates, Survival / Outdoors, Biographies
2. Vehicles: Lowriders, Hot Rods, Custom Cars, Choppers, Sport Bikes, Trucks, Sports Cars, Race Cars
3. Sports: Extreme Sports: Skateboarding, BMX, X-Games, Motocross
   

Since we launched 9 months ago we have had just about 30,000 visitors! Not too shabby :-) Please keep spreading the word.

It took months of persistence, but Ralph was finally able to take a few moments from his crazy schedule to answer a few of my questions. As you likely know, Ralph Fletcher is the industry guru for boys and writing. For years I've freely promoted his book, Boy Writers, as my favorite for getting boys to write - be sure to read my book review. Here are the highlights from my interview with him...

My #1 Favorite Book of ALL TIME

I've read many books on Getting Boys to Read. Jeff and Michael's book, Reading Don't Fix No Chevys, has had the most impact on me and the hundreds of boys I have worked with over the years. This book provided concrete examples that really helped me undersatand what boys need to be successful in school. This book has been a HUGE inspiration in launching Getting Boys to Read.com and in my career as a Teacher-Librarian. I liked this book so much that I offered a free lunch for for teachers in my buidling that read it! I really liked how thorough their reearch was.

Summary:

This book is a case study of a diverse mixture of 49 middle school and high school aged boys. Through tons of insightful interviews, you'll get to know these boys and issues that they face around literacy. This book is great for

Has GettingBoysToRead.com helped, insipred, or impressed you in any way? If so, we'd really appreciate you sharing! Tell us a story, point out something that you like, give us a compliment, whatever. Simply add your comment below.

For many adults, helping a boy find the right book can be a very hard task. This article showcases techniques that I have fine tuned during my 14 years in teaching; 4 as elementary teacher, 6 as an elementary school librarian, and 4 as a librarian  at an at-risk high school.

That's right, all these visits came in the last 30 days! Not bad for less than 4 months. Can I get a "Whoop Whoop?" 

Here are the 92 Countries:

Afghanistan
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Austria

In honor of my upcoming article that is getting published in Boys' Life magazine, I have decided to give away 2 free subscriptions to Boys' Life Magazine.

Why Boys' Life Magazine?

If you watch my video called 6 Reasons Why Boys Like Magazines, you will discover that magazines play a critical role in the literary lives of many boys. Boys' Life magazine has been getting boys to read for over 100 years. They deserve a contest in their honor.

This is a growing list of general quick tips for getting boys to read.