Read it or Weep

Why don’t teenage boys read? Here’s why…. November 19, 2008

Recently, a rather well-written article by a 13-year-old boy was brought to my attention.  The article appeared in Publisher’s Weekly, a trade publication for book buyers and librarians.  He basically wrote the article for book publishers explaining why it’s so hard to market to teenage boys.  It was entitled ”Read This b4 You Publish”.  If you care to read it, click here.

I have summarized a few of the reasons he gave for teenage boys, like himself, to be opposed to reading books published for his demographic.  (Although he did give exception to Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, which I suppose, have gotten it right.)

1.  Very few of them use modern language or timely slang terms.

2.  They too often try to cram a “message” into the story about morals, or fairness, or honor, or some other “cornball crap” (his term).

3. Vampires are cool, but the novels that are being published today have too much romance in them or people being “emo” (again, his term).

4.  They too often underestimate their audience.  In particular, their audience’s understanding of politics, jokes, and tolerance of action and horror.

He recommended that publishers concentrate on books with “video-game style plots, zombie attacks, robot attacks, or any excuse to shoot something”.

So, for all of those teenage boys exactly like this very intelligent one, here is a list of just that.   It does not contain books that use archaic language, “emo” characters, too much romance, or “messages”.

1. The Halo series-  This paperback series based on the popular XBox game is all the rage with teen readers.  No message, lots of things blowing up, and fast action.  The volumes are as follows: The Flood (1), First Strike (2), The Fall of Reach (3),  Ghosts of Onyx (4) Cole Protoccol (5) Contact Harvest (6).  All of these can be found in the teen paperback collection.  Parents be warned.  They contain graphic violence and adult themes.

2.  Fallen Angels, Sunrise Over Fallujah- Walter Dean Myers
These war novels focus on the Vietnam War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, respectively.  They are well told from the perspective of teens who, through life circumstances, found themselves trying to survive in the middle of a war.  Yes, there is some thought provoking going on about the situations of war, but teenage boys will appreciate the novels’ realistic tones.  Fallen Angels can be found in teen paperback, Sunrise Over Fallujah can be found in Teen Fiction.

3. Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead-Max Brooks
This teen paperback is a tongue-in-cheek examination on the most effective strategies, weapons, and techniques for surviving these predatory monsters.

4.  The Demonata series-Darren Shan
Darren Shan is now well known for his original horror series, Cirque du Freak, which was aimed at tweens.  This series is aimed at older teens.  It is bloody, graphic, and at times, terrifying.  The first book of the series, Lord Loss (teen fiction), introduces Grubs Grady, a teenage boy who returns home one evening to find his family slaughtered horrifically by a demon names Lord Loss who feeds on human pain and suffering.  The demon’s minions try to attack him, but he manages to escape, at least physically.  He winds up in a mental institution, traumatized by what he has seen.  His uncle, Uncle Dervish, then shows up out of the blue and helps him to realize that the demons he has seen are real, and he holds a special power over them that has been passed down through generations.  This is one for the horror loving teen.  The books are entertaining, gory and fast paced.