Riveting Reads: Boys into Books 11-14

Doesn't technology appeal more to boys?

• Websites can include review sites, authors’ own sites, word game sites, book festival sites, and a variety of games sites – some of which are book-related.  Vampirates (http://www.vampirates.co.uk/) is an example, and you’ll find more given in the book list.
• Get boys involved in designing and maintaining the school library’s own website.  There are lots more ideas in the SLA’s Fully Booked guideline, Appendix H (see http://www.sla.org.uk/sla-guidelines.php).
• Use mind mapping software to create bookmap reviews and flowcharts of recommended reads.
• Programmes like Star Reader and Accelerated Reader can create quizzes based on your library stock.
• Boys can enjoy being involved in the technical aspects of producing a school library newsletter – and in this way they can start to become contributors.
• Make public use of your library management system data – publish regular top tens for both boys and girls, for example, and announce chart positions at assemblies.

• Using video cameras (to film dramatised versions of books; readers [including teachers] talking about books; author visits; adverts for the library etc.)
• Using mobile phones to do short text reviews, or send video reviews.
• Using PDAs to read e-books, or swapping ‘book bites’.
• Using digital cameras to photograph readers with their favourite books.
• Making short radio programmes that can be podcasted in and beyond school.
• Using videoconferencing with other readers, across the region or across the world, though paired schools.  The British Council’s Global Gateway (http: //www.globalgateway.org/default.aspx?page=0) is one approach to this.