I’ve made plainly obvious in the past my wish that more boys were given “permission” by the culture we live in to love reading — and that they had access to more books that matched their interests and ambitions.

Unfortunately, many boys grow up today without true reading mentors and in cultures that don’t place an emphasis on reading. For many boys today (and it’s true also for girls in some circumstances), reading just isn’t something that’s seen as important in the reality of their worlds.

What’s happened over the years is that boys have fallen behind girls in reading in every state. During the summer it’s CRUCIAL that boys (and all kids) read as much as they can. During this time, when they’re out of school and away from their teachers, kids commonly slide back in their reading abilities. Reading for fun during the summer can solve that problem. (We try to make it extra-fun with the Scholastic Summer Challenge. Sign up here!)

If you’re an educator (or even a parent!) and you’re as interested in this topic as I am, you’ll be sure to get a lot out of an upcoming webinar with literacy experts Pam Allyn and Kay Hansen. Pam is one of the country’s foremost experts on teaching literacy (you can see Pam interviewed here during a recent Scholastic Teacher Talk), and her new book, called Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys is focused on how to get boys to read more. We’re giving away a copy over on our Scholastic Teachers Facebook page. Head on over there to enter.

You can sign up for Pam and Kay’s webinar on Boys and Summer Reading anytime, and the event will take place on May 2 from 2-3 p.m. (EST).

How do you get boys excited about reading during the summer?