A graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale University, Carey Hagan serves as a reference librarian with the Fairfax County Public Library. She does early literacy storytime and blogs at BooktalkThree.

1. READING SKILLS
BETWEEN BOYS AND
GIRLS
By Carey Hagan

2. Introduction
 A graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale University,
Carey Hagan serves as a reference librarian with the Fairfax
County Public Library. She does early literacy storytime and
blogs at BooktalkThree.
Educators and librarians are aware of the fact that young
boys have more difficult learning to read and staying at grade
level with their reading skills than do girls of the same age. By
fourth grade, the average boy is two years behind the
average girl in reading and writing. Special education classes
are 70% boys, and boys are four times more likely than girls
are to be diagnosed with ADHD. On the National Assessment
of Educational Prowess reading and writing assessments,
boys score significantly lower than do girls.

3. Reading Skills
 Clearly, these reading difficulties make school
harder for boys. It's crucial to help young boys
enjoy reading before they even begin school, and
this can be done in a variety of ways. Let the boy
choose books which interest him, and engage him
with books he loves and to which he can relate.
Read to him one on one or in a small group to
eliminate distractions. Take him to the public
library regularly and let him identify himself as a
reader. Always keep the reading experience
positive: listening to or reading should never be
used as punishment. A boy who has been brought
up to enjoy reading from his preschool days will
perform better in school.