Twice a year, the Boys & Books Reading Promotion Project presents book recommendations for boys aged 8 and up. Raising awareness of reading and supporting all those who are active in promoting reading. The Science Project’s new flagship titles for Reading Summer 2022 are now live: graphic novels, anti-hero stories, science fiction and more.
Comics have always been considered fodder for readers, and so there’s no shortage of Boys & Books’ latest book recommendations. Twice a year, the reading promotion project for boys, which since 2021 has been linked to the Pedagogical University of Karlsruhe (PHKA), presents the best titles for four age groups on its website. Reading advice for boys aged 8 to 18 who read little or badly or who have lost interest in reading. The main objective is to address the multipliers of reading promotion – at school, in libraries, in bookshops or in the family. The current book recommendations for the reading summer 2022 have recently been posted on boysandbooks.de. The 20 titles were selected by a specialized jury made up of 25 teacher-researchers, teacher-researchers and independent educators in reading and literature.
There is, for example, the anti-hero story “Korbjäger” for boys aged ten and over, which is about basketball, soap bubbles and the question of good and bad friendships, or the thriller exciting “Y-Game” about fake news and conspiracy theories, which Boys & Books also recommends as classroom reading from grade 9. The genre palette of the best titles of summer 2022 is wide and ranges from adventure stories and anti-heroes to comics and graphic novels, science fiction and sports. Coming of Age titles are also represented. For example, the careful bringing together of two boys in “Heartstopper. Boy meets boy”. The easy-to-read book is also recommended for young people with low reading skills.
Graphic literature, conspiracy theories and sports
“When reviewing the new releases of the best titles of summer 2022, it became clear that graphic literature has maintained its place in the children’s and young adult literature market. That’s why comics and graphic novels feature on our shortlist several times,” says Professor Dr. Ina Brendel-Kepser, Head of Boys and Books and Professor of Modern German Literature and Literature Didactics at PHKA. conspiracy is currently very much in the news – especially in books for young adults. And the subject of sport remains a long-standing issue, ”explains the literature professor. Additionally, the current jury selection also includes titles “that should not only encourage reading in your spare time, but also have potential for reading in the classroom.”
The decisive selection criteria at boys & books are excitement and entertainment, ie impact criteria based on the needs of the target group. “We know from reading research that fantasy and fun texts are especially popular with young readers,” says Brendel-Kepser. Criteria such as the accessibility of the texts, the potential for identification of the protagonists, the narrative dramaturgy or the linguistic conception are also included in the evaluation. “And the motivational stimulus provided by the elements accompanying the text also plays a role”, explains the scientist: “How attractive is the cover? What does the presentation text promise and what can it bring? And how does all this fit with the genre of the text in question?
What titles can be included in the lesson?
At boysandbooks.de, readers who promote reading will not only find a table of contents and excerpts from the various titles, but also detailed reviews and tips on how best to use the books. Which are more suitable for private reading? Which can be integrated into school lessons and how? A total of around 200 book recommendations can be found on boysandbooks.de, all top titles since 2017. The boys and books reading promotion project, which combines academic expertise and practical experience, was founded in 2012. The association is a member of the National Reading Pact.
About Karlsruhe University of Education
As an educational university with the right to award doctorates and habilitations, Karlsruhe University of Education (PHKA) researches and teaches about curricular and extracurricular educational processes. Its unique profile is characterized by its focus on education in a democratic society, educational processes in the digital world and MINT in a culture of sustainability. About 220 people working in the scientific field supervise about 3,600 students. The range of courses includes teacher training courses for primary and secondary I level as well as bachelor’s and master’s courses for other areas of education. The extra-professional continuing education offers are characterized by their particular proximity to research and practice. www.ph-karlsruhe.de