Scary, Gross, and Enlightening Books for Boys Grades 3–12

by Deborah B. Ford

Finally, a book to help educators promote sure-fire reading pleasers to boy readers in grades 3–12!

Scary, Gross, and Books for Boys Grades 3-12 is the helpful new reference handbook for educators looking for just the right books to captivate the imaginations of boys in a way that makes reading fun as well as effective.

In chapters than span the full range of categories and genres, Scary, Gross, and Enlightening surveys the latest and greatest titles aimed at boys in the primary and secondary grades, including nonfiction, graphic novels, mystery and adventure, sports, sci-fi and fantasy, humor, history, books that were made into movies, read-aloud titles, and classic works that have stood the test of time. Each chapter suggests a number of appropriate and delightful titles on a specific theme and includes listings of corresponding websites, reproducible lessons, and activities. The book also provides lists of professional titles to support each chapter's theme, as well as research-based strategies for teaching with the suggested books.

172 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Deborah B. Ford is the Director of Library Outreach at Junior Library Guild. She is an award winning library media specialist and international speaker with almost thirty years of experience as a classroom teacher and librarian in K–12 schools. Deborah is the former District Resource Librarian for San Diego Unified School District, which serves over 180 schools. Traveling across North America, she does seminars for the Bureau of Education and NEFLIN, including “Increasing the Effectiveness of Your School Library Program,” “Best Books of the Year,” and “Web Resources for Teachers.” Deborah is the author of Scary, Gross and Enlightening: Books for Boys. Contact her at dford@juniorlibraryguild.com.

Reviews

[Jayne Wilson]

Ford, D. B. (2010). Scary, gross, and enlightening: books for boys grades 3-12. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

By: Jayne Wilson

Reference Type: Bibliography

Call Number: 028.5

Description: Bibliography of books of interest to school age boys

Review Source: Sheridan, R. (2010). [Scary, Gross, and Enlightening Books for Boys Grades 3-12]. School Library Journal, 56(4), 184.

Relevance and Relationship: $36; A current addition to the 0-99 section of the library; tool for further additions

Purpose: This bibliography lists many titles that would be of interest to male readers; can be used to help students locate reading material of interest as well as to help teachers add to their classroom library collections

Validity: Less than 3 years old, reputable publisher (Linworth) and review (SLJ);

Format: 158 pages, appendix, bibliographic information, index, websites

Arrangement and Presentation: Nine chapters of books are listed, each with a brief synopsis, publisher's interest-level recommendation, a reading level, highlighted activities and Web resources. Appendixes offer a number of book lists as well as a reading interest survey.

Diversity: Addresses reading interests in males at various reading levels in various genres and topics