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Boys: Computers Vs Books?

Do you prefer playing on the computer to reading books? If you're a boy, then the answer may well be yes!

But did you know that this could mean that girls - who tend to read more than boys - do better than you at school? Is this true? And if so, does it matter?

We wanted to find out more...

Photo showing the back of a boy as he plays a game on the computer. He has brown hair and is wearing a blue stripy top.

We asked a couple of Show Me surfers about their computer and reading habits.

Owen is in Year 8. Here he is at the computer: 'I definitely prefer playing on the computer to reading books.' he says. One of his favourite games is the Science Museum's Launchball. Have you played it yet?

All photos apart from NYR 2008 © Show Me

But Owen reads loads too - mainly at night before he goes to bed. He really likes mystery books and recommends The Hardy Boy series.

Owen also loves books about facts, 'especially fun facts!'.

One of his top reads is his Guiness Book of Records 2009. The 3-D specs you get with the book are great for looking at the scary dinosaurs.

 Photo showing a boy with brown hair and a blue stripy top and jeans on sitting on the stairs reading a book. He is looking at the pictures through 3-D specs.

Photo showing a boy lying down on the floor surrounded by books. The boy has brown hair and is wearing a blue, stripy top and jeans. He is smiling.



Can you spot any of the books you've read in Owen's collection?!



Arthur is Owen's brother and is in Year 5. Arthur prefers reading books to playing on the computer.

By the way, Arthur's got a brilliant Lego collection - some of which you can see in the pic.

 Photo showing a boy with blond hair sitting on the floor of his bedroom reading a book. He is wearing a dark t-shirt and dark trousers. There's Lego scattered around him on the floor.

Photo showing a selection of books: the Mr Gum books, the Varjak Paw collection and the Narnia Chronicles. They are displayed on the floor of a bedroom.

Here's a selection of his favourite books:

The 'very funny' Mr Gum series of books by Andy Stanton; Varjak Paw by S.F. Said and its sequel, The Outlaw Varjak Paw. That one's martial arts meets cats and is quite scary - so be warned…

Arthur also recommends C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. (He's more than halfway through reading them).

The government's definitely worried about boys falling behind girls at school. Schools minister, Jim Knight says how important it is for boys to read and write because then boys can do well at school, 'Confident literacy skills can help boys succeed in all subjects.' He adds, 'We know that boys tend to read less than girls.'

To help improve matters, every secondary school library is getting new books targeted at teenage boys. What kinds of books or titles and authors would you recommend to your school library?


Did you know that 2008 was the National Year of Reading?

There's fab free stuff on their website including several :free short stories you can print out.



© National Year of Reading 2008

 Showing a sketch style logo of National Year of Reading 2008. It's very colourful.

Here are some more ideas for teenagers to get into reading. If you haven't hit your teens, try these reading ideas.

Your local library is the place to find amazing books. If you're not already a member, here's how to join your local library. You'll be able to read books, magazines, newspapers and get internet access all for free...

Photo showing a boy holding open a colourful picture book. He has blond hair and is wearing a black t-shirt.

So do you think boys prefer computers to books? And does this really matter? What are your recommended reads?
Get in touch and have your say.

A big thank you to Owen and Arthur for giving Show Me an interview.

Happy reading everyone!