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The author makes the case that boys are in the greatest need of help with literacy instruction, and stresses the importance of engaging boys in active literacy both in and out of school. Structured on the premise that adolescent males need to be exposed to literary images they can identify with and look up to, the book presents 10 positive male archetypes that engage boys in reading and capture their unique male imaginations. Classroom strategies for using reading material containing these archetypes are interspersed throughout the book, while an appendix listing more than 300 titles affords teachers a quick reference to archetypal literature. Vignettes from teachers, parents, and caregivers also appear throughout the book, and each chapter contains a unique section titled Boy Talk in which boys communicate their experiences with literature and how it has related to their own lives.
Although this book is geared specifically toward helping boys, the author points out that the strategies presented may also benefit girls by exposing them to positive male images, which are unlike the stereotypes of masculinity they are exposed to every day.
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