Boys into Books - reading list for 11-14 year olds

If you’d like to have a look at the list of books that British Librarians have chosen to get boys reading, check out the "Boys into Books" list on the British School Library Association's website.

The list (which is available for download as a PDF) includes over 160 books to attract and enthuse boys of 11-14 about reading for pleasure. It includes classic novels with action, adventure, fantasy, crime, horror and sports titles, as well as fact-based books, history and humour. Every British state school has been invited to choose 20 free books from the list to create a dedicated "boys’ bookshelf".

The initiative is aimed at boys aged 11-14, as research shows that that is the age when boys who were previously keen readers stop reading.

"We know there is a clear link between reading for pleasure and academic performance - not just in English, but across the whole curriculum," said Alan Johnson, the British Secretary for Education, when introducing this initiative in May.