Boys, Reading and The Hunger Games

Over on The Book Whisperer, the acclaimed 6th grade English Teacher and book-lover Donalyn Miller has an excellent blog entry about her "Boy Year", with the majority of her students this year being male.
She reckons that her boys love reading!
Here is what the book whisperer says:

We create a crisis when we define readers along gender lines, and I think boy readers get a bad rap. They will read fiction, they will read books that explore emotional issues, and they will read books that are longer than 100 pages. They will read. Instead of blaming our boys for their gender, or lowering our expectations for their literacy development, we should scrutinize any system where boys are hailed for their achievement in science and math class and allowed to define themselves as nonreaders.

Have a look at her ideas, and a list of books that her boys (and many girls) are currently loving. Most of these I have read, and heartily endorse.

And by the way, if you haven't yet read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, or got hold of its very recent sequel Catching Fire, do so now! Its a must read for intermediate and teen girls, boys, and anyone who enjoys well-written, fast-paced, original edge-of-your-seat books.
The Hunger Games is set in Panem, a future North America, after a series of disasters. The Capitol has won the war against the 12 districts, who are kept poor and hungry while they raise food and mine coal for the victors. And just to remind the districts of who's boss, they are forced to take place in the annual Hunger Games, where 2 children from each district fight to the death in a vast arena. There can only be one winner, and all the exciting action is televised in compulsory viewing. Sounds bloodthirsty? I'm in awe of the author's prodigious talent, and her ability to keep her two protagonists Katniss and Peeta likeable and sympathetic characters right to the bitter end.
This series is hot, and getting hotter. And unlike many sequels, the second book, Catching Fire, is just as excellently written and well-paced as the first.
Anyway, Donalyn Miller and her boys and girls just love this series!