C.S. Lewis said, "We read to know that we are not alone."

When I was provided with an advanced copy of Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys, I thought how pleased C.S. Lewis might have been to read the book!

Boys may not always have the opportunity to learn to read and practice reading with this connection-making ideal in mind, given the way we have constructed reading in schools. But there's a great deal of hope, Allyn assures us.

Although one might assume Allyn's book is only for inquiry into the reading habits of boys, the truth is, the book has much wider appeal. The reading issues and strategies that Allyn discusses are really 'genderless'.

Allyn is on a mission, "to help all children achieve not only functional literacy but transformational literacy. The kind of literacy that will allow them to learn something new every day, connect to all people everywhere, and to invent new ideas that could change the world.—And in this process, to learn, through reading, how to be the kind of person they want to become."

This book will have great appeal to teachers, school professionals and parents of elementary and middle school age children. Allyn includes a detailed and extensive annotated list of text. This is an ongoing gift for teachers and parents!

Most exciting to me is the fact that Allyn does not advocate a one-size-fits-all-approach. Instead, she understands why individual differences as well as preferences are important to consider. This is clearly part of my core philosophy and what I advocate on my blog, Labels Not Limits. A label alone can never define a child; a label represents a spectrum and variation and for this reason individual differences must always be considered.

Allyn's book pleased me because of the focus on struggling readers. Many solid strategies were discussed including using graphic novels, emphasizing reading as not exclusively a solitary activity and expanding acceptable reading sources to include components of today's technologically savvy world. Allyn demonstrated the 'out-of-the-box-thinking' that is necessary when addressing the needs of all readers and especially those who may be behind their peers and struggling.

It was especially encouraging to learn about Allyn's firm belief that reading should be about joy! All too often we forget this. She writes, "Let's align reading more with play than work. Let's think of it more as a joy, a distinct pleasure of being human, than as a task. Let boys read, and let them read what they like."

If one wonders why yet another book on literacy needs to be written, they must only look at Allyn's final thoughts: "Boys who read widely and wisely, joyously and purposefully, are the same boys who will some day raise children wisely and well, make interesting work decisions, and step forward into the world with kindness, intention, and boldness." Clearly the impact of this book and Allyn's thinking can be extensive, making it a welcome addition to the genre.