PA
Teachers are giving up trying to get boys to read long books, research has found.
A study of 500 11-14-year-old pupils by the publisher Pearson found that most boys cannot get beyond the first 100 pages of a book.
Over half the youngsters surveyed were classed as 'reluctant' readers, with 60 per cent of those in the 'reluctant' category being boys.
Teachers admitted this made them select shorter books and plays just so boys could complete them.
Pearson also found that onlynine per cent of boys aged 11-14 rated English as their favourite subject, whilst one in five boys cited a Shakespeare play when asked to name a work or writer they did not like.
Children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce said the results were worrying, and that Britain was on the verge of a 'national catastrophe' with a generation that does not enjoy reading.
What do you think?
Is your son a 'reluctant' reader? Should teachers be giving kids shorters books, or is that not the answer?