Children are not born with a natural aversion to reading. Teachers see what happens when they introduce toddlers to books. They fall in love. They carry their favorites around and admire the pictures over and over again. Why, then, is reading such a problem for so many elementary and secondary students? What turns so many little book lovers into…

Girls outscore boys in reading proficiency levels; the gender gap is startling and concerning. The myth that boys won't read or that it's not "cool" for boys to love reading plays a big part in how these low levels come to be. Low expectations from teachers, and an assumption that boys prefer physical activity, mean that boys often don't find…