Feature: St. Louis Public Radio

If you Google the terms “boys and reading,” you will find thousands of results laying out the state of the gender gap between boys and girls when it comes to reading and literacy. “The Boys Have Fallen Behind,” writes Nicholas Kristof. “Why Women Read More than Men,” says NPR. “The truth about boys and books: they read less – and skip pages,” reports The Guardian.
The data doesn’t look too good either: a 2010 study from the Center for Education Policy found that boys lag multiple percentage points behind girls in reading proficiency in every single state.
But that’s not stopping 11-year-old St. Louisan Sidney Keys III who, six months ago, started a reading club for boys his age to band together in their love of books. He calls it Books N Bros, and the club has an emphasis on making reading fun while lifting up African American literature and culture.