Boys Prefer Reading Less Challenging Books

A new study suggest that boys read as much as girls, but prefer far less challenging books.

The study checked the reading habits of 100,000 British children. It was found that at all ages girls score higher on reading tests.

“Boys are clearly reading nearly as much as girls, a finding that may surprise some onlookers. But boys are tending to read easier books than girls. The general picture was of girls reading books of a consistently more difficult level than boys in the same year." says Professor Keith Topping, of the University of Dundee's school of education.

Change in standard of their reading habits were reported most between the ages of 13 and 16.

Difference in reading preferances is quite clear. The favourite girl's book in this age group is Stephanie Meyer"s vampire drama 'Twilight", while boys' favourite is British novelist Peter Lancett's 'The Dark Never Hides" from the Dark Man series.

On the other hand, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling"s has dropped from second to ninth place at the top 10 most popular children's authors.

Topping said, "Perhaps the lapse in popularity of the Harry Potter books ... has left boys with few high difficulty books they have the urge to attack."