By: Emily Shwake

When award-winning author, and former teacher, Nick Hornby, wanted his son to read The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, he tried a little reverse psychology. “I told my son it was highly inappropriate for him, and one of the most banned books in America,” he explained to The Telegraph, “That got his attention, and he raced through it.” Lucy Macnab, founder of Ministry of Stories, backed up the Horney’s method, adding that “gruesome and gory” stories can also help maintain boys’ curiosity.

Why encourage nephews to read? Why not encourages nieces, too? Well, of course, Savvy Aunties encourage reading in all children, but when it comes to literacy, boys are testing behind girls.

According to Brookings, young girls consistently score better on reading literacy tests than boys (this is true on the international scale). While this gender gap disappears after men and women turn 35, two-thirds of people who say they never read are men. A study performed by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development demonstrated that these gaps disappear when confidence and anxiety levels about doing such tasks are controlled.

A little reverse psychology may work on your school-age nephew to get him to read more. Odds are, he is probably not reading as much as he could be.

Photo: Canva.com
Published: July 27, 2015