“Boys don’t cry!”
“Man up!”
“Don’t be so soft!”

As a teacher and a father to three incredible boys, these are phrases I fight against daily.

From an early age, society hands boys a script on what a man should and shouldn’t be: be strong, be aggressive, and never show emotion. These harmful stereotypes are reinforced throughout their childhood, limiting their emotional development and actively pushing them away from stories that don’t fit this narrow mould. Fortunately, the conversation is changing.

Gareth Southgate’s BBC1 documentary, Changing the Game for Boys and Young Men put a spotlight on modern masculinity. Southgate has consistently proven that empathy, vulnerability, and compassion are signs of strength, not weakness. He shows us that masculinity isn’t about being the loudest person in the room, but about understanding and supporting those around you.

But if we want to change the game for boys in the real world, we also need to change the reading game.

Books are incredibly powerful tools for combatting toxic stereotypes because literacy and emotional literacy go hand in hand. Through reading, boys can practice empathy. They can step into the shoes of characters facing complex feelings, learning that it is entirely normal to struggle, to doubt, and to feel deeply.

When we introduce boys to stories featuring male characters who cry, who are gentle and who are proud of who they are, we use literature to validate them. We break the old script and replace it with a narrative that allows them to breathe.

To truly change the reading game, however, we must look at the choices we offer boys. We have to meet them where they are with high-quality, engaging stories that mirror their lives and challenges.

A brilliant place to start is the upcoming debut adventure, Zero Override , releasing this July. It’s an action-packed thriller set in a near future London where hackers and robots collide. This is exactly the kind of tech narrative that hooks reluctant readers.

The main protagonist, Zero, presents as a tough, underground hacker, but his real strength comes from his protective love for his sister.

I also wanted to highlight how Scholastic’s ‘This Boy Reads’ packs are powerful tools for teachers and parents. They remove the guesswork by showcasing stories that appeal to the interests of boys.

Two of my absolute favourites from the packs are The Wild Robot and Fallout . They do a brilliant job of changing the game on traditional masculinity. From the cover, The Wild Robot looks like an action sci-fi survival story, but at its heart is a beautiful story about community, kindness and learning how to feel.

Meanwhile, Fallout explores how the main character, Marcus, navigates the pressure of his family’s criminal reputation, showing the vulnerability and strength it takes for a boy to break away from expectations and choose his own path.

To help get you started changing the reading game at home or in school, here are three top tips:

1. Normalise the ‘Emotional Reset’ Through Reading: When my boys are overwhelmed, I tend to share a book with a character navigating similar big feelings shows them that what they are experiencing is normal and manageable.

2. Audit Your Bookshelves Together: Take a look at the books currently in your classroom or home. Use resources like the This Boy Reads packs to intentionally introduce stories where male characters win through kindness and communication.

3. Model Vulnerability as a Reader: Boys need to see the men in their lives reading, but they also need to see them feeling. Don’t be afraid to show emotion or discuss a character’s struggles openly with them.

As the country tunes in to discuss how we can better support our young men, let’s look at our bookshelves.

Let’s challenge the stereotypes and let’s change the game, one book at a time!

Blog Credit: Alex Puddick – @father_teacher_reader