"It's hard to keep them interested," said Maile Davis, a children's librarian at the Hawai'i State Library. "They want to be more active. They like to read different things than are assigned to them in school. They might need role models for reading."

The key is to hook them early — any way you can, even if that means encouraging them to read Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series or Andy Griffiths' "The Day My Butt Went Psycho."

If they would rather read magazines or graphic novels, let them.

Sure, you want them to read the classic children's novels, but some boys are going to need an easier transition before they realize that reading great works of literature can actually be fun.

Consequently, popular books such as the "Goosebumps" series are now encouraged rather than criticized, as they can be a gateway to other books.

"If they come into the library, they're reading. It doesn't matter if they're reading comics or easy horror stories," Davis said.

When kids finish a series, that is an opportunity to turn them on to something similar. The library and its Web site is a good place to figure out which books a boy also might like.

Davis said if boys come into the library, she asks them what they are interested in.

Boys in the first and second grade like books about nature and animals, particularly vicious ones. They also like to read about vehicles and science. "They're really into the world around them," Davis said.

When they get into chapter books, popular picks include adventure stories, tales of survival, humor (including gross humor), comics and graphic novels.

Boys also like books about sports, such as the works of Matt Christopher, or fantasy novels like the ones written by Bruce Coville. "A lot of kids like to read about action," Davis said.

"They're also into computer games and anime, so they might ask for books about playing games," she said.

The older they get, the more likely it is that their outside interests will get in the way of reading for pleasure. "It's more of a chore to keep them interested in reading when they enter middle school and high school," Davis said.

That's why libraries offer activities that don't necessarily have anything to do with reading, such as yo-yo workshops and chess clubs, but make the library a fun destination. "You just need to get them in and coming back so it's a fun place to get your books and keep on reading."

Correction: In a previous version of this story, a typographical error changed the meaning of a quote.