Dear Teacher, Let My Boy Read

Dear Teacher,

Today, Pudge told me something rather unbelievable – that you discouraged his book group choice of UGLIES because it was a “girl book.”

I have to ask, have you read UGLIES?

Yes, like other popular dystopian books, the main character is female. Yes, the early pages are concerned with whether to become ‘pretty’ or not. Yes, girls read it.

But in this case, my son wants to read it. Let me reiterate: MY SON WANTS TO READ IT. HE WANTS TO READ. He loves that the first paragraph talks about cat vomit. How girly is that? Cat puke…ha ha ha.

By the way, this is a kid who, two years ago, wouldn’t touch a book because they intimidated him. As a dyslexic, he struggled with reading, but then he discovered THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, and THE MAZE RUNNER. Suddenly, my non-reading boy couldn’t get enough.

Don’t take a fledgling reader and make him doubt his choices. Don’t make him think reading female authors or characters is somehow beneath him. Let him read widely and well. Encourage him. Let him read UGLIES.

Sincerely,

~dawn