You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Boys and Reading

This week’s post makes connections between the importance of boys, reading and male protagonists. With the 2025 Book of the Year Awards announcements just days away, read on to see how some of this year’s novels provide male role models within their pages.

Luke Bateman (former NRL footballer) commented in a recent interview: "It was not something that men did. I never saw any of my male role models, my male heroes, reading books." Luke Bateman's Australian Story "Turning the Page" on ABC iview explores his journey and how reading helped him recover from addiction and destructive behaviours.

For decades there have been campaigns to present images of males reading, to have males help with reading groups at schools, and to ‘catch’ high profile males reading for pleasure (and show those images via social media) as a subliminal message that boys caught reading is an acceptable pastime. Getty Images has over 15 thousand images of men ‘caught’ reading.

Bateman found solace in fantasy books which took him to worlds that were so much bigger than his home life on a farm. Other males prefer to read non-fiction. Some prefer to find a good series with lots of titles: you already ‘know’ the main character/s; you know the sorts of conflict they are going to face; and you can be satisfied that they will live on – to meet in the next title! For others it may be comedy, graphic novels, manga or superheroes that ‘catch’ them and then keep them reading.

Luke Bateman recorded a TikTok video for a part of the platform dedicated to lovers of reading, called #BookTok, from the tractor. Bateman’s first novel is due in 2027. You can find out more online in Luke Bateman reveals how books helped him survive a ‘shameful’ gambling addiction (ABC News, 27 July, 2026)

The 2026 results for the Older Readers and Younger Readers Shortlist categories are announced on Friday, Aug 21 at noon. It will be exciting to see if any of the following books are winners. Two of the six Older Readers titles have young men as their protagonists: Darkest Night, Brightest Star (Barry Jonsberg) and We Saw What You Started (Carla Salmon). In the Younger Readers five of the six have male protagonists: Run (Sarah Armstrong); Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces (Sally Barton/Christophe Nielsen and bonus, this is a series!); Spirit of the Crocodile (Aaron Fa’Aoso/Michelle Scott Tucker/Lyn White); The Paperbark Tree Committee (Karys McEwen) and Inked (Karen Wasson/Jake A Minton).

Great catch-up blog reads on suitable titles can be accessed at: Nella Pickup’s blog post Chasing YA for 13-14-year-olds (14 Nov 2025) which includes brief reviews on We Saw What You Started and Run); and Michelle Davies’ blog post What are teenage boys reading for pleasure? Insights from a school library (23 Nov 2024) have some great suggestions of books too. Inked is reviewed by Sly in Octopuses abound in the CBCA Younger Readers category (30 May 2026) blog post.

Darkest Night, Brightest Star  by Barry Jonsberg, Allen & Unwin.

Morgan, our 13-year-old protagonist, is unaware of the issues in his dysfunctional masculine environment and thus worldview. This gritty realism will connect with boys and young men who are confused about why their words, language or behaviours are wrong, when that is all they have ever seen. This novel subverts predictable conventions. It does not make women responsible for solving the problems of men nor does it claim there are easy solutions to complex problems (such as involvement in sport).

 

Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces by Sally Barton & Christopher Nielsen, Walker Books.

This first book in the Something Terrible series is a zany attention grabber. Tim never ties his shoelaces, and despite repeated warnings from his entire neighbourhood, he refuses to change. A classic childhood warning spun into a captivating, humorous and dark adventure. 

Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa’Aoso/Michelle Scott Tucker/Lyn White, Allen & Unwin.

Ezra and Mason are vulnerable yet courageous, authentic characters from strong and loving families who are secure in their Torres Strait Island culture and in their place in the world. A fun, well-resolved adventure story, the boys step-up to protect themselves and others from the impacts of a cyclone: challenges that readers from northern Australia will closely relate to.

 

The Paperbark Tree Committee by Karys McEwen, Text Publishing.

Brothers Art and Hilary grapple with change and the uncertainties of growing up. The power of this book is skilfully captured in the line: 'Being a teenager is all about swimming along with only your fin showing, trying to look like a shark when really, you're just some average fish.'

 

Credits:

Reviews edited from CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Notable Australian Children’s Literature 2026. A free publication for CBCA Members.

ABC News Luke Bateman reveals how books helped him survive a 'shameful' gambling addiction - ABC News (27 July, 2026).

Felicity Sly is a retired teacher-librarian and 2026 CBCA Committee Member