UK teens ‘stuck’ reading primary level books as girls’ tastes expand | books

A new study shows that teenage boys are “stuck” reading primary school books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, while girls their age are moving on to a wider range of novels.

Among the 11- to 14-year-olds surveyed, eight of the 10 most-read books were from Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. Girls’ reading has spread across a wide range of authors and genres including “Heartstopper” by Alice Ozman, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson, and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.

The findings, published in the annual What Children Are Reading report by education technology company Renaissance, show the extent to which boys’ and girls’ reading choices “diverge” by the time they reach key stage three.

The report analyzed more than 23 million reading tests completed by nearly 1.1 million children in schools across the UK and Ireland during the 2024-25 academic year.

The researchers suggest that this pattern reflects broader differences in reading habits outside of school. Previous research by the National Literacy Foundation found that at ages 14 to 16, less than 10% of boys read daily in their free time compared to 18% of girls.

The time allocated to reading in school often declines sharply after primary education. A separate Renaissance survey found that only 28% of secondary schools devote at least 15 minutes a day to reading, compared to 62% of primary schools.

Bernadetta Brzeska, head of research at Renaissance, said: “Children read better when they read what they like… This is not an argument against popular series. Familiar authors and fictional stories attract reluctant readers. The question is what comes next. Pupils who are steered towards new authors and more difficult books keep reading while those left in the same series tend to procrastinate.”

The report also found that pupils showed stronger comprehension when reading their own chosen books, scoring an average of 92% on quizzes on their favorite titles compared to 76% across all books.

Martin Galloway, Head of Professional Learning and Partnerships at the National Literacy Trust, said: “The growing gap we are seeing in secondary schools, especially for teenagers, is a clear call to action. Many young people are ‘stuck’ or disconnected from reading altogether, often because they have not yet found books that are relevant, accessible or inspiring.”

The findings come during the government’s National Year of Reading campaign, which identified teenage boys as one of the groups most in need of support after enjoyment of reading among children fell to an all-time low last year.

Most read books in years 7 to 9: Boys

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A no-brainer
8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Breakdown
10. The Hunger Games

Most read books in years 7 to 9: Girls

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
2. The Hunger Games
3. Heart Stopper, Volume 1
4. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
5. The extremely embarrassing life of Lottie Brooks
6. Heart Stopper Vol. 2
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
8. Lottie Brooks’ disastrous friendship failure
9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
10. Lottie Brooks’ completely disastrous school trip