Teenage boys in UK ‘stuck’ reading primary-level books while girls’ tastes expand

The Guardian UK Friday 26 June 2026, 14:37 UTC By Emma Loffhagen 1 min read

Key Points

Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series accounts for eight of the 10 most read books by 11- to 14-year-old boys, while girls the same age enjoy a wider range of authors and genresTeenage 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, according to a new study. Among the boys aged 11 to 14 who were surveyed, eight of the 10 most read books were from Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Girls’...

Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series accounts for eight of the 10 most read books by 11- to 14-year-old boys, while girls the same age enjoy a wider range of authors and genres

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, according to a new study.

Among the boys aged 11 to 14 who were surveyed, eight of the 10 most read books were from Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Girls’ reading was spread across a wider range of authors and genres including Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

Source: Renaissance

UK (LOCATION) Jeff Kinney’s (PERSON) Alice Oseman’s (PERSON) Suzanne Collins (PERSON) Renaissance (ORG)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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Teenage boys in UK ‘stuck’ reading primary-level books while girls’ tastes expand

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