Reading is the new cool. Everyone who’s anyone is getting into it, footballers, comedians, media personalities, and the good old Aussie dad.

More and more there are schools and libraries running sessions specifically designed to turn reading into a father/son activity. Which is a great idea. What better way to turn dinner table talk from footy onto the latest book on the reading pile?

But which literary ambassadors can rally the troops? We don’t want the dads who have gotten up before work to come to a bookish breakfast to wish they’d stayed in bed. And you don’t want to watch the eyes of eager young readers glaze over as they listen to the detailed synopsis of a book that they have no interest in.

But fear not, dear planners, for we here at Booked Out have taken on the challenge to find for you some wonderfully blokey speakers, who will wake men of all ages up to books and have boys and their dads fighting over who gets to read the novel first as they drive home.

First up, the lovely Mr Max Barry, author of the fast paced, political books Jennifer Government, Company, Syrup and the upcomingMachine Man. Max’s books are interesting and exciting, and will grab kids that have grown up on young spy thrillers and dads who like their action a little smarter than some.

James Phelan and Michael Hyde have titles out that would suit both age groups. Michael’s book Hey Joe is the younger readers edition of his recent memoir All Along the Watchtower (see our separate blog post on Michael’s book about this); while James’s book Chasers: Alone was loved by many boys whose dads were reading Patriot Actsome years before. The Chasers series has been garnering fantastic reviews, and sales to back it up, with some going as far as to compare it to John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When The War Began (but with politics more of our time).

Now that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of guys who write for adults who could get younger readers excited about reading, and vice versa. But to kick start your thoughts on a program to encourage bookish boys, these are my suggestions.

– Bec Kavanagh