This paper reports recent findings from a national survey of the reading habits of boys and girls aged 10, 12 and 14. Boys' reading habits are considered in the light of concerns about boys' underachievement in school, and in relation to girls' reading and changing patterns of literacy over time. The authors argue that helping boys develop as critical readers involves taking their voluntary reading seriously and rejecting deficit models. The paper argues that boys need to be encouraged to understand how they have been socially constructed as readers; they need to be engaged in discussion about their reading and the implications of the choices they make. It is only by taking differences seriously that critical and discerning readers will bedeveloped, and critical readers are necessary to undermine current highly gendered reading practices which potentially disadvantage both sexes.