Problem:Boys Don’t Like to Read Solution:Gross Out Books

There was a fabulous article in The Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago about how difficult it is to get boys to read.  I can certainly relate.  My older son would not read anything until I bought him Captain Underpants.  He devoured those books and would search endlessly at the library for any other book about booger, farting, or gore.  A whole new slew of books have been coming out aimed and marketed for boys on these very subjects.  What do you think about this phenomenon?  Is this type of reading better than no reading at all?