The trouble with boys - I thought the trouble with boys was that they were - boys. In fact, when you listen to what women say, we will always be 'boys'. Buy a fast car - boys and their toys. Buy and new drill or sander - boys and their toys. Get a younger wife - boys and their toys.

Perhaps there is some truth in it all. According to award winning journalist Peg Tyre, there is more afoot regarding boys than meets the eye. Her book, The Trouble with Boys, takes a good hard look at boys and the effect that society, and in particular, the education system, is having on our boys.

The statistics are quite startling when you read them. Girls now outperform boys across the board scholastically. In the past, boys always excelled at mathematics; now the situation has been reversed. Boys are three to four times more likely to be suspended from school - and that is from pre-school onwards - pre-school!

You would expect a well written book from a professional journalist and you wont be disappointed here. Not only is it well written, it has been well researched with the book reporting on the progress of boys from pre-school through to college and the effect the education system is having on them, academically.

The author reaches some eye opening conclusions. More importantly, there are a range of solutions for both parents and educators to consider. For a book that is essentially a long report, it is hard to put down. Peg Tyre has carefully laid the issues in such a way that you want to keep reading to follow the thread. Just look at some of these facts that she has uncovered:

• Boys get expelled from preschool nearly five times more often than girls
• Boys are diagnosed with learning disorders four times as often as girls in elementary school
• By eighth grade, a huge number of boys are reading below basic level
• Boys now account for less than 43 percent of those enrolled in college—and the gap widens every semester

For parents of boys this is a must read. It is published by Crown Publishers and available through Amazon at $16.47 (normally $24.95). The Kindle edition is only $11.99. buy The Trouble With Boys direct from Amazon. If you want more information on the book or on Peg Tyre then visit her site - www.pegtyre.com