Joe Giorello is a middle school teacher in the Seattle area who has created a popular class called "Great Battles for Boys." His passion for military history and his desire to help reluctant readers, particularly boys, led him to create this class and later, a series of books.
According to Giorello, the idea for the "Great Battles for Boys" series came from his personal experience as a father and a teacher. He noticed that many of his students, particularly boys, seemed bored by traditional books and struggled with reading. He did some research and found that there were specific types of books that could help reluctant readers, particularly nonfiction and action-packed stories. With this knowledge, he began writing about historic battles for his son, using language that was easy for upper-elementary and middle-school boys to understand and making sure the action was engaging.
Giorello's son and his friends loved the stories, and this inspired him to turn the stories into a series of books. He believes that it's important to provide books "for boys" because education studies show that boys are falling behind girls in reading proficiency. He hopes that his books will help reluctant readers, particularly boys, to develop a love for reading and improve their reading skills.
Giorello's website, greatbattlesforboys.com, provides more information about the series and offers free study guides for each book. He is dedicated to keeping boys reading and giving them a bright future.