This study assessed whether girls and boys write differently in their reader response journals for the classes of one sixth-grade teacher over 2 years. A literature-based reading program was used, and the students kept reader response journals. Journals from 9 girls and 11 boys from the first year and 8 girls and 8 boys from the second year were analyzed. Journals were also analyzed from the point of view of reading ability as judged by the teacher. Entries were analyzed in terms of writing features and stereotypic features that distinguish males and females in other research. The most interesting finding was that clear gender differences were apparent. Girls were more likely to initiate and provide scriptal information from their own lives than were boys. Boys in this study received more teacher directives than did girls and, in fact, wrote more questions to the teacher. Girls in this study did not yet quiet their classroom voices, and seemed on equal footing with boys. Students did not, however, differ in their entries about the male and female protagonists from the book. Further research is needed to clarify the extent to which males and females interpret literature differently. One figure illustrates the discussion. Contains 34 references. (SLD)