Serendipity! And proms ...

Here is a wonderful case of serendipity; next Thursday is Celebrate Teen Literature Day. A day during National Library Week (April 16, 2015), that is aimed at raising awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today's teens.  Where's the funny coincidence?  I chose that day last fall to have my annual Battle of the Books in my school library with my teenagers (you know, readers of YA literature?!)  I'm not sure if the stars were aligning or I was psychically in tune with ALA or YALSA but there you have it, a great event for teen readers on Teen Literature Day!!   It even goes a little farther with the teen part, I have a committee made up of, you guessed it, teens, who actually make the book selections thus continuing to demonstrate that the YA genres have a strong interest in my small part of the world.  The students who have been reading the 9 books that were chosen for this year have seemed very excited about the choices, so this promises to be an awesome day for YA lit.


More YA lit fun; Speed Dating in the library.  If you work in any way with high school students, then you know that prom season is upon us.  This makes for a great opportunity to talk dating and books.  You can talk about how you want to help them find the perfect date, make all sorts of sly comments, and get everyone excited about this fun time.  I was "matching" my students in the library this week, really for an English assignment, but where's the fun it that, and I had one student tell me he was actually going to take his book to the prom, we'll see, I will be
chaperoning and that will be definitely be a picture worthy coupe if it really happens.

I read, you read, what about your students?

What makes a reader?  Many books and articles have been written on the subject, studies have been done and yet it seems to get more difficult all the time for students to actually check out library books.  Is it time, everyone is so busy all the time -- is reading the thing that gets dropped?  Is it technology?  Do we want pictures instead of words?  Are there no good books left?
I like to think that a lot of it is based on enthusiasm. The best thing is if the reader has a passion and zeal for reading -- these individuals will make the time to read, and demand that books are made available to them.  If this is not the case, then the "book seller" AKA teacher or librarian must be the one with enthusiasm, and be persuasive enough to entice one into at least trying out a new title.
Once in a while passion and "selling" are combined in a friend who will not rest until they share a great read with someone else.
I have a few choice books I offer to various reluctant readers:

• "I Hunt Killers", a mystery about a teen age boy whose father is a serial killer (behind bars) and whose town has a series of murders, which he is convinced is a serial killer.  Has his father taught someone knew, is it the boy himself, or is it something else?  The plot moves fast with great characters, and enough plot twists to keep you engaged throughout.
• 13 Reasons Why", a realistic fiction story of a suicide. A boy receives a box of cassette tapes (13 sides) which the girl who committed suicide sent to share the 13 things done by others she felt led to her suicide.  While it sounds like a real downer, it is well done and can lead to many great discussions.
• "Cinder" a sci fi fairy tale retelling of Cinderella.  This is one of the most unique variations I have seen, with lots of action, fast paced, and not too girly.  Because it is the first book of a series, it is great for that reader who doesn't want to go through the effort of learning new characters and settings with each book.

Do you have any "go to" books you pull out when you are trying to reach a student?

Lexie or love reading levels?

I love to read!  It is my escape, my refuge, my adventure.  I have wonderful friends in the series books I read and favorite places I visit in stories I love.  So why is it I am avoiding 3 books I must finish?  Because these are books not chosen by me; these are books I am required to read.  No really, I am working with a class and need to read what the students are reading so I can write the comprehension quizzes (here's where collaboration starts, folks!)  I have been doing everything I can possibly think of NOT to read these books.  Why?  Because they are not books of my choosing.  When I found myself cleaning my bathrooms before I got started reading, it made me think, "Is this how students feel when they are told they must read a certain book, one in their lexile range or in a required genre?"  The light bulb came on and I realized how those students feel, the one's who are at risk so teachers  select books for them?  Books that will be just right?  I am not looking to start a debate about the merits of self-selection versus correct reading level, but I am concerned about student engagement.  I did read my three books, I finshed them, even.  But I don't look back and think about the characters I met, I don't wonder about will happen to them next.  They were an assignment, pure and simple, and that is sad.
So here's the discussion starter: what do you do when students come to you with a lexile range and say I have to get  a book at this level?

Just sayin', have you read "The Book Whisperer" by Donalyn Miller or "Book Love" by Penny Kittle?