Biggest Reader: Steve

To begin the reading challenge we're doing at work, I picked Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I started reading and realized quickly that this book was not catching my interest. I gave it a few chapters and put it back. Next I tried Swiss Family Robinson (because I love the movie) and after reading for 20 minutes and not even making it through 11 pages, I gave up on it. It felt like they were speaking another language - at least to me. I'm sure these are both wonderful books to the right reader, but that reader was most certainly not me.After two strikes, I figured I had to pick a book that I KNEW I would get through, so after about 20 years of absence, the Hardy Boys reentered my life!I wanted to start with #1, but of course it was checked out. Had I been willing to dig through boxes in my attic, I could have found it since I own the book. Unfortunately I haven't seen the book since I was about 10. So, instead, I chose to start with #7: The Secret of the Caves.In The Secret of the Caves, Frank and Joe Hardy are helping their father with two mysteries at the same time. First, their father needs help with a case involving mysterious happenings at a radar site close to the Hardys' home. But then they become involved in another mystery - a missing college professor. As they investigate these mysteries, they meet some very unusual characters - another college professor who seems a bit off and tries to run some of the Hardys' friends off the road. They also meet a hermit who seems to be bordering on certifiably insane.The mysteries lead them to Rockport and the Honeycomb Caves. The Hardy Boys and their friends seem to turn into danger magnets throughout the story. From bashes over the head and being tied to railroad tracks, to booby traps, fires, bombs, and imposters, this book has it all. It's sure to keep the interest of even the youngest of mystery fans.I'm counting this book as one of my traditional/classic literature books because it is timeless and always popular. Next, I'm reading Phineas L. MacGuire Gets Slimed! and I'm currently listening to Elsewhere on CD.

Biggest Reader: Arin

An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Lincoln Todd and Elizabeth Keckley by: Ann Rinaldi

This is my first historical fiction account for the challenge and I loved it! Again, anything to do with slavery is interesting to me, so I finished this book in two days. I love learning things about famous people in history that I didn't know! For example, did you know that Abraham Lincoln's wife Mary was what we would call today a "shopaholic!" Yes! When she was depressed she would shop for new dresses and redecorate rooms in her home and later the White House. Living in the White House gave the Lincoln's an allowance of $20,000 and she spent it rather quickly. At a young age Mary Todd Lincoln always dreamed of living in the White House.

Mary made friends with her seamstress Lizzy, who was a slave at one time that bought her freedom. The book starts off with the day of Lincoln's assassination and the events that led up to that horrible moment. Mary instantly requests that her friend Lizzy be brought to her to comfort her as a friend. The book then begins to tell the story of a young Mary Todd and her family life moving through the years until she met Abraham. Then we jump back to the childhood of Lizzy and her life as a slave and then by the end of the book we are back to the two women become friends and their time in the White House.

Check out this interview with the author of The Book Whisperer Donalyn Miller. Her book was our inspiration behind the Biggest Reader Challenge. This interview came from Education World Wire Side Chat series: and the whole article can be found at the website: http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat242.shtml.
She is quoted as saying, "Schools do a good job of teaching children how to read, but provide little motivation for students to read outside of school. Reading becomes a school task for many children, not an activity they enjoy."

This statement is so true!! And I guess this is where our job, as librarians, becomes important. This is the point when a librarian needs to step in and give the kids that extra motivation.

Hats off again to Mrs. Miller!

Informational Books and an author visit

Another book for the challenge is done. I picked Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson as one of my informational selections. I had a friend recommend this book to me a couple of months back, but didn't think much about it because I thought it sounded like something my grandma would read. It sounded like a boring old lady book about some ladies having tea and thinking about the good ole' days. I tend to judge books by the covers- I know I shouldn't but I'm not going to lie, I do a LOT. But I hadn't seen the cover of this book yet. I was walking through Ollie's a local discount store that has awesome books for sale at a very low cost, I'm talking 3.99 for a brand new title. So I was walking around children's book aisle and found this book- it was the young readers edition and the cover didn't match what my mind thought the book was going to be about. So for 2.50 I grabbed it and decided to include it in the challenge and then after that I would donate it to the Library--budget cuts means no new books for us. The Young Reader edition includes wonderful extras, such as, maps, definitions, timeline, color pictures and more. This is a true story written by a man named Greg who got lost while hiking up a large mountain. He received help from a nearby village in Pakistan. The people from this village soon became his friend. After touring their small village, he learned that the kids did not have a school. They sat in an open field area and wrote with sticks and mud to do their lessons. So that day Greg vowed to the village that he would raise money to build a proper school for all the children. Along the way, Greg has to deal with many frustrating and scary trials, things like being kidnapped! At one point it seems as if Greg will not be able to build this school for the village. But Greg keeps on working and finds some people to help him out. I give this book 5 stars in my review because it is a wonderful story and teaches all of us readers to look beyond ourselves and our needs and help those who really need it.

For me the challenge is going well. But I haven't been reading any other adult books right now. Not because I am so focused on the challenge, just because I can't seem to find anything good to read right now. Our Library did find out that we are hosting Margaret Peterson Haddix here on November 5, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. Margaret Peterson Haddix is a wonderful children's author, who lives in Columbus Ohio. She is the author of one of my favorite books ever, Among the Hidden. Really, all of her books are wonderful and if you haven't read them- you really should. Do you have a favorite book by her? If so, we would love to know which one. I am going to be reading up on some more of her books before her visit.

Biggest Reader: Arin

The House of Dies Drear byVirgina Hamilton was the first book I selected for the biggest reader challenge. The author is from Ohio and has set the book to Ohio. Another reason this book looked interesting to me was because it also dealt with the Underground Railroad- my favorite time in history. I love to read and learn about slavery and all the people that were influential to that time period. I love all of history, but this has got to be the one part of history that I am drawn to. This book is about a family that moves to Ohio into an old house that is said to be haunted and also was a home that was a part of the Underground Railroad operation to help free slaves. The young man in the book, named Thomas immediately begins to investigate the home and all the secret passages. He soon learns that there are many mysteries left unexplained and sets out to figure them all out. I give this book 3 stars simply because, while the book was interesting, I have found that I have read other juvenile books about the underground railroad that were more exciting. The book gave a lot of great information about the operation and how the slaves moved from home to home, but it lacked something... I just can't put my finger on it. The ending left you hanging too- but then I soon realized that there is a sequel to the book. Hopefully the sequel will clear things up for readers. Overall, this was good book, and had some heart thumbing parts to it, but if you want to read some good juvenile historical fiction or mystery about the Underground Railroad you might try reading North by Night by Katherine Ayers instead.

And don't forget the gorgeous picture book called Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carol Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. The illustrations in this book are awesome and she be included on your reading lists.

Another Deleted Post Found: Let the Challenge Begin

Biggest Reader Begins! Day 1:Well it's day one of the Biggest Reader challenge! Steve has put up a wonderful display that shows our patrons the new challenge, along with colorful flags hanging in our chapter book and non-fiction areas. It looks awesome and makes the room look really colorful and exciting! We have all started reading our first book for the challenge:
Steve: Uprising By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Arin: The House of Dies Drear by: Virgina Hamilton
Debbie: Diary of a Wimpy Kid By: Jeff Kinney
Chanda and Stephanie also have picked there selections- I just didn't have time today to find out what they were. Sorry friends. I actually started reading my book last night--after midnight. The boys were in bed by 9:00 p.m. and I finally had a chance to sit down to read, but ended up asleep in my chair. (It was a very long and exhausting day!) I woke up to the sound of Conan O'Brien on the television. So I headed up stairs to bed. When I finally laid down, I wasn't able to quickly fall into sleep again. So I looked at my clock, which said 12:14 and I thought to myself, well I might as well get started- it's September 1! I have started The House of Dies Drear and have already made it to chapter 4. I am hooked. Not only is it one of my favorite time periods in history- Underground Railroad- it was also written by an Ohio author and set in none other than OHIO! What a great pick.Can't wait to get in bed tonight, when everyone is quiet and asleep to read some more.Day one for the challenge is looking exciting.

Oops... Deleted Posts Found! Thanks Steve!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

It's Tuesday and the Biggest Reader Challenge is quickly approaching. Here in the Youth Services Department we are getting ready to debut the challenge. I have been making signs to put out and I have also been browsing through the chapter books trying to get an idea of what book I am going to begin with next week.
Today some of the discussion about this book challenge was weather or not to pre-pick our titles from the specific list of genres we all have to read from...or to pick them as we go. Stephanie has decided to make a list and she has already picked most of the books she is going to read for the Biggest Reader. I personally think I am going to pick them as I go. I would love for people to give me suggestions as I make my way through the list. I don't think I am going to begin and finish a specific genre, instead I am going to jump around and sort of let the books come to me.
I was getting a book for a boy today in the basement (part of our overflow area) and I saw The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. I have always wanted to read this book! I think when I was younger I may have tried reading it and gave up for some reason. Actually even today I find that I do that to books. If the book doesn't catch my interest within 3 chapters, I usually put it back on the shelf. There is a chance I will find the book another time and read it- possibly even love it! I have come across The Whipping Boy many times since I was younger, but now that the challenge is upon us, I am going to take that as a sign that this is the book I am going to start off with. I also saw the Beverly Cleary book called Ribsy. I have read almost all of Cleary's other books, except for this title. So maybe I should start with that one instead? And out of both of these books can I count them as my "traditional or classic literature" selection? What's your opinion? What is your first choice going to be in the Biggest Reader? The Youth Services Department wants to know.
Posted by ArinB at 1:10 PM 0 comments

Thursday, August 20, 2009
What will we read?
We learned through The Book Whisperer that students were given guidelines that they had to follow. So we are going to follow those same requirements only making a few minor changes when needed. This is what each participant of the "Biggest Reader" has to follow for the next 9 months.
Forty-Book Requirement
5-Poetry Anthologies
5-Traditional (Classic) Literature
5-Realistic Fiction
5-Historical Fiction
4-Fantasy
2-Science Fiction
2-Mystery
4-Informational
2-Biography, autobiography, memoir
6-Chapter-Book Choice
*Any book over 350 pages counts as two books*

After reading this book I personally was excited that a teacher was finally speaking out and taking a stand on the methods schools are using today for reading assignments. Forcing kids to read specific books and taking a computerized test on it is not the best method. We are not teaching our kids today that reading can be exciting and fun. We are teaching them that it is a job. Schools are turning kids away from reading. Working in a children's library we see kids everyday who turn down really great books because the titles are not on his or her schools list. I found myself wishing my teachers would have tried this sort of assignment on us when I was in school.When I first approached everyone about trying out this assignment, most were hesitant. Only one person said yes (very excitedly) right away and that was Stephanie who is an avid reader. She was ready to start right away. Debbie was next in line. She was willing to give it a try and was excited like us. We were excited at the chance to discover new titles we hadn't read yet and to be able to help parents and kids find books when they asked for new suggestions. Chanda and Steve were sort of - well- if you asked them I think they would say they were basically pressured into trying it out.We agreed to make sure we used chapter books in the children's department and the young adult section. We all agreed that using adult books would take longer. And we wanted to be able to apply the project into the Youth Services Department. That is where the idea came in to start a review box. After we finish reading a book off the list, we will personally review it and then stick it in a box that kids/adults can look through when they come up to pick out a book.I have to admit I am a little worried that I won't have enough time to get through the requirements. I am always reading more than one book at a time. I have a women's book club that I am in charge of running, so I am always reading books for future discussions. And like some of my fellow staff members, I am a working-mother and wife. So some days I don't feel like there are enough hours to accomplish everything I need to get done. But I guess we'll see how it goes.What should we start reading first?Is there anyone out there brave enough to take this challenge with us? Please let us know if you are going to join in on the "Biggest Reader" we want to hear from you!
Posted by ArinB at 12:50 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Youth Services "BIGGEST READER" challenge is about to begin.
From September 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010 the YS staff will be taking on the challenge to read 40 chapter books and/or Young Adult books in 9 months.
Here is the annotation of the book:
"Known for her popular blog, "The Book Whisperer," Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller's students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year. Miller's unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.Donalyn Miller (Bedford, TX) teaches 6th grade language arts and social studies at Trinity Meadow Intermediate School in Keller, Texas. Her blog is hosted by Teacher Magazine."
So as a group we are each going to pretend we are her students and we are each going to attempt to read 40 chapter books and/or young adult fiction in 9 months. Keep track of our progress by visiting our special “Biggest Reader” blog. And don’t forget to stop by our Library to check out a special review box we have set-up to see what the staff has been reading!We will attempt to follow The Book Whisperer's guidelines as much as possible. On this journey we hope to learn about new titles that we haven't read yet and we hope to encourage the young readers in our community to look at reading as an exciting adventure and not a chore!
Join us as we become the BIGGEST READERS!

As most of you can probably tell, I am new to blogging. So new in fact, that while messing around with the Biggest Reader blog, I accidentally erased all the posts I have written up until today. I don't really know what all the different tabs within the blog "dashboard" means so I have been just going through the site and clicking on things and teaching myself how everything works. Well, now I have really done it. I am so bummed that I have done this, even the comments are gone, lost into cyberspace! So with a sad face, I will be starting the blog over again. Sorry to those of you that have left comments. Please leave new ones for everyone to read and keep us updated on what you are reading- again. We really want to know how your challenge is going?!
I am going to re-post my first two books from the challenge and pray that I don't ever erase anything again.