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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!