Summer Reading : : 3

There is always work to be done in a library-- weeding, fixing catalog records, mending books, adding new books, and my favorite job-- reading! This summer, Mondays are the day set aside to go to the St. Therese Library for work on site. My children are usually with me, so I can usually only manage 2-3 hours at a time, but this is better than nothing.

All week, every day, however, I'm at home reading books, researching books, and investigating the blogs of other librarians, authors, literacy specialists, teachers, and people who care about children and reading. I started reading the "must-read" education book of the summer, Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher. An advocate of SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) time at school and free choice of high interest reading materials, Gallagher wonders why teachers and schools are not doing everything they can to provide a wealth of good books to their students. Many students do not have access to good books at home and also do not live in communities of readers. Schools are the only places where these students might be exposed to authentic reading and escape a future of illiteracy.

Gallagher's book made me cry with the story of one if his students who did not show up for school on a regular basis, had a less than supportive home life, and struggled with reading. When the student appeared on the day of state testing, Gallagher admitted to wondering, "why?" and "how are his scores going to affect my scores?" Gallagher writes, "Here is a kid who needs school more than anyone else in the class, and I was actually sorry to see him show up to class on that particular day" (p. 36). These kinds of students who struggle with reading are often subjected to more drill and kill, given more test prep to get them through the test, and are less likely to be encouraged to read actual books. Would you think reading is fun if you only ever got to dissect worksheets with reading passages and multiple choice questions?

I'll finish this book today.

I also finished Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham last night just before turning out the lights. It made me laugh out-loud in bed, and I can't wait to get the next book in the series, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters.

Summer Reading : : 2

Recently Finished:

• The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (solo)
  
• A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart-- from my childhood, a favorite fantasy book! (with fourth grader)
  
• The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller (solo)
  
• Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller (solo)
• Planting a Rainbow Garden by Lois Ehlert (first grader solo and together)
  
• Muncha, Muncha, Muncha by Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas (first grader solo and together)
• Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant and Suçie Stevenson (first grader solo)

It is probably impossible to record every book that my children are reading because they pick up books sometimes when I'm not around-- especially the first grader. But, I will try to give a representation of some of what he is reading. And, the fourth grader reads magazines like American Girl Magazine and Highlights a lot during the day. . . reading? For sure.

What should I read next? On my list:

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Franweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher

Blog Highlight

I also spend a lot of time reading professional blogs and websites. Librarians and teachers may be taking over the blogosphere (only to be out-done by crafters and politicos). Here is a link to Donalyn Miller's blog, author of The Book Whisperer, that I recently read and loved. Her post about understanding and meeting the needs of gifted readers was particularly helpful to me in understanding my own daughter this summer.

My daughter told me, looking me straight in the face, that she hates reading. There could not have been a sharper way to wound this librarian's heart! Miller's article, however, was just what I needed to remind me that that my daughter needed some encouragement to find some high-interest books of her choice. After spending the last 9 weeks of school drilling and killing for the MCT2 tests and a year dissecting a reading textbook, she had experienced what I think may be readicide (from Kelly Gallagher).

Given that my daughter has devoured the Harry Potter series three times, I've encouraged her to look at different fantasy series. Miller recommends fantasy as a genre that gifted readers often find enticing. I think it may be working! We'll see if she is eager to pick-up and continue reading Inkheart when she gets back from camp tomorrow.

Now, back to my next Amazon.com order. . .

Summer Reading : : 1

Is anyone reading this blog over the summer? My family and I have been busy swimming at the pool, gardening, organizing and cleaning here and there, sewing, knitting, walking the dog, watching movies, and. . . . the suspense builds. . . . reading books both together and solo.

Our Finished Books:

• The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis (with fourth grader and solo)
  
• The Book Thief by Mark Zusak: loved it, loved it, loved it! (a solo read for me)
  
• The Time Warp Trio's 2095 by Jon Scieszka (with first grader)
  
• Stinky by Eleanor Davis (first grader-- solo)
  
• I'm Bad by Kate and Jim McMullan (first grader-- solo)
  
• Hungry Plants by Mary Batten (with children)
  
• From Pumpkin to Seed by Wendy Pfeffer (with children)
  

In progress:

• The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (solo)
  
• A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart-- from my childhood, a favorite fantasy book! (with fourth grader)
  
• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (with fourth and first grader)
  
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (with first grader)
  
• The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller (solo)
  
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (fourth grader--solo)
  
• Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller (solo)
  

Looking over the list, we are reading a hefty dose of fantasy around here. I always end every day by reading solo in bed even if it is only for five minutes. Both my husband and I try to read to each child every night before bed. I read to the fourth grader (A Walk in Wolf Wood), and my husband is reading the Harry Potter series to the first grader (they are on book number 6). Summertime gives us more opportunities to read, however, and I like to read together with the children on the spur of the moment: "Come on, let's sit on the couch and read," in the morning after breakfast, in the middle of the day before going to the pool, or while dinner is mostly made but is still cooking.

We visit the public library at least once every week. I research and plan about what books to find next through blogs and reading lists on the Internet. I request books online and have them sent to my local branch. My Amazon.com shopping cart grows and grows. I read a few "professional books" every summer for inspiration and rejuvenation for the next year. Finally, we are reading both fiction and non-fiction books about gardening and plants because that is one of our main activities this summer.

What are you reading?