Last week was a perfect week in the library. Admittedly, it was very busy - I think I saw more than half the students in the school as they came down in their Humanities/English classes for booktalks. Virtually everyone checked out a book or two and I'm hoping that books and readers are well -matched. If your first choice doesn't work for you, come down during lunch when there's time to chat with me about other books you will love - I'm pretty good at suggesting great reads. Some books have already been read, returned and borrowed by other students. I can see that some of you readers who simply inhale books will keep me racing to provide you with more and more titles, but I'm up for the challenge.
It was particularly fun to meet our brand new students in grades seven and eight. I'm still working on building our collection of books for middle school, so all of your suggestions are very welcome - keep them coming!
Lots of students showed interest in the Library Club; some even started work in the library last week. My thanks go out to all of you for helping out and giving the library a true sense of community. If you wish to join the Library Club, just come in and talk to me at lunch or after school. Everyone is welcome!
Several boxes of crisp new books arrived last week and I'm trying to process them into our system as quickly as possible. Students have already been hanging over the front counter, paging through them and begging me to "Do this one next." Patience - there are enough amazing stories in the library to keep everyone thoroughly entertained. I'll post a list of new books in a few days.
Human beings have always been fascinated by stories, using them to understand and define themselves, their relationships with others and the world around them. Originally the story experience was communal: tales told aloud by the fire at night or represented visually by drawings in caves or carvings on totem poles. With the development of written language, people were able to experience a more personal, more profound connection with stories. Just compare the reading of a book to the watching of a movie based on the book and you know that reading is almost always the more rewarding activity.
Our lives are full of stories; they are found in films, television shows, sporting events, video games, song lyrics, newspapers, and history textbooks. We post our own stories on social media sites and seek out the stories of others in their tweets and blogs. Never underestimate the power of stories to unite us, inspire us, motivate and enlighten us.
While talking to classes this week, I was reminded that there are people who resist the magic of the written word. Either they have never found a book they liked or they have been forced to read books they hated or they struggle with reading. I believe that every single person can find enough terrific books to fill a lifetime; they just need help to find them. I also believe that reading difficulties will sometimes fade away if the reader is captured by a wickedly good story. Anyone who has never been carried away while reading a book is missing one of the most wonderful and rewarding of all human experiences. So, if you have a friend who simply refuses to read, start talking up the stories you've loved. Make them curious about this pastime of reading. I once had a student who started reading for pleasure because whenever I talked about books I made it sound as though she was missing something in her life because she wasn't reading. She was missing something - and then she wasn't. It's as simple as turning to the first page.
Have a great week!
