Benold Book Blog

Well, the first ever Read-it-forward in Georgetown ISD has officially ended. Our chosen book was Gordon Korman’s Schooled. All of the middle school campuses and the ninth grade campus participated in the program and nearly 400 students, teachers, parents and others signed in to take the survey on the Georgetown Public Library web page.

The majority of the comments about the book were positive. All in all, it turned out to be a solid selection for our first attempt. If you have more to say about the book, you can still comment here.

However, what I would really like to know is what did you think of the whole idea of the read-it-forward? What worked and what could be improved? Did you have trouble finding a book to read? We released over 400 copies most of which seem to have gone underground. Are they lost in the bottoms of lockers or did kids like the book and not want to give up their copies? 

Readers were asked to do an on-line survey and to sign a poster or reading log in the library. Do kids want more recognition? Would you have participated in a lunch time discussion group? Should kids be required to “prove” they have read the book? How?

Did you go to the After Schooled party sponsored by the Friends of the Public Library? Why? Why not? If you did, what were your impressions? What are your suggestions for future events?

This is your chance to help us make a good thing great. No need to answer all the questions.  Just give us some concrete suggestions.

Some type of order is fundamental to the working of a library. How else can books be located for those who want to use them? Thanks to Melville Dewey many libraries are organized by the Dewey decimal system with an alpha-numeric concept. Keeping books in order is another matter that requires attention on the part of those shelving and cooperation from those who browse the shelves.

What are your thoughts and feelings on organizing the library? Is it really that important? Why or why not? Do you think there is a better way than Dewey? Tell me about it. Is this only about finding books or are there other considerations? Tell me about your frustrations or insights, or your most creative solutions to dealing with books in the library.

What is the purpose of reading fiction? Is it strictly for pleasure? Or, perhaps, is it done only to complete an assignment or AR quiz? Does the story ever make you think about why this or that occurred? Do you as a reader identify with the characters that the author creates? Does the word “theme” enter your mind if a teacher has not reminded you to identify one? Are stories meant to teach the reader lessons?

I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins over spring break. This is a story that makes a reader pause to consider absolute control through both physical hunger and the psychological drives of fear and survival. This is a story that teaches on many levels of respect (or lack of) for human life and dignity. For many readers it will be primarily a game like the title suggests, a question of which one has the best weapon or stategy. Others if they choose can ponder some of life’s lessons–fairness, friendship, and choices. It begs us to look deeply at ourselves and ask which character we see as a reflection of our own personality and actions.

What good is reading, especially in books? After all, we can see and hear news (non-Fiction) and stories (fiction) on TV. We are all busy with work, school, sports and lessons of all kinds. With cell phones, we call, text, e-mail and are never out of touch with someone who will entertain us, complain with us, listen to us, share the latest gossip or their opinion on government, education, or any other subject. People will show you there vacation photos, their blogs, and You-tube favorites. Who has time to read? Is it important to find the time? Why or why not?

It’s that busy time of year, at least for all the grown ups. Time flies by and there is so much to do. Even the kids have activities and projects and places to go. Too much to do sometimes makes people short-tempered or anxious. Suddenly we forget that it is a time of anticipation, wonder, sharing, and smiles.

Even if we haven’t read the story, most of us know about Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We have seen at least a couple of variations on TV reminding us that generosity is it’s own reward. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as “scroogy.” We would never be that mean or selfish. I think that one of the things that impresses me about this story is that the author reminds us that giving is needed at many levels–certainly to the members of our family, like nephew Fred. However, there is Cratchit, the employee (or fellow student or teacher) and also the donation for “the Poor,” those who are less fortunate that we don’t even know. At the story’s end, we are also reminded that Scrooge changes his whole life, not just one day.

Another old favorite story that I have not read in years is The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney. This book was one that belonged to my mother as a child that I read and reread in my own childhood mostly for the chapter on Christmas. Somehow the joy in the simple preparations of this poor family made an impression on me. They had such fun gluing bits of shiny paper to make ornaments and the author made you truly believe that it was not about getting presents. I ought to read it again just to see if any of that magic is still there.

What about you? Are there things that make this time of year special in your homes and families? What traditions do you have that help you celebrate? Can you tell something about book you have read or a story you have heard or even seen on TV that is a positive memory? Do any of them affect the the things that you do or the way you act?

As it nears Veterans Day I think of the many works that have been written on the subject of war. This is not my favorite subject. I always end up pondering the bravery and patriotism of the soldiers who defend us while considering the overwhelming loss of lives and property. What instinct of our nature causes human beings to attack and kill each other in the name of security, revenge, homeland, and, of course, freedom?

While I cannot help but mourn for those who are victims on all sides, I am ever grateful for the men and women who have given their lives with the hope that one day we will learn to settle our differences and safeguard all we hold precious with tolerance, collaboration, negotiation, and respect for others.

I just finished a book that brought the pain of war home to me vividly. Not for everyone, Megiddo’s Shadow by Arthur Slade is based on some of the author’s family experiences in World War I. A sixteen-year-old Canadian boy enlists against his father’s wishes in order to avenge his beloved older brother’s death in the trenches in France. From sea-sickness to harsh training to hazing to scorpions and brutal weather, there is nothing “romantic” about a soldier’s life. What makes it even somewhat bearable are the comrades, the sweethearts, and the occasional officer who commands respect. This novel looks war in its wounded and bloody face and does not minimize the suffering. It also does not pass judgment on the right or wrong of it.

Another thought-provoking book for me was Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government sent thousands of Japanese-American citizens to internment camps motivated by fear and prejudice. This was not one of our most shining moments, in my humble opinion. These people were another kind of “warrior” as they faced losses of dignity and property, living under primitive conditions yet, in most cases, retaining family identity and forging new relationships.

As a country we have confronted our “enemies” and defended ourselves in ways too numerous to count. Many times we can look with pride on our decisions and occasionally we must examine our errors of judment and resolve to do better. I hope that we will always be honest in our self-assessment, accepting blame if it is earned and always resolving to be faithful to our identity…one nation dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Share with me your thoughts on our warriors. Tell me about books you have read that deal with war or prejudice. Can reading about topics such as these change us? Tell me about your feelings on these subjects.

When I was a kid there used to ba a TV program called “This Is Your LIFE!” Clues were given and identities revealed. Sometimes the guests were celebrities, sometimes members of families were united. All the participants had unique moments and shared memories that helped form the person that they had become. Everybody’s life has those little quirks and serendipities that make us different and special.

I read a couple of books just lately that reminded me of this. Trudy by Jessica Lee Anderson (an Austin Author by the by) is the story of a middle school girl whose parents are old enough to be her grandparents. Her mother was in her late fifties and her father many years older than that when Trudy was born. She loves them and the special traditions and family lore that are theirs alone. However, sometimes it is just plain hard to have parents that cannot do what your friends’ parents can. It is even harder when you find out that your dad has Altzheimer’s disease. This book has quite short chapters that make it an easy book to navigate.

The Very Ordered Existence Of Merilee Marvelous by Suzanne Crowley is the story of thirteen-year-old Merilee whose self-imposed regime includes a pb and j with a pickle daily, and a trip to recycling once weekly on Fridays. Merilee has Asperger’s syndrome. Extraordinarily bright, she needs her routines to hold her world together. Biswick, the young boy who moves into her neighborhood, does not understand that  kind of order. Biswick too is special and he insinuates himself into Merilee’s life, disrupting her precise schedules. It takes some getting used to but each helps the other grow.

A couple of other titles about kids with ADHD come to mind. There are all of the Joey Pigza books by Jack Gantos, funny but with an emotional tug. I also read The Middle of Somewhere by  J. B. Cheaney.

Have you read a book about someone with a special need? How can these kinds of books help the reader to change and grow? Maybe you can tell me about a book that has helped you to understand someone else’s point of view, life style, or disability.

I cannot rewire my brain. I learned to love reading when I finally got the hang of phonics in the first grade. My dad restricted TV to one hour of cartoons on Saturday morning and weekly episodes of Lassie and later the Flintstones. Yes, I played catch and shot hoops with my brother but reading was the best.

Books let me visit places and meet people and experience times past and future. For me these “trips” are vivid in my own imagination. I do not need the addition of graphics and sound effects to engage me. Currently I am reading Rick Riordan’s The Battle of the Labyrinth and Kate Thompson’s The Last of the High Kings. Both have sword scenes at the beginning. One finishes off a mythical creature masquerading as a cheerleader. The other demands the life of a son to maintain honor and to guard the sacred places for eternity.

I can see them both becoming successful movies but I prefer the freedom to create my own images first, to linger if I choose rather than rush through. If things are too intense, I can take a break. The author creates but once the words are published, they become mine to tickle my imagination, allowing me to fit myself into the story wherever I choose.

What are your feelings about books and reading? Do you find it slow or absorbing? What makes a book work for you? Do you like to hear it read aloud? Are books going to go away?

I’ve read a lot of great sci-fi, fantasy, beyond the present reality books lately. I’ve loved May-Bird and the Mysterious Benedict Society and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I will make time to read the upcoming offerings for the last two and still hope to have time to read all of the 2008 Lone Stars while I wonder if Maximum Ride will have a book #5.

However, when I discovered Joan Bauer’s new book, I just dropped everything to read it. I have been one of her fans since I discovered her first book Squashed almost fifteen years ago. The heroine, Ellie is so real. Yes, she has the unusual hobby of raising giant pumpkins but she’s just a teen trying to deal with her widowed dad and her lack of a boyfriend. Rules of the Road, Best Foor Forward, Hope Was Here are all stories with strong young women trying to be true to themselves and to a highly held sense of right and wrong.

Lest you think she only has female protagonists, I also enjoyed Sticks, whose male lead plays championship pool to honor his dead father and Stand Tall  with Tree the six foot three middle-schooler who can’t play basketball but is bonding with his grandfather a Vietnam vet.

Yep, I’m a Joan Bauer loyalist and when I read her new book Peeled I was not disappointed. Hildy is a writer for the high school paper attempting to live up to her deceased father’s journalistic ideals. The new  owner/editor of the town paper has dumped every rule of solid, ethical reporting in favor of some pretty shady dealing in this tiny, rural community whose livelihood is in the apple orchards. Can the school paper be heard over the sensationalistic voice of the local news source? Can a team of teens triumph over the growing group of fearful and gullible adults?

And don’t forget the romance…Bauer almost always has one. Nothing dramatic, traumatic, or immoral, these books always leave me with a bit of a smile and a lot of hope that this generation will be true to themselves and their ideals and maybe even live happily ever after. If that is fantasy, so be it. I call it “normal.”

The library aides have been selecting themes and choosing book titles to make shelf top displays. While they may not have professional pizzazz, I find them eye-catching and feel that they help students narrow their choices for reading material.

I wonder what students actually think. Do you find small groupings of books helpful? Why does the display catch your eye? If you have ever constructed a display, why did you do what you did (other than the librarian told me to do it)? What was it that made you think that someone might choose to read a book from your creation?

Do you think that, in general, libraries ought to look more like book stores with books organized by genres like mystery, sports, romance, etc.? Or do you think that the current Dewey system works and should be left alone? Why?