A Wrinkle in Time...again

Reading A Wrinkle in Time for the second time is just as enjoyable an experience as it was for me the first time around.  No, it's more enjoyable.  I'll admit it.  I'm not rushing through to complete an annotated bibliography card for LME 490.  :)  I'm finding it FUN to read Mrs. Which's voice aloud.  With dramatic flair.  Ha!  And yes, I'm at home.  Reading alone.  That's why I can.  Couldn't do that confidently the first time around in the WKU Library.  

With that being said, I have reconsidered some of my teaching methods from the past.  Wondering how we lose readers in late elementary/early middle school?  My husband admitted to enjoying reading in elementary until he was "forced" to go to the library and "forced" to read books he didn't like.  Hmmmm.....we know the middle school student is comparable to a butterfly in the cocoon (deep thoughts, yes), spending intense time alone contemplating WHAT they like/dislike, considering who they want to be, WHO they like/dislike, discovering their strengths/weaknesses.  It's all about THEM.  For a moment, I reconsidered how I introduce books to them.  Showing them what's "good for them".  And wondering if I should back off the "meat and potatoes" campaign and just let them read what they like.  

Then I snapped out of it.  NO.  That's playing to their preferences.  I can guarantee that NONE of my students would pick up a copy of A Wrinkle in Time if given the choice.  I mean, seriously look at the cover.  It's mostly pink and lilac, so that's the first turnoff for boys.  Secondly, Mrs. Whatsit is the second warning that this might not be a fun book for those who don't like reading about "creatures".  If given the CHOICE, my students would walk right by the best science fiction book ever written.  I say that with authority.  I say that from experience.  I have read a lot of science fiction.  Haven't found anything that stands up to L'Engle's Newbery Award Winning novel.  Nothing.  It's one of those books that you never forget reading.  Now, I admittedly forget details.  That's my weakness.  I even forget character names most of the time.  But I never forget the story arc.  The themes.  The way the book made me feel when I finished the last page.  Tears I might have shed.  Laughs I might have had.  

I want my students to have these experiences.  That's why I strongly encouraged one of my reading buddies at work to read this book with some of her students.  They're reading Michael Vey:  Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans and they will love that book.  It will be fun for them.  Something they think is cool.  But I wanted them to be able to compare it with quality.  They'll be pleasantly surprised.  I can't wait to hear their comments.  

And that's why I'm reading it again.  So that I can talk with them about the characters.  The plot.  The themes.  The adventure that Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin embark on.  So that we can enjoy the book together.  I can't wait!

Happy Reading!
RC