Okay. Done. I don't often get to read the most popular books in our library. I read the books with rotten covers. The books that haven't received a multi-million dollar pr campaign. Then I booktalk them to kids. I ALWAYS have a few students who are interested in reading them at that point. I try to get at least one of them hooked on it so they can "sell" it to their friends. Oh, wait. That makes me sound like a drug dealer. Um... let's talk about fishing again.
Starting over! Hopefully, by now, you get the picture. I booktalk books that kids don't read. I'm attempting to meet core content standards, but honestly I'm trying to broaden their reading experience. Get them to try new genres. Most kids have trouble finding the "just right" book and genre. And then once they do, they stay with it. It's comfortable. And we let them do that for a while, but it's not healthy to only read one type of book all the time. I use the candy bar analogy. It's a yummy experience, but eating candy bars for breakfast, lunch and supper will make us sick. Won't help us like a good balanced diet. So we have "meat and potatoes" books and we have "candy bar" books and we're attempting to introduce them all to the students. And by "we", I mean the reading teachers and I. I read the "meat and potatoes" books. Then I booktalk them. Then I usually have to create a reserve list for them. That's when I know I've been successful.
Back to the point... again. I read Mockingbird this week because once again a student emphatically suggested it. Out of sheer curiosity, I read it. I admit it was worthy of the National Book Award. I admit it was enlightening. Different. I understand why my girls like it. The main character lives with Asperger's Syndrome, is struggling to accept the death of her mother and most recently, her brother who was tragically killed in a school shooting. She and her father navigate this world alone. The community is very compassionate, but she doesn't see the world like those around her and is confused by the attention. As a teacher, I was intrigued at how literal students with Asperger's see the world. As I look back, I can understand how I might have sounded very confusing to the students I have taught. As a parent, I can't imagine the difficulty her father endures as he tries to grieve his son's death while simultaneously dealing with his daughter's inability to grieve. Empathy is her biggest barrier in this book. With the help of a school counselor, she learns to make friends and to empathize. It's a beautifully simple story. Very timely. Inspired by the Virginia Tech Shooting. I understand it's place in the literary world. And most recently, I read an article about how "readers" have the ability to empathize easier with others because they are taught that through the adventures/misadventures of the characters they read about. They are able to apply that skill to real life. Cool, huh?! I thought so!
I will recommend this book to my students who enjoy reading Rules, Anything But Typical, Al Capone Does My Shirts, etc... Any book that includes a character who struggles with Autism or Asperger's. But the older I get, the less I understand why middle school students gravitate to the difficult characters. The issues. The stories that make my heart burn. Perhaps they're struggling with the concept of empathy? As a middle schooler, I remember being intrigued by Agatha Christie and V.C. Andrews. Have times changed that much? I guess they have.
I will continue to fish for readers. To bait them with the difficult stories. To read the "boring" books, or at least those that don't look "good". :) And I will continue to make readers for life. And I will continue to take recommendations from students. That's what I'm teaching them to do. To share the stories. That's my job.
Happy Reading!
RC
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