This week, I had all of the 6th graders in the library to give a library orientation and to help them find books for their reading logs. In order to get to know their names, I had them fill out an index card and write what their favorite book was, along with their name. Not only did it help me learn their names, but I got to learn about them as I found out what they read. There were several mentions of the Twilight, Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Percy Jackson series, which I expected, but there also a few surprises. Several students wrote that The Cay was their favorite. Some mentioned other classics, such as Hatchet and Woodsong by Gary Paulsen and My Side of the Mountain. A few mentioned Journey to Topaz, which I had never heard of before but definitely plan on checking out because it sounds really good. It's about the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, a piece of history that I'm fascinated by. One girl listed Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret as her favorite, a book that is near and dear to my heart. The one mention that I was most surprised about was a girl that listed the Archie comics as her favorite. I read those when I was in elementary school, and they had pretty much gone out by then! Then, I was able to get to know the students even better as I helped them find a book they liked for their reading logs. By the end, I was really struggling to think of mysteries and scary books for them because the vast majority of them want to read those.
While the week was exhausting, it was also extremely gratifying and enjoyable. I love doing reader's advisory and introducing a good book to a student and having them love it like I do. One of the most successful instances was when one boy, who said he like to read WWII books the most was struggling to find a novel he wanted to read. I recommended the wonderful book, Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury.
It's about a Japanese-American boy who lives in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii when it is bombed by the Japanese. The book follows the boy and his family in the aftermath and how they are treated by people after the bombing. Such a good book, and when the student heard me say that it took place in Pearl Harbor during WWII, his face lit up and he immediately went to check it out. That right there is why I love being a librarian, and I can't wait to hear if he like the book or not. This group of 6th graders seems like a really good group, and I'm excited to work with them during the next three years while they're in middle school.
Till next time,
Julie
