Reading Can Take You Anywhere!

I am so excited about our library theme for this coming year!  One of my goals this summer has been to get in as many great reads as possible.  Here are just a few that I have enjoyed over the past few weeks. 

A Boy called Bat is one of our Ultimate Book Challenge books for this upcoming school year.   It has been sitting on my shelf for a year and I am so glad that I finally picked it up and read it.  I immediately feel in love with Bat. He is such a realistic character and gives a voice to many of our students who are on the autism spectrum.  His struggles and challenges are ones that students can relate to - problems at school, an older sister and divorced parents. 

The day his mom brings home a baby skunk, Bat knows that he is meant to take care of the baby skunk and maybe even have a skunk for a pet.  He even reaches out to a skunk expert to back him up in his quest to have a pet skunk.   This book was delightful and heartfelt.  Such a great story.  I can't wait to read more about Bat's adventures. 

I was lucky enough to get this book during our annual state library conference and had the privilege of meeting Jennifer Nielsen.  My 4th and 5th grade readers have read everything they can get their hands on about WWII so I was happy to see a new book.  Chaya is a Jewish teenager living in Poland who has decided to make a difference by smuggling supplies, food and forged papers into the ghettos.  She is determined to make a difference and as the war progresses finds herself more and more involved in resistance efforts.

This novel truly shows the strength that one develops when they believe in something completely.  Chaya and the rest of her resistance group are determined to show the Nazis that they mean business and will stand their ground regardless of the cost. 

Reflecting on 2017-2018

2017-2018 was a great year with many challenges and triumphs.  Starting a position at a new school, new library was more difficult than I anticipated but also rewarding.  There were days when I wondered if what I was doing made a difference and then there were days when I KNEW that all of my efforts were paying off.  I truly believe that the library program and the librarian directly impact student learning on a campus.  As a librarian, you are in a unique position to touch the lives of every student on your campus. 

My goal was to impact every student, to inspire them to read, to push them to think creatively, to show them that literacy is related to every aspect of their lives.  Most of all, I wanted them to understand that learning is fun and that there is wonder all around them. I know it's not a measurable goal but if you were to just come spend some time in our library, you would definitely see all of the above.  Kids are excited about reading and excited about all that they can discover and create in the library.  That, my friends, is what you call a successful year.