Just before the long Labor Day weekend, Oakbrook Prep School held their Illuminate Summer Reading discussion groups. In the Illuminate Summer Reading program a teacher selects a book to read over the summer and students who are interested in the book sign up to read and discuss the book with the teacher. It is mandatory for all students in grades 6-12 and this year we had 23 teachers participate in the program. The books cover a wide range of genres from graphic novels to Christian fiction and self-help books. Many are contemporary titles, but we had some that were best sellers in their day—for instance 1776 by David McCullough.
My group, Abbie, Julia, Courtney and Chelsea, discussed Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution as we munched on Milano’s and sipped Starbuck’s frappuccinos. The five of us quickly admitted how little we knew about the French Revolution until we read this book. We discussed how authors create characters we may not like, but in doing so it helps us understand situations that we may face in life. Donnelly’s book is an historical fiction that weaves together two lives—one in modern time and the other 200 years ago during the French Revolution. Everyone liked the book, all 496 pages of it, however, we think it is time for authors to start writing young adult books that show how girls can survive by their own strengths and don’t need a boyfriend to make them happy or successful. This was a major flaw in what I consider an essential book to read and have in a school library (see Kiss the Book Blog on Revolution).
Readers of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, had fun creating their own rap song about the 2nd novel in The Maze Runner series. They had 40 minutes to create the lyrics and tape the song. Here’s two of their unedited spots.
Another group read The Amanda Project by Melissa Kantor. This is a collaborative, interactive mystery series for girls 13 years old and up. I'm going to put this book on my list. Here's what the teacher said about the group.
"Everyone in the group liked the book...some really loved it.. All the girls actually read AND finished the book. Most of them visited the Amanda project website and did some of the activities. During our session I pulled the website up and showed it on the TV screen. We looked at each of the activities (and there are quite a few) on the site and actually completed a personality quiz which was really fun! We discussed how more publishers and authors are going to create companion websites for books, especially those in a series, since doing so is not only great publicity for the book but also increases the interest of the students. The girls were excited to see how they could submit art, writing, and ideas for future books on this website. Overall, it was a wonderful discussion time...very positive for me (the best illuminate experience I have had) and I think for the students too."
Check out the Amanda Project website http://www.theamandaproject.com/about
I wonder how we can create "Winter Reading."
