Sharing a good book
“The best way to motivate an elementary student to read a book is to have a friend recommend it,” said Juli Hoffman, the librarian at Increase Miller Elementary School.
If that’s the case, there’s going to be more than a few children reading "The Last Boy at St. Edith's" soon.
The novel, written by Lee Gjertsen Malon, was the most recent selection for the fourth-grade book club run by Ms. Hoffman.
The Fourth Grade Book Club Recently Read "The Last Boy at St. Edith's"
“I want them to enjoy popular, current titles."
Children who have signed up for the club read the book on their own, then meet twice as a group before school. At the first gathering, students discuss the story, their favorite characters, and usually what they’d want to change about the book. The second meeting is a project and activity that builds on the themes of the book. This year, Ms. Hoffman is creating a breakout game for each book. Students work together to solve various puzzles to open a locked box. The clues are all related to the book.
“I want them to enjoy popular, current titles that they might otherwise overlook,” said Ms. Hoffman.
Fourth-grade book clubs are reading "Liar & Spy," by Rebecca Stead, next. The fifth-grade book clubs are reading "Fuzzy Mud" by Louis Sachar and, next, "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed.
“We start a trend,” said Ms. Hoffman. “We read a book in book club and other students come and check it out of the library.”
