I hate when things are over…summer reading beckons
Storytime Standouts’ guest contributor reflects on the school year and looks forward to summer reading
One of my favourite lines from the song Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something is “And I hate when things are over/ when so much is left undone”. At the moment, it sums up how I feel about the end of the school year. Though I look forward to the summer, the break, the rest, and the, hopefully, nice weather, I know I’ll spend time thinking of all the things I didn’t manage to do this year.
Rather than think about all of the things I could have done better or more of, I thought I’d recount some of my favorite books from this year and share my summer “to read” list. The books I like most from this year are the ones that excited the kids. So while they may not have been MY favorite books, the following is a list of books that engaged my students, hooked my reluctant readers, and caused many classroom discussions.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
Warriors by Erin Hunter (actually a pseudonym for a number of contributing authors)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein
Wayside Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Holes by Louis Sachar
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Fire Ascending by Chris D’Lacey
There were others. Many, many others. My students from this year loved to read. They read a variety of genres and authors and tried books their friends loved or that I suggested. They were open to new books and different types of writing, such as Poetry.
Tomorrow I will say goodbye to this group and in September, I will have a new class. I look forward to the reading adventures they will take me on and the books they will introduce me to. Of course, I have a few of my own that I plan on introducing them to as well. Some I have read already, such as Riding Freedom, but others, I will read over the summer. My “to read” list for this summer includes:
My life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
Slob by Ellen Potter
United We Stand by Eric Walters
Middle School, the Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson
The Little Prince by Antoine de Sainte-Exupery
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (I’ve read this one but am looking forward to reading it to my nine-year-old this summer).
I could go on…and on…and on because there are so many different books I’d like to read before the summer ends. However, in addition to Children and Young Adult fiction, I plan on reading a number of other books as well. So here’s to a summer of reading, re-reading, and relaxing.
Oh Jody,
Your “To Read” list is almost as long as mine is! I have vowed that I will make time for reading everyday – no matter what.
I know you will love at least a couple of these and I look forward to reading your thoughts before long.
Have a wonderful summer. Carolyn