I am obsessed with children’s and young adult literature.  It is not uncommon to see me sneaking a few pages of a children’s book in during breakfast or between classes.  When I received a box of 50 books to share with my students, I got busy reading right away.  I walked into my seventh grade classroom on my first day of student teaching with high hopes for the box of books I was holding in my arms.  My love for literature was overflowing, and I was ready to share it with my students.  I envisioned creating a classroom library for my students and opening their eyes to the wonderful world of books.

      Imagine my surprise when I found an extensive school library instead of  classroom libraries. It was stocked with current books and used frequently by students, who needed books to read during SSR time each day.  Of course, I wondered what kind of impact I could make with the books I had been given, and the answer soon became clear.  I discovered that many students had been stuck reading one genre or series for months, and many students did not have the privilege of owning their own books to read at home.  Determined to address these two problems, I devised a plan.

     After generating interest in the books by leaving them on display for several days, I introduced the students to a “book pass.”  I gave each student a sheet of paper with columns labeled “Title,” “Rating,” and “Comments.”  Each student chose a book from the shelf and was given three minutes to read any part of it—beginning, middle, or back cover.  After three minutes, the students recorded their thoughts about the book and passed it on to another person.  After repeating this procedure several times, the students shared aloud which books seemed particularly interesting to them.  This activity was especially beneficial for my class of seventh graders because they were able to get excited about reading genres, authors, or series that they might not normally read.  It was very rewarding and encouraging to see them picking up different kinds of books off the shelf after our book passes.

     At the end of student teaching, I decided to have a drawing to determine which students would get to keep the books.  With smiling faces and shining eyes, five students in each class chose a book to read and keep.  By that time, we had discussed and shared many of the books with one another. What a delightful surprise it was for me to find out I could keep for myself some of the books I was excited about reading.  I am very grateful to the Middle Grades Reading Network for giving me the opportunity to open my students’ eyes to the diverse world of literature and to provide them with their own books.