…changing the world, one reader at a time.
In a now infamous quote, Madeline L’Engle once wrote, “We can’t take any credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.” Last week, we put our talents to good use – creating a special celebration to help younger readers gets excited about a classic story that has been beloved […]
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Welcome to the Lands Beyond! As a celebration of one of our favorite classic stories, The Phantom Tollbooth, 6th grade readers gathered in the library yesterday for a very punny and puzzling book club. Using student artwork, we split the library into Dictionopolis and Digitopolis. In Digitopolis, number lovers could test their skills with a […]
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WHO: 5th grade readers, coders, programmers, and any friendly robots that want to join! As always, this book club is completely optional. (And psst – The Wild Robot makes a perfect read aloud. Parents, reading this one together could be a fun way to cozy up in the cold!) WHAT: A Robot Club – […]
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WHO: 6th grade readers who choose to sign up. As always, this book club is completely optional! WHAT: A book club to discuss George, a book about having the courage to be your true self; which sometimes means having to choose between being accepted and being who you truly are. On the outside George looks like a boy, […]
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WHO: 7th and 8th grade readers. WHAT: A book club to discuss The Rock and the River, a book about a 13 year old boy living in Chicago in 1968, right at the crux of the Civil Rights Movement. The Rock and the River is an award-winning novel told from a unique and valuable point of view. Copies […]
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Since the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, thousands of students in Texas have not been able to return to school. When they do go back, many will have lost their classroom, school, and public libraries. As part of an ongoing desire to teach our students empathy and the importance of community service, 4th grade teacher McKenzie […]
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Every so often, wandering through the library with my middle school groups, I’ll hear a sound that is music to my ears: students “You have to read this book. It’s so good. I’m obsessed with it.” Peer to peer recommendations are incredibly powerful. No matter how well I know a student or how passionately I […]
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WHO: 5th grade readers interested in picking up a new book to enjoy over the summer, share one of their favorites, and participate in a fun book exchange with their classmates. WHAT: 5th grade students have been begging for one more book club this year (I can’t blame them – they did such a great […]
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Her hair fell into her face and she hunched over, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, fingering an LED light and a strip of copper tape. The cardboard car sat stubbornly askew on the tabletop. She moved silently, in tiny increments, only pausing to wipe her hand on her skirt or tuck her […]
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WHO: 6th grade graphic novel lovers, makers, creatives, and students looking to try something new! WHAT: A graphic novel book club… with a twist. When I read Cardboard by Doug TenNapel, I was so inspired that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some cardboard. What magic could I make out of cardboard? What was […]
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