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Reading for Fun and Profit

It's not true. You can forget how to ride a bicycle. Oh, you'll remember sooner or later. But if you're trying to remember during the big race -- forget it. In the time it takes to get your balance, someone be at the finish line.

Same thing with school. It's the real race, and if you haven't practiced during the summer, you'll spend August remembering -- and falling farther and farther behind.

And so to keep you in practice, we're asking you to read a book this summer. Just one. Well, at least one. One that you'll like. One you can get something useful out of.

And when you come back to school, you WILL tell your classmates (for a Major Test Grade)

1. What you read and who wrote it
2. Why you chose it
3. One or all of these:
   1. How it reminds you of something that really happened
      --OR--
   2. What you know now that you didn't know before
      --OR--
   3. What the book means
      --OR all of the above--
4. And WHO should (or should not) read it, and WHY

Your purpose is to get your classmates interested in your book!

• Do NOT spend most of your time telling what happens! (That's called a "plot summary" and is an automatic zero in TAKS.) Above all, do NOT reveal the ending.
• You SHOULD tell enough about what happens to explain #2, #3, or #4 (that's called a "succinct summary," a good thing).
• But if most of your report is about what happens in the book, you'll have to do it over again until you get it right!

How will you tell them?

1. A traditional oral report: you stand and talk
   1. You will need to provide your class with a note-taking guide (either write it on the board or make a copy for everyone, including the teacher)
2. A poster to display in the hallways (with the name of the book, the author, and your name on the front).
3. A poem you wrote yourself that captures the meaning of the book (have a copy for your teacher)
4. A picture that captures the meaning of the book (to display in the hallway - it should have the name of the book, the author, and your name on the front)
5. A skit that captures the meaning of the book (have a copy of your script for your teacher)
6. Or you may present your own idea to your teacher for approval

What to read?

Check out what your friends have read. We polled SMHS students and came up with these titles.

Read one good book and want something like it? Check out the "Readalikes" section of this page (just scroll down). http://www.seemore.mi.org/booklists/fiction.html

Don't know what you'll like? Think about the movies and TV shows watch. Comedies? Mysteries? Sci Fi? History? Biography? Sports? Lifetime? There are books for every type of TV-show imaginable. The Missouri Librarians have titles listed by interest at http://www.brick.net/~classact/table.html.

Or think about what you like to do. Work on cars? Train dogs? Skateboard? Play Basketball? Just enter the key word (cars, train dog, skateboard, basketball) into Amazon.com's search engine (be sure to specify books), and you're sure to find something interesting. Read the reviews, then ask your parents, a teacher, Ms. McLeod (the school's librarian), Ms XXX, the public library's Young Adult Librarian, or the staff at Hastings and Half Price Books for help finding them.

Or ask yourself what you need to know. How to choose a career? How to be a teen parent?

Can't think of anything interesting? Check out the titles linked to this page: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/quickpicksreluctant.htm. They're chosen especially for teens who HATE to read.

These lists offer something for everyone. But be selective. Some of these books may offend you or your family - you'll have to make your own decisions about what's right for your summer reading. Above all, use your own good judgment.

Here are some of the best lists around:

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has great ideas at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.htm.

Teen Circuit from the Morton Grove Public Library's Webrary http://www.webrary.org/teen/teenreads.html

The Chicago Public Library offers lists of books on Adventure/Survival, Fantasy/SciFi, History, Horror/Supernatural, Romance, Sports, and more at http://www.chipublib.org/008subject/003cya/teened/readlist.html#advent.