Research has shown, and students have shown us, that they are much more likely to read a book they have chosen, a book recommended by a friend or especially a book recommended by their classroom teachers than a book assigned to them.

Think back to your own reading experiences - didn't you want to read something that interested you??? Our kids are no different. I have gone into classrooms and started kids on their lifelong reading lives by simply bringing in current, interesting new books, recommending a book especially for one student, hooking kids on a series or just by asking them details about what they are reading.

A wonderful blog by one of the most famous literacy gurus, Donalyn Miller, and 3rd grade teacher Colby Sharp, is called The Nerdy Book Club. You can sign up to get a blog post each day or simply go onto the site when you want. They have a post every day, seven days a week, on the latest and greatest new books, Top Ten Lists for various genres, reviews of new books & older books, and a Reading Lives post each week that gives bloggers an opportunity to write about their reading lives. I have written a post myself - it is about my obsession with recommending books no matter where I am - from the most likely places such as book stores to a few more unlikely places such as the doctor's office or a hospital!

Of course there will always be times when students will have to read what is assigned to them, but in the meantime, if we want our kids to be life long readers and to see reading as a fun, enjoyable and engaging activity, then we have to let them make their own choices. When students have choice - they are much more likely to read.

Happy Reading! Mary Lou Shuster, Certified Literacy Specialist, Buxton Center Elementary School (retired)