Teachers in Arlington Heights know how vital it is to keep students excited about reading. One way the library and schools work together to get students engaged is by creating opportunities for students to meet the authors of their favorite books. The library has seen great success in bringing authors to schools, sometimes reaching more than 4,000 students in a series of visits.
“When children and teens meet the authors of some of their favorite works, they become inspired to read more and often write more themselves,” said School Services Librarian Julie Jurgens.
After reading Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Thomas Middle School Library Center Director Becky Fahnoe immediately knew Reynolds was the perfect author to engage her middle school readers and selected Ghost to be Thomas’ annual all-school read.
“Jason writes with an honest and authentic voice. He writes with heart. The characters he has created are characters with whom kids can relate,” said Fahnoe.
As Reynolds shared with The Washington Post in 2017, he didn’t read a book from beginning to end until he was 17 years old, so he wanted to write books that kids and teens like himself would want to finish. His mission, as he shared in his 2017 novel Long Way Down, is to “NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS.” The entire plot of Long Way Down occurs during a brief elevator ride, wherein a 15-year-old boy is coping with the shooting death of his brother. Most readers finish the book in a day, unable to put it down.
On November 8 and 9, students at Thomas Middle School, South Middle School and Our Lady of the Wayside heard Reynolds speak at their schools. An Evening with Author Jason Reynolds on November 8, at Forest View Auditorium, was open to the general public. For more information on Reynolds' visit, see the story here.