Summer Reading

The 2010-2011 school year has officially come to an end. Friday, May 27 was my last day with kids. As I gave my students one last goodbye hug, I encouraged them to keep reading over the summer. I shared with them my desire to dive into some great books, get lost in a new novel, learn something new, and visit faraway places by way of the library.

 I know many of you out there use summer to catch up on reading. What titles do you have sitting in the stack of books beside your bed? What books are on your summer reading list? I can’t wait to hear your recommendations (both education and non education related)…

Here are a few of mine:

·         The Hero Inside of You: 260 Thrilling and Inspiring True Stories of Ordinary Heroes by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun. This little delight was a gift from two of the student interns at my school. It’s a great little book not only because of the inspirational stories, but also because it’s easy to read a story in a couple of minutes while you’re waiting for the train or sitting at the dentist’s office and it fits nicely in my purse.

·         Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differentially in the Primary Grades by Mary Cowley. I’ve seen this book in the Stenhouse Publishers catalog and it’s been on my list for some time. While I was at the International Reading Association Conference three weeks ago, my colleague, Mrs. Tautkus, purchased it herself, not knowing it was on my wish list and excited shared it with me. I perused her book and went right over to the Stenhouse booth during my next break and picked up my own copy. I started reading it on the plane ride home and I am not disappointed. If you are interested in creating nurturing environments that foster socially responsible and critical children, this is the book for you.   

·         Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson.  I saw a video on You Tube and immediately added it to my list. Check out the video at http://youtu.be/NugRZGDbPFU if you want to know why I’m intrigued.

·         Anything We Love Can be Saved: A Writer’s Activism by Alice Walker. I was at the Rapid City Public Library looking for Frederick Manfred: A Daughter Remembers  by Freya Manfred. I couldn’t find the book; however, this one caught my attention. Although Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Color Purple; it was the title that convinced me to add yet another book to my pile.

·         The Wind Blows Free by Frederick Manfred. This is the selection for my The Novel Ladies and Friends book club in June.  It’s a personal memoir of the Dust Bowl.

·         Lot’s Return to Sodom by Sandra Brannan. See why here.  

·         What Really Matters in Response to Education by Richard Allington. I’m reading this one for a summer book study with several colleagues at school. I’m looking forward to some good conversations about designing RtI programs that support struggling readers.

·        Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. The authors show how to blend intellectual intelligence and social intelligence to create dialogue. The forward is written by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, so I am confident it will be a productive read.

As you can see, I am sorely lacking fiction titles here. Once I finish these eight, I have several others waiting in the wing, but I’m always on the lookout for more. I can’t wait to see what everyone else is reading.