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NAVIGATION:
kids read the same book
Contact: Gregory Taylor, Librarian Hillside Junior High 854-5120 gregory.taylor@boiseschools.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Group Announces 2007 Kids Read the Same Book Titles
(Boise, ID – January 29, 2007) Calling all young readers! This year’s Kids Read the Same Book project kicks off February 1 at local libraries and schools. The 2007 titles are:
● Young readers: How I Became a Pirate, by Melinda Long; illustrated by David Shannon ● Middle readers: The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke ● Teens: Heir Apparent, by Vivian Vande Velde
All three books are award-winning titles that address popular age-appropriate themes, such as pirates, adventure or gaming and fantasy.
Young readers will find 40-70 copies of each title in the online catalog shared by most local libraries. The libraries themselves are planning a range of programs and activities, including book discussions, gaming nights and “pirate storytimes.”
A program schedule, information about each book and resource links are posted on www.idahokidsread.org. The group sponsoring the project is also working on bringing in one of the authors in early April.
Library and School Partnership
Last fall, elementary and middle school libraries in the Boise, Meridian and Kuna school districts received free copies of The Thief Lord and/or Heir Apparent. The books were donated by two publishers, Scholastic and Harcourt, for that purpose.
At the same time, elementary and middle school teachers in the districts received early notice of the titles to allow time to plan the books into spring curricula.
“Working through the schools just made sense,” said librarian Linda Brilz, from Boise Public Library. “That’s where the kids are! This year’s program sponsors include more libraries and education partners than in the past, so it’s worked out well.” Sponsoring organizations include Boise, Eagle, Garden City, Kuna, Meridian, and Ada Community libraries, the Boise Education Association, the BSU Department of Literacy and the Boise School District.
More About the Titles The picture book How I Became a Pirate received the ALA Notable Children's Books award in 2004, the Parents' Choice Award in 2003 and the School Library Journal Best Books award in 2003. In the book, young Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew on a rousing romp and learns about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of pirate life.
In The Thief Lord (middle readers), two brothers run away to Venice, hiding from an aunt who plans to adopt just the younger child. They find shelter with – and protection from – the mysterious "Thief Lord."
Originally written in German, The Thief Lord won several European awards prior to publication in English. Recent awards include the Young Reader's Choice Award, and designation as a School Library Journal Best Book, an ALA Notable Children's Book, and a New York Times Notable Children's Book.
Heir Apparent combines humor with futuristic, medieval, and gaming themes that should appeal to teens. In the book, a fourteen-year-old is playing a total immersion virtual reality game when she learns that the equipment is damaged. She must win the game to save her life. Awards for Heir Apparent include the ALA Best Book for Young Adults, the Junior Library Guild Selection, the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, and VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction.
Read the Same Book Project Cities across the U.S. have discovered that choosing a book to read as a community brings together friends and strangers to discuss good literature and ideas. Boise started Read the Same Book in 2001, adding children’s titles in 2002.
The program became Kids Read the Same Book in 2006, when the Log Cabin Literary Center received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to present The Big Read to adults and older teens across southwestern Idaho. (The Big Read title for 2007 is A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. Watch for further details in late April.)
Kids Read the Same Book expanded geographically in 2007 to reach younger children throughout Ada County. Titles are chosen by committees of representatives from local libraries and schools, including an enthusiastic group of teens and a group of younger children.
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