My Reading Goal - 2013-14

Every year I'm invited to an end of the year celebration by Kathy and Shari, our media center staff.  Every year I attend.  However, this year is going to be different.  This year I'm going to earn my invitation.

Each year our middle school students are encouraged to read from the Iowa Teen Award list.  Students that read ten of the fifteen books are invited to a pizza party, held in our courtyard.  It's a big event and it is an honor to recognize the students who manage to read what ends up being a variety of genres. 

Last spring I looked up the list, with a goal in mind.  I wanted to earn my time with our students and of course, earn a piece of pizza.  I was pleased to find that I'd recently read one of the books listed, Wonder.  One down - nine to go.  

I asked Shari, our media associate to help me locate the others on the list, and she simply pointed me to the cart, with the Iowa Teen Award books already set aside for the fall.  I was all set, now it was time to get busy.  I knew which book I was starting with, so I grabbed a copy of Legend, by Marie Lu, and headed back to the office.  Surely I'd be back during the summer to grab the next book and have a good start on my list when students returned in the fall. 

I got right to work on Legend, and quickly became hooked.  Unfortunately, as much as I hate to admit it, Legend is still sitting on my dining room table, with a bookmark sticking out of the top.  This isn't a reflection of the book.  Quite the opposite in fact.  Sometimes life just gets in my way and I find myself reading and writing in different ways.  In addition, my secretary kindly pointed out that I hadn't blogged since last spring as well.  Trust me kids - I was reading and writing all summer.  Unfortunately, it wasn't Legend or Books, Balls & Blogs.

My goal still stands.  I WILL read ten of the Iowa Teen Award books and earn my spot in the courtyard, along with my piece of pizza.