June
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Finding a New Love by Mindi Rench
For the past twenty-three years, I’ve taught in a middle school. For MORE than twenty-three years I’ve had a passionate affair with young adult literature. It started in 6th grade when I found a copy of Judy Blume’s Forever at a local bookstore and never went away. Even when my kids were little and I was reading Sandra Boynton board books or Junie B. Jones with them, I kept devouring the latest and greatest in YA. I loved YA so much I served for three years on the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award selection committee and read until my eyes nearly fell out as we worked together to honor the best in YA literature.
But now I’m breaking up with YA, or at least having a trial separation. You see, in August I’m leaving my middle school and beginning a new adventure as a third grade teacher at one of the elementary buildings in my district. And while I’ll be able to bring my Wimpy Kid books and my Weird But True books to start my new classroom library, most of the thousand or so books that I have carefully curated over the years won’t make the move with me. They’ll move on to new readers in new classrooms.
So now I’m dating again… meeting new authors and characters, finding the books that I just can’t wait to share when school starts in August. It’s a whole new world, let me tell you. Even though I’ve used picture books for years in my seventh grade classroom, I bought just a few each year. Now I’m reading them with abandon, thinking about the lessons I’ll teach and how those will be adapted for third graders. Appreciating the art and illustrations. Marveling at how few words can have great impact. I’ve read my way through the Monarch Award master list and the Bluestem Award master list, two of the awards for children’s literature given here in Illinois. I’ve stalked the Youth Services librarians at the Northbrook Public Library, and I’ve hit up the librarians in our three elementary buildings to find out what’s hot with the 8-to-9-year old set.
But I feel a bit lost. Those YA books pulled me in, tugged at my heartstrings, put me back into high school for a while. They have complex, compelling story lines about tough situations that kids and adults alike face. These books I’m reading for younger kids? I’m having a harder time warming up to them.
Then I read something like Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin or A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd or The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky by Holly Schindler or Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo and I am reassured I will find new books and new authors to love. Though these are books most of my students won’t be able to read independently until later in the school year, they are books I can read aloud. Picture books like Be a Friend and Rosie Revere, Engineer have layers for my students and me to discover as we read them together and separately. Books for young readers still have lessons to teach about friendship and getting along and finding one’s place. The storylines and characters can still be complex and relatable. I will still find things to talk to kids about.
People who are not readers might wonder about my obsession for falling in love with books for younger children. Those of us who work with kids won’t. We know that kids can smell a fake from a mile away. If I am not enthusiastic about the books I share with my kids; if I am not genuinely engaged by a story or a character, the kids will know. And as soon as they know, I’ve lost them, at least for a little while. And I don’t want that to happen. I want to be able to go into my classroom every.single.day and say to my class, “You’ll never guess what I read last night! I can’t wait to tell you about this awesome book!” and mean it. I might not jump on desks like Colby Sharp (my knees wouldn’t let me), but I want to look and sound as if I MIGHT! I want to be able to cry over these new books I’m discovering the same way I cried over A Monster Calls when I read it to my seventh graders. I want to know enough about the books that are out there that I can go up to a student who swears she doesn’t like to read and say, “I saw this and immediately thought of you. You should read it first.”
Because it matters. My passion, my joy, my enthusiasm about the books I bring into my classroom sends a message to the readers who join me there. And I know what I want that message to be:
This, my friends, is the place where we fall in love with books.
Mindi Rench spreads the #nerdybookclub love as a junior high literacy coach and soon-to-be third grade teacher in the Chicago suburbs. You can find her on twitter as @mindi_r and read her blog at http://nextbestbook.blogspot.com.
A friend of mine went from teaching 8th grade to teaching 5 th this year. She has really enjoyed it, but was alarmed at how much the children CRIED. Be forewarned!
This is great!! Makes my heart happy.
I’m so glad to hear/read your passion for books and for teaching. I’m a Guidance Counselor at a High School and I full well know the pressures teachers are under these days. I’m glad you haven’t lost your passion in the midst of all of it.
I’m also a children’s author.
I love this post. Sharing your love of reading with your new class is a gift.
Welcome to the world of Middle Grade! Here’s to a whole host of new book “loves” 🙂
Be sure and read the Clementine series! Enjoy grade three. 😀
Mindi, I love your passion for literature and the way in which you draw this excitement to your classroom no matter the age…. So proud of you.
Mindi, I could have written this post in reverse! I’ve taught third grade for eight years and am moving up to seventh this fall. I am so overwhelmed (but in a good way) about how to navigate the complex world of YA. Any tips would be appreciated!
If you’d like some leads for third grade, I have shared a series of book reviews by my students: http://www.thelogonauts.com/search/label/3rdfor3rd
You are going to be all kinds of great! I am leaving the land of Grade 2s and 3s to move up to 4s and 5s next year so also thinking of stretching and changing. I am going to send you a blog post I wrote about starting the year with younger students last summer. It may feel relevant. Always happy to talk books if you need ideas 🙂 Have fun!!!
I am always on the lookout for those “change your life” authors who write for younger grades. Sharon Creech and Lois Lowry are two of my faves. My most recent findhttp://www.thanhhalai.com/ may be still a bit too old for thirds. But, you will enjoy it nontheless! I am heading from looping up to second back to first. Yikes!
I’m a public librarian and just had a group of 3rd graders come in during a school visit and they were so excited to learn we had ALL the Little House books, there teacher was reading aloud Little House in the Big Woods and they were absolutely enthralled (boys and girls alike). The power of excitement and persuasion by someone who loves books can be so amazing for kids! Good luck and enjoy!
So beautiful. Your passion seeps through…
Enjoy those third graders! I’m a PreK-6th grade librarian and I know you will fall in love with so many authors…
Don’t miss FENWAY AND HATTIE! Such a wonderful, accessible read for kids on the early side of middle grade. Also a perfect lesson in point of view. 🙂
Those third graders are going to be lucky to have you. You “get” it!! Good Luck!
If you’re looking to date authors…here’s what I’m offering! For you…a 1/2 free Skype author visit. I taught 4th grade for 35 years and used picture books daily. Now I write for kids but still have that teaching passion. You will LOVE elementary school.
You are going to be WONDERFUL! No one can like ALL books. I know you won’t fake it, just read the books aloud that you LOVE, and find other sites to help your kids find what THEY like. I like funny books, they were probably 90% of the picture books I read aloud, because kids love to laugh. Chapter books: Kate DiCamillo…anything by her is good. Jennifer Holm-try her Turtle in Paradise…such a fun read aloud. Katherine Applegate, Don’t forget about graphic novels…Holm’s Babymouse series…Nate the Grate…Lunch Lady & his Platypus Police Squad…there are SO many. I used to put picture books up on the big screen while I read aloud, they loved it: Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen, Mo Willems, David Biedzrycki, Deborah Underwood, Marla Frazee, Jon Agee, Adam Rubin (Those Darn Squirrels), Tedd Arnold, Dav Pilkey, Schacner’s Skippy Jon, Melanie Watts Scaredy Squirrel. Fractured fairy tales are always fun…Bubba, the Cowboy Prince, Dinorella, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. So….if you know Colby Sharp, I assume you know Mr. Schu’s website Watch. Connect. Read? And Anita Silvey’s Children’s Almanac? But most importantly…HAVE FUN!!
PS. You read the post here “how nerd camp transformed my teaching” RIGHT?! Great post with great ideas to do in the classroom. LOVED IT!!
PPS? PSS? https://thereisabookforthat.com/ Her blog was so helpful for me…I hope you like it too. She is ALSO moving to a new school and grades! Enjoy!!
I too struggle to connect to MG novels as easily as YA novels, but the ones that are good are SO GOOD! I just read Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (of Babysitters Club fame!) and loved it.
Your students are going to love reading because of your passion! Your sharing of the stories comes from the heart, and the students will feel it. Enjoy learning through the eyes of third graders!
good luck in third grade!!