July
08
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Behold! The Power of the ARC! “With a great ARC, comes great responsibility!” by Mary Jo Staal
After being a classroom teacher for 16 years, I just wrapped up my first year as a PreK-5 teacher librarian. I love spending each day surrounded by books and putting books into the hands of young readers. I also love trying to connect with the dormant readers in the building and suggesting book after book in search of “the one” that might awaken the reader inside them.
I had the amazing opportunity to attend ALA in Boston this past January and was able to return to school with some wonderful ARCs (Advance Reader Copy). I’ve always known the power of putting a brand new book into the hands of a reader, but the power of putting a book that hasn’t even been published yet into the hands of a child…that is a whole new level of magic!
I made it my mission to put those ARCs into the hands of as many dormant readers as I could. I would notice them wandering aimlessly around the library, pull them aside and say, “Would you like to read a book that isn’t even a book yet?” Their eyes lit up every time I offered and the answer was always a resounding, “YES!”
I came up with an ARC speech: “This is called an Advance Reader Copy…there are actually many different names for it, but let’s just stick with ARC for now…and you are about to be one of the first people to read this book. You may not sell this book on the Internet. You may not scan the pages and post it online. You don’t have to like it. But! If you do like it, I am going to need you to become this book’s ambassador when it is published. With a great ARC, comes great responsibility! Are you up for this challenge?”
I have not yet had a student turn me down. Some of the ARCs came back after a few days with a negative review, but most of the time the readers would seek me out before school in the morning to tell me they had finished the book and thought it was, “GREAT!” The readers who brought back the “GREAT” ARCs often brought a friend with them who wanted to be the second person in the building to read the book. And before my eyes, dormant readers woke up!
One of my favorite ARC stories of the year happened with a 5th grader. He often loudly proclaimed that he “did not like to read!” I suggested book after book, but to no avail. I knew he enjoyed sports, so I somehow convinced him to read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. He admitted he enjoyed it, so when I returned from Boston with an ARC of Booked, I knew exactly what student would have the honor to be the first reader.
I gave this reader my ARC speech with an added, “I met Kwame Alexander in Boston and he signed this ARC, so it is extra important that you guard it with your life!” He laughed and smiled as he walked out of the library holding that book like it was a treasure. He returned the following week loudly proclaiming that he thought the book was “Amazing! So good! The best book I’ve ever read!”
When the library copies of Booked arrived at school, I immediately went to that student’s classroom to show him what the “real” book looked like. He loved it! Suddenly, there were 5 or 6 students around his desk asking him what it was about and if it was any good. I stood there and just watched him turn into the school ambassador for Booked. It was incredible to watch the transformation.
I had ordered 2 copies for the library, and neither one of them sat on the shelf for the rest of the year. This 5th grader gave the book more value and momentum than I ever could have given it on my own with a book talk. Student ambassadors are able to sell books to their peers in ways that even the best teachers and librarians cannot. They speak each other’s language.
I wish I could say that this moment turned this student into a voracious reader. It didn’t, but it gave the reader inside him a new lease on life. I never again heard him loudly proclaim that he “didn’t like to read.” I even caught him completely lost in a book on several different occasions. Whenever Booked was discussed in the library, he would be the first one to speak up about it.
Watching the “power of the ARC” take over our school confirmed that with a great book comes great responsibility. Are we empowering our students to be book ambassadors? Today’s book ambassadors are tomorrow’s Nerdy Book Club members.
Mary Jo Staal is a former 5th grade teacher and current PreK-5 teacher librarian in Hudsonville, Michigan. She loves all things books and enjoys sharing that love with students. You can find her on Twitter @mj_staal or on the streets of Holland, Michigan, every May dancing in wooden shoes!
Nerdy Book Club 
Thanks for sharing!! So cool! Our district (Zeeland Public) has decided we no longer need school librarians. So sad!! Now teachers will learn how to check out books to their students. I have my own huge classroom library and have been a “Book Whisperer ” nerd for years. Just wondering if there is any way for a classroom teacher to get advanced copies? Your district is so lucky to have you!!!
Mary…this breaks my heart! I love working in a school that values my position and wish all schools would see that value. I think brand new books can have similar power to an ARC. I make a huge deal out of the first readers of new books as well. Keep doing what you are doing. You are making a difference and hopefully ZPS will realize what they are missing by cutting those librarians!
I agree with Mary that your district is lucky to have you and would also like to know if classroom teachers could get advanced copies!
It breaks my heart that ZPS (and many other schools in the area) have lost sight of the value of school librarians. I feel very fortunate to work in a school that values my role. Keep doing what you are doing! You are making a difference, and hopefully your administrators will realize what they are missing by not having librarians.
This is such a great story! I’m so impressed by your creativity, dedication to students, and passion for reading. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for your kind words!
This was so wonderful to read!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
It’s the best feeling in the world to watch a dormant reader become an avid reader right before your very eyes! I often have impromptu book talks with my fifth graders to see what they’re reading and what they recommend. Really fosters enthusiasm for reading!
Thanks! Students “selling” books to other students…is there anything better to witness?
As I read this post, I kept thinking that this is what “student-centered” looks like in practice. Thank you!
Thank you, Amanda! If students aren’t at the center of everything we do, then why do it? Thanks!
How creative of you to use the ARCs to entice kids to want to read…to make it special…to make them special! What a wonderful way to share the wonder of books. Hats off to you!!
Thank you so much! I think even as adults there is a certain thrill that comes from reading a book that isn’t a book yet, so for kids it kicks the magic up even more!
Librarian? More like reading magician. Looking forward to another year!
Aww! Thanks, Brandon! I’m looking forward to year 2 as well. I’m thinking a “reading magician” tshirt would be fun!
Amazing insight. Fabulous positive empowerment. Great encouragement for everyone who loves to read and believes it is critical for the next generation!
Thanks so much for reading this, Juliet! Reading is such an important thing, so whatever it takes to further that love for children!
I love your enthusiasm for books. It’s infectious. Thank you for putting ARCs and books in the right kids hands at the right times.
Thank you so much, Jeff! It’s a magical experience!
What a wonderful idea!! These “don’t love reading yet” kids are a great challenge! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you! I do also give my voracious readers the opportunity to read ARCs and for them that is icing on the cake!
This is such a great story! It makes me so happy and proud as a bookworm myself to here of others having the ability to change people’s perspectives of what reading is. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much! I know not all kids will love reading, but even a little more admiration for it is a win!
You are such a good person and amazing librarian to share your ARCs with your students. It gave back tenfold, and it was you who did that. You make such a difference in this world of ours!
Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words! I love my job and feel blessed to be able to connect students with the joy of reading.
How does someone who doesn’t attend these conferences get ARCs?
Deanna…it is difficult. Honestly, when I don’t have ARCs I make a really big deal out of brand new books. When I was a classroom teacher, I would bring new books in special backpack to school. My students would go crazy when they saw me walk in with The Backpack on. Any excitement you can build for new books (or old books) will create a similar idea.
Hi, Deanna- I’ll chime in here. Publishers send them to their “big” bloggers- whose with large followings like Pragmatic Mom and others, as well as bookstores and review journals. I get them as an “e-galley” which you can request via NetGalley and edelweiss, in exchange for reviewing the books. Authors get a very limited number (in my experience) and those are sometimes used as giveaways. Check Goodreads, which often has giveaways also.
This is truly a lovely post, and Mary Jo’s students are so lucky!
Thank you so much, Augusta! I am honored that you read this. Thank you for all you contribute to world of children’s lit. I’m looking forward to Making Friends with Billy Wong!
That’s a great idea! 😀
Brilliant idea! Great use for all of the ARC’s we receive.
You are not even kidding about the power of The Crossover!! My 5th graders also went nuts for it, particularly my reluctant readers. Several returned with purchased copies of Booked soon after. What a score! I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Ashes by Laurie Halse Andersen. As eager as I was to read it, i presented it to a student – who had just finished Chains and Forge – with great pomp and circumstance. She was so in awe of the ARC. It went with her to recess, lunch, home, and was retuned with a swoon a day or two later. Naturally, others started picking up the predecessors immediately so that they too could experience Ashes “before anyone else”!
I am also a PK-5 teacher librarian, and I have had almost the exact experience with CROSSOVER! I also love ARCs, but they are few and far between. If I could attend the many conferences around the country, I would have plenty, but we all know we are fortunate when we attend even one. I wish ARCs were more available to librarians.
Thank you to everyone for your kind words! For those of you who don’t have access to ARCs, new books can truly have almost the same impact. I also make a really big deal out of students who are the first ones to read a new book. Whatever it takes to build excitement for reading! Thanks again for all your encouragement today!
Love it! Very cool story. And to think I get to call you my friend…😊. I actually gave my new classroom copy of Booked to a student of mine before I even had a chance to read it (it’s next on my to-read list for the summer), with his promise to talk about it with me in September (his suggestion).
Honestly, we need more teachers like you, Mary Jo.
I never encountered a teacher like you, and I must say, I deeply regret that. I still have 200+ books in my room, but it would be more if I would have had a teacher like you. I miss school, even more when I find out how it could have been even better.
What an awesome post! I love how you inspired kids to love reading through this technique. Fantastic! This was my second year in the library at a K-5 school after being in the classroom for 16 years too! Being in the classroom was amazing, and I can’t say enough about how much I love my new position. 🙂 Wishing you the best of luck!