by Becca Warfel
11/19/10
Junior High students at Neoga High School got a chance to earn some extra credit points and enjoy reading at the same time. Twice a quarter, the school’s librarian, Mrs. Ludwig, and the junior high reading teacher, Mrs. Wright host booktalk luncheons covering popular books in young adult literature. The books come from the Rebecca Caudill Award lists, and are books eligible for the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award. 4th through 8th graders in Illinois read the books and then vote on the one they want to win the award. Booktalk luncheons discuss the books and why the students like or dislike them.
The October 28th discussion focused on a book called Schooled by Gordon Korman. The book depicts the tale of a boy named Capricorn who grew up on a commune that had gradually reduced to his grandmother and himself. When his grandmother, Rain, injures herself and is sent to a nursing home, Capricorn must attend school for the first time. Later, as a joke, Cap is named class president and is told that it’s his duty to memorize every student’s name. To go along with this, students and teachers at the luncheon got “Hippie” names and had to try to memorize everyone’s new name. They also ate their lunch and discussed the book and problems faced by Cap in his new school. Because they participated in the luncheon, students not only had a good time, but also earned extra credit points in reading.
