Introducing Book Paths
Posted By Vonna on August 3, 2009
Hi Everyone!
Welcome to the launch of my website. One of the main features here will be the Book Paths pages. Book Paths is meant to give suggestions to kids who have finished a favorite book or series and don’t know where to go next.
Though many kids love reading, it is not always easy to find a book they will love. Not all kids who enjoy fantasy were ever into Harry Potter and Redwall is a far cry from The Rats of NIMH. When my fourth grade son finished the series he had enjoyed for almost a year, he felt at a loss. There were no appealing books in the school library that he had not already read. Bookstores presented many choices, but the cover illustrations and jacket copy didn’t give enough information to help him decide which books to choose. But what did help was the recommendation of an older boy, a ninth grader, who had also enjoyed almost all the same books my son had.
This gave me the idea to create Book Paths, the trails of books that kids who love to read have followed and left for others to find their own way. These pages are compiled by kids in the 5th through 9th grades, telling which books they have loved each year in grades 2 through 8. Book Paths are separated into several categories to help kids find the path that is closest to their tastes.
This program is still in its infancy, and I will be adding more kids’ recommendations regularly. If anyone would like to add to my list, please fill out the Book Paths Questionnaire. I am happy to have your input!
Next week I have an interview with an innovative librarian to discuss a great program she has started at her elementary school. Please join us!
I am starting off the Book Paths section of my website with a Book Path interview with a young avid reader, Race. Enjoy!
Race’s Book Path:
What is the first book that you remember really liking?
The first books I really enjoyed were the Deltora series by Emily Rodda. The first book is called The Forest of Silence. There are twelve of those.
How old were you then?
Seven. I was in second grade.
What favorites came after that and what did you like best about them?
I think Guardians of Ga’hoole by Kathryn Lasky was next. That was in second grade, too. There were fourteen of those. The thing I liked best about all of these is the action content. Also I like the designs of the Battle Claws. Also I liked that to owls, humans are aliens.
Then in third grade I liked Silver Wing, Bright Wing and Sun Wing by Kenneth Oppel and then later Dark Wing came out. I like animal fantasy and specifically I liked how the feelings of the bats were expressed by what kind of bats they were. Like how the vampire bats were bigger and meaner and obsessed by sacrifice, while the other bats were kinder and fair and wanted the best for their people.
After that I read the Gregor the Overlander series. There’s five of those. They’re by Suzanne Collins. I liked the giant animals that we normally wouldn’t think of highly, like bats, rats and roaches, things you normally find at night.
In fourth grade I started the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. There’s a lot of those. I really enjoyed the idea of the wild cats having a civilization that is actually quite primitive, but it’s really cool because it makes them seem more advanced. I liked all the personalities of the various characters. I liked the gatherings and the battles between the clans. I really enjoyed the main character. He was fun and over all enjoyable. After I read them all I started over.
Also in fourth grade I started the Icemark Chronicles and I just finished the last one. I liked the place. It’s in a snowy northern region with the desert to the south and a large empire that wants to take over the world.
What are you reading right now?
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, by Heather Brewer.
What do you like best about it?
The humor, how the character acts and the stuff about vampires.
Overall, I really love action and animal fantasy books.
Comments