Leap into Reading! Lemonade and Your School Year Planner Make a Great Match

Seriously? Do we ever really escape in the summer? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think I work more in July and August than any other month. Well, not exactly. But work is always on my mind. One summer an author shared a very early manuscript with me that I printed out and put in a binder. Talk about sexy book reading on the beach. Another summer my husband and I were taking a walk in a beach town and came across a story walk. Stop right there. Photo op. Leap time. Tweet time. It doesn’t get more romantic than that.

That said, put down your lemonade and grab your notebook. I’m going to make you work a little harder today with ideas on how you, in this very relaxing setting, can find that perfect author to visit your school next year.

Get on Social Media

Do you have an author or illustrator booked for next year? No? What newly published book have you read recently that has stuck in your mind that your students will love? OR is there an oldie but goodie out there by an author or illustrator that you think you can book less than a year in advance? I’ve experience with both—love the ones that only have a one to two books published (e.g., Victoria Coe) and love the veteran writers, too (e.g., Sarah Weeks). I had actually booked Sarah before school ended and sent home a letter with every student encouraging them to read her books over the summer. Note to self: This is a great way to get kids reading and prepped at the same time.

Summer is a great time to connect, over social media, with authors you love. As you read, and once you finish reading, use social media accounts or send an old fashioned email to the author and share with them how much you enjoyed their book. You never know—it could lead to a future school visit. One little note, tweet, Facebook message, blog post, etc. goes a long way. I still remember the beautiful, August afternoon when I read Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover for the first time. As soon as I finished, I tweeted him. Months later my students sent him letters. Then he won the Newbery and months after that he visited my school. I tend to think it was all because of a simple summer tweet.

Take Note of Publishers

All of the publishers are on social media. Take the time now to follow all of them. After you have read a great book and are tweeting the author, be sure and mention the publisher, too. Believe me, they are watching you. And this is all for the good. Want to receive galley copies of books? Get in touch with the publisher. Struggling to think where your funds are going to come from, maybe you can tack onto a book launch or a bookstore tour, the publisher might even cover the cost of the visit. I have made friends with folks from several publishing companies and we count on each other to promote books and a lifelong love of reading to young people.

Book Birthdays

It’s time to take a sip of lemonade and a bite of cake. This is the part where you have to do a little bit of work. What authors and illustrators do you absolutely love? What books do they have coming out in the next year? Do you want to go crazy and host a book birthday party for them? Maybe do a toned down version with a video call, using something like Skype or FaceTime visit instead? Want to go crazy? Send out a book order? It’s possible to sell dozens of book birthday books without the author present physically.

This is where Mr. Schu’s book release calendar comes in handy. Maybe find a book on there and plan the birthday party around that. Or, find out when your (your students’) favorite author has a new book coming out and do that. Let’s just hope it’s not early September. You just might be a tad too busy then to add something else to your plate.

Bookstores

Independent bookstores are your best friend. Summer is a good time to get to know the booksellers personally. Ask for book recommendations. Find out where they keep their secret stash of posters, bookmarks, etc. from publishers that they will happily share with you. I met my friend Emma Virjan through a bookseller recommending her books for my primary students. I’m sure I would have gotten my hands on her books eventually, but not as quickly.

Think Schoolwide Theme

If you already have a theme, try and find an author whose books lend themselves to the theme. Better yet, if you help pick the theme, find your book, recommend a connecting theme, then roll with it. The year Sarah Weeks came, we were celebrating Save Me a Seat, a book she co-wrote with Gita Varadarajan. Therefore, our theme was, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” This year we had Jewell Parker Rhodes visit to discuss her book, Towers Falling, and our theme became “We Can Be Heroes.” Coming up with themes is not easy. Get a colleague or two on the horn and invite them over for some lemonade and a bit of brainstorming. It works every time!

Celebrating All Year Long

Be prepared! That’s why I had you get a notebook out. You could be celebrating the library and books every month. Don’t forget the important ones: Library Card Sign-up Month (September), Banned Books Week (September), School Library Month (April), Children's Book Week (May) and so many more.

So while sipping tastes of sour and sweet with the latest good book you are reading (and sticky notes in hand, I know), take out your calendar and computer to check dates, then send your fan mail. You have nothing to lose and only tons to gain: a future opportunity for your students, new friends, and a productive way to cure the party planning bug.

Links:

Mary Kay Andrews Beach Town: http://marykayandrews.com/books/beach-town/

Victoria Coe: http://www.victoriajcoe.com/

Sarah Weeks: http://sarahweeks.com/; Save Me a Seat: http://sarahweeks.com/books/save-me-a-seat/overview/

Kwame Alexander: http://kwamealexander.com/

Newbery Medal: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal

Mr. Schu's book release calendar: http://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=5n3m4522bidf16damifeio1g7k@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Chicago

Emma Virjan: http://emmavirjan.com/

Gita Varadarajan: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/gita-varadarajan/

Jewell Parker Rhodes: http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/; Towers Falling: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jewell-parker-rhodes/towers-falling/9780316262224/

Library Card Sign-up Month: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

Banned Books Week: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

School Library Month: http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm

Children's Book Week: http://everychildareader.net/cbw/