A Librarian Hugged This Book!

To Readers Everywhere:
When a librarian hugs a book, pay attention. I'm glad I did.

I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD by Paul Acampora, Roaring Book Press, 2014

Three friends, Lucy, Michael, and Elena, decide to honor Mr. Nowak, their favorite teacher, who died before Halloween, for the excitement he created about reading. He made them laugh, but he made them think. At the beginning of the school year, in September, he told them he would assign only one book for their upcoming summer reading:  To Kill A Mockingbird. By the time summer arrived, he expected them to be good enough readers to appreciate the book. It wasn't enough, he told them, to know the words. "If you're reading well, you're having a conversation."

How the friends honor him could start a little plotting among your tween readers, too. I'll try not to spoil the story with too many hints.

Let’s just say the kids’ genius plot reached out and hugged me, so I understand the librarian’s reaction. Many references are made to some of my favorite middle grade and young adult books and authors. The summary makes reference to “the entire town” but the circle grows far beyond the small town. I’m dancing all around this so I will stop or spill the beans. A tip: no need to worry if you suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.   

The author says he is an “ardent fan of librarians and booksellers everywhere and is a founding member of the ‘Mockingbird Manifesto’ to support all actions which lead to the joy, the fun, the reward, the challenge and the adventure of reading.” 

Learn more at this website: ikillthemockingbird.com

Add some aha! moments to your kids' summer reading list.