From: Karen Breen <kbreen>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 08:03:33 -0400

Reading these posts reminds me of the most successful read aloud I ever did to a group of complete strangers. I was asked to read to "a class" on a day of guest readers in a school of kids from struggling families whose income levels and general lack of education would lead one to believe they wouldn't use the library. But this librarian (now a Kirkus reviewer) had them coming in straight to the fiction shelves and asking her for recommendations. I brought Save Queen of Sheba by Louise Moeri as well as several other things on different levels of comprehension, since I wasn't sure what age group I would be reading to. I didn't get to take the book home with me, because they insisted that the teacher keep it to read to them and she did. It was an amazing lightbulb moment for her *and* for me to see this group clamoring for what happened next.

Those were the days, Karen Breen Kirkus Reviews
Received on Wed 25 Aug 2004 07:03:33 AM CDT