ReedALOUD: Orphan Island

There's always that book. The one that leaves you thinking and thinking and turning over ideas in your mind. The one that you read and NEED to talk about with someone else who has read it. In our school library, we are fortunate to have many books like this, but there are always those few that land on the shelves at just the right time.

There's always that reader. The one who comes the library as soon as he or she has finished reading the book you handed him or her. The one who comes to the library often enough that you develop a special connection around books. In my school, I am fortunate to be surrounded by many such students, but there are always those few who slide into that reading groove at just the right time. 

This fall, I handed Orphan Island, a book like that, to a student, a reader like that. 

Book meet reader. Reader meet book.

Within a few days, she showed back up at the library demanding the sequel. We had a deep and thoughtful conversation about the book. Knowing that she would want to continue the conversation and share her thinking, I suggested she find another student to read it, so they could discuss it. Well, one student was not enough and before I knew it we had three readers. They came to the library yesterday to talk about the book. 

They wanted to create a slide show about Orphan Island and encourage Laurel Snyder to write a sequel. They created and edited the slide show completely on their own. I created a VoiceThread to capture part of their conversation (ignore my prompts and comments, they wanted me to start first). You will find a link at the end of their slide show.