The trick is to find the one that connects and engages kids with books, reading, and discussion – in a way that you enjoy, as well. Here are some other considerations.

Halloween is just around the corner. Are you gearing up for the devilish decorations, creepy costumes, and scary sweets? To help your readers get in the holiday spirit, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few JLG selections that put spooky creatures front and center.

We know your priority is encouraging your readers to pick up and discover new books, and to develop a passion for reading. How do you go about doing that? According to Felix Brandon, co-founder of Zoobean’s Beanstack, a powerful tool that helps educators and librarians create, manage, and measure reading challenges, it’s about creating a culture of reading. 

As educators, we know you want to guide your students in the right direction, encouraging them to read and explore new books. The most effective way to do that is to empower them to seek out new books and expand their horizons as readers on their own. Simply handing them titles to read, as you know, will be less impactful in the long run. So how exactly to you encourage that kind of empowerment? We have a few suggestions.

You got the “back to school blues?" No need for that! Focus your sights on revving up reading enthusiasm by designing a year-long book bash! Can’t think a year ahead? Then think about one month at a time…What can you do to get kids excited about books, reading, sharing, talking, and writing? It can be large or small, but the point is to start and keep the momentum rolling. 

The start of a new school year can be an exciting time for a lot of students, but it can also be a time of uncertainty, as they may be a little unsure of what it will feel like to be another grade older. They’re starting to learn more about themselves and may be trying to figure out who they really are as unique individuals, independent from their parents and families.