For the second year, the Youth Services department has created an epic Gallery of Readers as part of our Summer Reading Club halfway activity. After at least ten days of reading or doing activities, young people stopped by our Summer Reading Club booth to have their picture taken with a book they wanted to share or even their prize book. The photos were printed and added to our Gallery of Readers. (This year we also added their first initials to make it easier for you to find and take your pictures at the end of summer.)
This project was led by Youth Services librarians Ruth and Jennifer, who made this beautiful and engaging display. It has been so joyful seeing young people find their pictures displayed in the library, finding their friends, and the awesome books they’ve been reading and recommending.
But why a Gallery of Readers? How does it benefit young people to see themselves on an ever-growing community display?
Reading is all about community. When we share stories that shape us, we are transformed - and transform others. Talking about what we're reading - and what we enjoy - helps us cultivate reading practices we'll use for our entire lives. It helps young people see themselves as readers.
In Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits by Donalyn Miller and Susan Kelley, the authors share practices that lead to independent, lifelong reading, which include sharing books and reading with other readers. When you visit the Gallery of Readers to find your picture, it can be an opportunity to engage your child in a conversation about their reading interests, talk about the books other readers are holding, and of course, find these books in our library to check out.
So we decided to collect some of these recommendations in the hope that these books can help you find something you’ll love to read this summer, too. There’s truly something for everyone on our Gallery of Readers - and in our library.
And if you want customized recommendations, you can talk to a librarian or submit a Personalized Book Pick request!
Huge thank you to our volunteers who helped collect and type up the titles/authors.
Make sure to stop by our Youth Desk in September to pick up your picture.
We'd love to hear what about what you read this summer and continue this conversation to keep growing our reading community!
Check out our Summer Reading Club recap video to remember all of the fun we had this summer!
Here are the recommendations from kids in our community!
Picture Books
Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez
Kitty and Cat by Mirza Hokkanen
Bluey
Pete the Cat by James Dean
Early Readers
Ty’s Travels by Kelly Starling Lyons
Chapter Books
Willa’s Wilderness Campout by Valerie Tripp
Mindy Kim by Lyla Lee
Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro
Unicorn Diaries by Rebecca Elliot
Juvenile Fiction
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
Baby-Sitters’ Little Sister by Katy Farina
Kira’s Animal Rescue by Erin Teagan
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
The Baby Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey
Pokemon
Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
Not Your All-American Girl by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Paws by Nathan Fairbairn & Michele Assarasakorn
Catwad by Jim Benton
Diving off the Edge by Jake Maddox
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
InvestiGators by John Patrick Green
The 13 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland
How to Win a Slime War by Mae Respicio
Junior High Fiction
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Alliana, Girl of Dragons by Julie Abe
Nonfiction
Titanic
Cats vs Dogs: National Geographic
Sea Otters
Young Adult Fiction
Cinder by Marissa Meyer