Tuesday, January 6, 2009 4:24 PM CST
Ready to Read Across Mattoon book announced after debate, delays
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — As a committee of Mattoon Middle School students narrowed down a list of names to about four finalists, their meetings took on shades of “American Idol.”
But this was literature, not pop music.
And after many hours of reading, some lively debates, delays from inclement weather and a secret vote, the book chosen for this year’s Ready to Read Across Mattoon program finally was announced Monday.
Students and residents throughout the community are invited to read “Rules,” a novel by Cynthia Lord about a 12-year-old girl dealing with her autistic younger brother.
Middle school students said they chose the novel from the list of 20 nominees for the 2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award because it is likely to ring true with adults as well as adolescents.
“You want to read it all in one night,” said Brock Taylor, a seventh grader and member of the MMS Student Reading Committee.
A thousand paperback copies of “Rules” have been ordered and will be distributed to community members following the formal announcement of the chosen book at the Mattoon school board meeting Jan. 12. The list of businesses and organizations participating in the program will be made available at that time.
Adults are asked to read the book, fill out an optional comment card and then pass the novel on to someone else.
This year’s book was slated to be revealed at the middle school prior to the winter break, but the cancelation of school for three days in a row due to icy weather altered these plans.
As early as last spring, a committee of more than 30 middle school students started reading books on the Rebecca Caudill list. Named after the renowned author of children’s books, the award recognizes excellence among such novels each year. Participating Illinois schools nominate books for the award and then vote on the winner.
Now in its seventh year, the Ready to Read Across Mattoon program traditionally turns to the Rebecca Caudill list for sources, although the MMS Student Reading Committee has strayed from the list three times previously in selecting an ultimate winner because students were not passionate about any of the novels.
“You begin to see that maybe that book (for Ready to Read Across Mattoon) is not in that list,” said Anieta Trame, MMS librarian.
This year, however, the reading committee stuck to the list, in part because of a looming deadline. “The pressure was on us,” said Taylor.
At the beginning of the school year, the committee started meeting every Friday. They started by narrowing down the books on the list using factors such as a novel’s availability in paperback; its potential appeal to a wide audience; and even the appearance of its cover.
Discussions then commenced on specific books. To comment on a novel, a committee member had to have read at least four of its chapters. Students had to stand up and speak to either pros or cons about the book in question, said Taylor.
“We have to think about whether the community would like it,” said Kasey Considine, a sixth grader and reading committee member.
Once the list is pared to about three or four books, “Then the argument really begins,” said Trame.
Students voted openly on rejecting books until they got down to the final two choices. Then they indicated their preference on a secret ballot. No one was allowed to reveal the winner until it was announced to the student body Monday morning.
That meant committee members had to keep mum throughout the winter vacation. “We’re sworn to secrecy,” said Considine.
Students said “Rules” won out this year because it has the potential to connect with many different readers.
According to a review posted on Amazon.com by Connie Tyrrell Burns, a middle school teacher from South Portland, Maine, the book’s 12-year-old protagonist named Catherine has “conflicting feelings” about David, her brother with autism. “While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him. (It’s okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store.)”
Each chapter reveals at least one of these rules.
“It really makes you look at someone with a disability a lot different,” said Considine.
Reading committee member Leah Buck said “Rules” is reminiscent of one of last year’s finalists, “Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie” by Jordan Sonnenblick, which featured a younger sibling with cancer. Both books are told from the perspective of children.
“You really see people differently when you see it through someone else’s eyes,” said Buck.
While firmly in the genre of “realistic fiction,” this year’s Ready to Ready Across Mattoon book also is uplifting and humorous, students said.
“It’s a book that makes you feel good when you read it,” said Considine.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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