Books! Books! BOOKS! Reading is the way to the unspoken communication of differences. For Jamie Malloy, Bradie Shrum Elementary School librarian, books are everything. To help encourage students to read, Malloy invites students to participate in the Young Hoosier Book Award program.
“The committee chooses 20 books for the Young Hoosier nominee categories,” said Malloy, explaining how the program works. “Students read the required number of books and then vote on the best book for the state of Indiana. The Young Hoosier books are any books that encourage students to read for fun. They also take an oral test after the book has been read.”
The Young Hoosier Program starts the first week of August and ends the first week in April. This year 32 students completed the program.
When students were asked if they enjoyed Young Hoosier books, one of the students, Noah Redden, said he “loved being able to read all of the books and he can't wait to do it all again next year!”
Another student, McKynlee Deaton, said “Being able to read new stories, and having them can be exciting and fun” is what she likes.
Corbin Baer, another student, said he enjoys being able to have the chapters in the book that he is reading keep him entertained.”
Malloy added, “For me, this is another avenue for students to read and to read a variety of books recommended by other students in Indiana. The goal for the Young Hoosier program is a continued love of reading.”
She said she thought this would be a real interest to the students. “The Young Hoosier Program does draw an interest for students. When I announce the program in August, some students finish in a couple of weeks. Students are excited to set a goal and accomplish the goal.”
Malloy enjoys reading so when she was asked about what she enjoyed the most about the program she was excited to share. “When I taught 7th grade language arts, I remember how much my students enjoyed reading the Young Hoosier books. When I became the elementary librarian, I wanted to continue this program with the elementary students. It is a way for students to set reading goals while reading a variety of different books. I love that students are reading, but most of all, watching them accomplish a goal and seeing the excitement on their faces is priceless.”
As an incentive to read, students who completed the 20-book challenge were recently treated to pizza at Rapid Fire Pizza.