Peggy Revell
There’s a “tree”-mendous effort underway at Fort Frances High School to get people reading the novels that have been nominated for this year’s White Pine Award with a student/teacher book club that meets each Tuesday at 11:40 a.m.
“There’s 10 novels that have been nominated,” Fort High teacher Marla Knutsen said of the White Pine Award, which is part of the annual “Forest of Reading” program run by the Ontario Library Association.
“So what we’ve done is we’ve started a book club where the teachers and the students are reading the novels, so that when they come to the club, they can talk to a teacher who is reading the same novel as them,” she explained.
Then come April, participants can root for their favourite book by casting a vote for it, Knutsen added.
The author who garners the most vote from participants from across the province then is presented the White Pine Award.
While the White Pine Award is for the secondary school level, other winners will be selected in a similar way for other age groups.
Knutsen said about 10 students are involved in Fort High’s club so far, as well as 10 teachers, so at least one teacher is reading one of each of the 10 novels.
But she encourages more students to come out and participate.
“Like I said, we have about 10 students, so if they all don’t show up, it’s kind of off kilter,” Knutsen noted. “You have more teachers than students, and ideally we’d have more students than teachers.
“But I know there’s more students in the school reading the White Pine books because they’re signed out all the time,” Knutsen added, noting the books are available not just at the high school library but also at the local public library for any member of the public who wants to read them.
The club is “pretty awesome,” said Fort High student Alice Johnston, whose favourite book so far has been “Mostly Happy” by Pam Bustin.
“It’s a good way for students to meet other students who aren’t interested in other activities like sports,” she reasoned.
“I think its fun,” agreed Kiela Ford, another one of the students involved with the book club, adding she already likes the nominated books this year better than last year’s selections.
“I like getting into conversations, not necessarily the conversations about the book, but the ones that branch off from what we were talking about,” noted fellow student Kimika Alexander, explaining it’s also an opportunity to talk with other people who are interested in the books being read, not just, for example, talking about books with just friends.
“I think what [students] are getting from it is a number of things,” said Knutsen, referring to the benefits of having the club to coincide with the awards.
This included creating a sense of belonging and community within the school, as well as the chance to meet and make friendships with other students who they may not have necessarily hung out with before, she remarked.
“They [also] get that opportunity to interact with teachers, some teachers that they normally wouldn’t get to interact with,” Knutsen continued.
“We have teachers representing all the departments, so you’re talking to a phys. ed. teacher about the book you’re reading, you’re talking to a science teacher about the book you’re reading, you’re talking to a history teacher—so it’s not just English teachers and students.
“That’s kind of neat for them,” she enthused, noting students also have the chance to discuss the books through an online blog.
And the teachers also are gaining from the experience, Knutsen said.
“It’s a really good opportunity for teachers and the students to get together, and actually it’s really been neat to hear the perspective from the students,” she remarked.
“Because it’s different as an adult when you read a book. And when a student reads a book, it’s interesting to get their perspective on things.”
The books nominated for the White Pine Award this year include “The Book of Michael” by Lesley Choyce, “Cracked Up to Be” by Courtney Summers, “Getting the Girl” by Susan Juby, “Half World” By Hiromi Goto, “The Landing” by John Ibbitson, “Mostly Happy” by Pam Bustin, “The Perfect Cut” by Julie Burtinshaw, “Sister Wife” by Shelley Hrdlitschka, “The Uninvited” by Tim Wynne-Jones, and “Wondrous Strange” by Lesley Livingston.
Some awards through the “Forest of Reading” program, such as The Silver Birch Award, have been around for more than a decade while the White Pine Award was created in 2002.
Past winners for the White Pine category include “Dancing Naked” by Shelly Hrdlitschka, “A Foreign Field” by Gillian Chan, “The First Stone” by Don Aker, “More than You can Chew” by Marnelle Tokio, “The Blue Girl” by Charles De Lint, “Shattered” by Eric Walters, “Keturah & Lord Death” by Martine Leavitt, and “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow.
The OLA estimates more than 250,000 readers from across the province participate in the “Forest of Reading” program each year, which culminates in a two-day “Festival of Trees” event in Toronto, where the winners are announced.
More information about “Forest of Reading” program, including this year’s nominees for the various categories, can be found online at www.accessola.com/forest2010
