For Family Literacy Day on January 27, Michelle Willms, librarian at Burdett School, organized a book tasting for Grade 8 and 9 students. This is Willms second year as librarian and she got the idea from a Facebook group.  

“I’ve never worked in a school or classroom and needed some help. There are lots of great librarian groups and they had so many good ideas,” explained Willms. “I also use Teachers Pay Teachers and they have lots of great ideas of what to do in classrooms and libraries and so I went on there and found some fun decorations and ideas.” 

This year the library was outfitted with a couch and several beanbag chairs, making the space comfortable so students can read there. Principal Scott Raible likes the excitement created around reading at the school. 

“Students try different novels they might not normally read from various genres and Michelle puts the jazz music on. Even the students who might not normally pay attention fall under the spell of the atmosphere,” stated Raible. “It’s great to see that and have students access hard copies again because unfortunately that medium is being replaced with screentime and digital content. It’s nice, as a book lover myself, to see students in the books.” 

Grade 9 student Trudy Neufeld likes, “to experience new books and genres because I normally only like mystery books. This time, I got to read comedy, heartbreak and fantasy.” Neufeld enjoys mysteries because she likes to guess what is going to happen at the end. A diligent student, she spends most of her spare moments while at school getting her work done and is often given extra work, which she prefers to complete before engaging in more leisurely activities.  

Poancho Friesen, also in Grade 9, said, “the thing I like most about the book tasting is reading different books. I normally read sports and survival story books because I never know what will happen next.” He also plays sports and is on the Burdett School basketball teams, saying he’s scored enough baskets to get by this year. Friesen has discovered books about other people are interesting because he gets to see how their lives are different than his.  

Willms held book tastings last year for most of the grades in the school and this session was her second one with the Grade 8/9 students. “Last year I ran book tastings separately for Grade 8 and 9, so it was a smaller group. This year, I have them both at the same time for library and they knew what was going to happen. Lots of them really like to read, which is amazing for that age group.” 

Adding to the fun and relaxed atmosphere, the students were treated to a cup of hot chocolate and a few cookies once the book tasting was done. Afterward, many students followed Willms back to the library so they could check out books they had tasted and wanted to continue reading.  

Something new Willms started this year is a monthly book challenge where she selects three books for each division, Grades 1-3, 4-6 and 7-9, and those participating read one of them to be entered into a prize draw. About 30 students participate in the challenge and Willms expects about 20 or more of them will receive a gift card from Principal Raible for taking part every month this school year.  

“I have a slip, like a tiny report, they fill out when the book is returned,’ explained Willms. “I keep a record on my computer and at the end of each month, I do a draw for each division for a prize, which is usually a book. It’s lots to keep track of, but they know the drill now and we are in the rhythm so it’s going well.”  

Each grade has a library class each week where Willms will read a book or two for classes with younger students and a couple chapters, currently from Wild Robot, for the older ones. Afterward, the students have a chance to browse the library, check out books or have some quiet reading time. Occasionally, Willms will organize an activity, such as a book scavenger hunt or book bingo.  

“Scott (Raible) is enthusiastic about the library and I appreciate that because sometimes librarians get a bit overlooked,” concluded Willms. “The kids in this school love to read and coming to library.” 

By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer