ReCreate Reading registration opens this week

This+years+ReCreate+Reading+selection+featured+69+titles.+Students+will+meet+with+their+reading+groups+for+a+pre-summer+meeting+on+April+10.+

Gloria Guo

This year’s ReCreate Reading selection featured 69 titles. Students will meet with their reading groups for a pre-summer meeting on April 10.

by Gloria Guo, TALON Academics Editor

Students picked their ReCreate Reading books from a vast selection of 69 titles this week. They will read and discuss their selection with peers after returning from the summer vacation.

Upper school teachers join in on the summer reading experience as well, hosting a novel of their choice and leading a conversation with students.

Librarian and ReCreate Reading founder Lauri Vaughan created the ReCreate Reading program nine years ago to replace a previous system that had been both ineffective and unpopular among students.

“There used to be a program where all students were encouraged to read two books, and then students were supposed to write an essay and submit it,” Vaughan said. “The problem was that no one did it, and it was a terrible experience for both the students and teachers. Because of that, we somehow wanted to organically leverage the reading that was already happening on the campus and the enthusiasm that our reading faculty already had into a summer reading program.”

With ReCreate Reading, students are able to choose from a larger selection of books and genres rather than being limited to a required reading and essay reflection.

This year, the rising senior class was given first selection of  the books on Monday, while rising juniors and sophomores chose their novels on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

An advancement in the program also includes the unprecedented number of ReCreate Reading titles featuring authors participating in their novels’ discussions. “Royal Bastards” by Andrew Shvarts and “We Gon’ Be Alright” by Jeff Chang are the two books with authors who will visit the Upper School  and participate in group meetings to discuss their works with students. For some  books including “True Crime Addict” by James Renner, “On Trails” by Robert Moor and “Zodiac” by Romina Russell and Nikki Loftin, the authors plan to connect with students in their reading groups via Skype.

Students will meet with their ReCreate Reading groups for a pre-summer meeting on April 10.