The New York Times bestselling author Jeanette Walls wrote “One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.”
Summer reading is a pastime for many but also an opportunity for others to engage with a book, a thought, a character, or an idea and dive in. For the final blog post of the year we will share a bit of what our staff and students are planning for reading this summer and also provide you with some resources to consider your own plans for reading this summer.
Staff summer reads - for pleasure and for professional learning
Page School 4th Grade Teacher, Jenn Tierney stated “I look forward to my summer reading every year. During the school year, I tend to listen to a lot of audiobooks. In the summertime, I find more time for reading physical books for enjoyment. There is nothing better than sitting on the beach with a book in my hand!” While Ms. Tierney enjoys losing herself in a good novel she also uses some time in the summer to read some professional books. This summer, she will be tackling Big Words for Young Readers by Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer. This is one of the texts that is part of the Pentucket PD session this summer titled Lexicology Word Study which is facilitated by Jen Hogan, the Literacy coach and coordinator for the district. There will actually be over 30 staff participating in this PD.
The district administrative team is doing a book study as well this summer with the majority of Principals, Assistant Principals and district administrators reading High Conflict by Amanda Ripley.
While many people are seeking to find a newly released book by a favorite author, several High School staff members shared that they intend to read a book that is considered classic. For some of them, it is a chance to re-read a book they read when they were younger or in the case of Video Media Arts Teacher, Stevin Bartholomew, it is finally getting to a book they have long wanted to read. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is one that Mr. Bart has committed himself to reading this summer. “I've tried several times to read this book. I've only ever made it through the first few chapters before becoming distracted and moving on to something else.” - Mr. Bart
High School History Teacher, John Seigfried is another staff member who hopes to finally get to a book that have wanted to read for a long time. “Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors. I have been saving East of Eden for a long time now it's time. Grapes of Wrath might be my favorite book of all time and his other work is amazing.”
One summer read of note is Division X and Division X 2.0 by Pentucket Alum, August Hill. August is a 2014 graduate and has broken into the literary world with his slasher genre books. Victoria Kelliher, a counselor at the Middle High School, shared that August is her best friend’s brother and she is very happy to support his career as an author and looks forward to reading his books this summer.
Reading for many can be a cathartic activity or something we do that brings us great pleasure. For Dr. Bartholomew, our Superintendent, has read the book Chesapeake by James Michener each summer for many years after a Track and Field Coach recommended the book to him a long time ago. His coach told him, "Just read it... you'll see the value." As Dr. B describes, “It is a long book, but the stories and history of that area of our country are incredibly well developed. While it is an epic novel, the accuracy of the historical events and the context of life in different periods provides insight on the good and bad lessons that were learned, and how it has impacted the future. Just beautifully written.”
Superintendent Bartholomew further revealed his own history with summer reading.
“As a student, I avoided reading at all costs (like most in that time, I preferred to be outside playing whatever game was being played in the neighborhood from dawn to dusk). That hurt me in the long run because I missed out on so many good stories. More importantly, it also slowed my reading skill development, and prevented me from having the opportunity to learn about life from different perspectives.”
Rachel Costello, the Librarian at the Middle High School has no shortage of book recommendations but also has a long list of books she would like to read, with never enough time to get to them all. However, in the summer she divides her reading between some professionally focused books and some for pleasure too. She hopes to read Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley and continue her professional journey of learning about the science of learning with the book Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Pooja K. Agarwal and Patrice Bain
Students getting in on the fun
Our students are also carving out time to read this summer. Over the years we have moved away from specific books to assign for summer reading but rather provide suggested lists, authors and topics. While some students in high school may be preparing for AP courses with some required reading, most students are simply excited to read books they have chosen.
Annie Tracy, a 2nd grade student in Ms. Grimes' class at Sweestir School in Merrimac reads all of the time at school and summer in particular is a time when she lines up books to read.
“I am looking forward to reading the entire Dragon Masters series by Tracey West because I think they will be very cool and my older brother read them and gave me one which got me excited to read them all.” - Annie Tracy, 2nd Grader
Reading becomes a habit but it also is something that different kids find engaging at different points in their life. For some of our high school students, the school year gets very busy with classes, activities, sports and all kinds of commitments but the summer brings a change of pace for many, such as 9th grader, Fiona Moore.
“As an avid reader, I find the summer is my favorite time to dive into the numerous novels that have piled up on my bookshelf throughout the school year. For me, summer is a time full of laying around on the floor of my room with a well-worn book in hand. This year I’ve been wanting to read more classics, specifically more Shakespeare like The Tempest and Hamlet. But before I immerse myself in his melodramatic plays, I want to read I Know How a Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. It was given to me by my parents many months ago and I’ve unfortunately yet to read it, so I cannot wait to jump right in.” – Fiona Moore, grade 9
The classic “beach read” is something we all seem to look forward to. It is also often a point of discussion and even nosiness as we peak at what others are reading on the beach. New books and classics alike, both make for great beach reads and Brooke Pipan, a 9th grader at PRMHS agrees.
“In the summer, whenever I go to the beach I always bring a book to read. I have many books that I can’t wait to read this summer, one book being The Outsiders. I have heard great things about this book and am looking forward to it.” – Brooke Pipan, grade 9
Dr. Ruland, our 7-12 ELA Department Chair, is always a source of ideas for great literature but also has ideas on how to engage with a book and reading over the summer. The setting of books often helps as readers can try to visualize the events. If you are familiar with a location, there are personal connections that you can “see” from characters and interactions.
“Summer is a great time for me to get caught up in books. I’m always reading something but only have so much time during the school year, so the books pile up. Lately, I’ve been really into Scandinavian mysteries. I’ve just found an author, Arnaldur Indridason, who I’ve been devouring and will finish all of his translated novels this summer. I also just started reading the Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron. The books are all set in non-touristy parts of Maine and center around a game warden working to solve various crimes. I usually mix in some beach reads with a couple classics, and some nonfiction. It’s been a while since I read Wuthering Heights, so I’m hoping to get to that. I also want to read Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell. There’s just so much good reading out there, something to interest anyone.” – Dr. Todd Ruland
We are also fortunate in our three towns to have active and exciting public libraries that are always places for students and families to connect with over the summer. We are so fortunate that we have the public support and funding to make sure the public libraries remain a source of learning and resources for every member of our community. Beyond just books - our libraries are a hub of activity in the summer with events and programs that would connect with just about any interest. Check out the links below to see what is happening all summer long in our libraries.
Local Libraries holding various summer events:
Groveland - https://langleyadamslib.org/
Merrimac - https://www.merrimaclibrary.org/
West Newbury - https://westnewburylibrary.org/
Of course, not all communities are as fortunate as we are to have such access to books and programming that supports reading. Dr. Molly Ness of New York, has been working on a program for many years to end “book deserts”. Book deserts of areas and zip codes where access to books is limited which makes developing a culture of reading challenging. You can read about her work through one of Pentucket’s instructional partners Learning Ally in their blog post or you can listen to her podcast at https://www.endbookdeserts.com/ and learn how to support their work.
No matter what your plans are for the summer, hopefully they include some time for reading. A book in hand or even using audio books are both great ways to learn something new, lose yourself in a character’s adventures or envision yourself in a far off distant land. The summer months are perfect for it.
"The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change."
―E.B. White, Charlotte's Web
Here are a few of the other books that our staff are planning to read this summer:
Cynthia Cromwell, PRHS English teacher is reading - Table for Two by Amor Towles
Cora Ducolon, PRHS English teacher is reading - Keeper of Lost Cities #3 by Shannon Messenger
Rachael Costello, Middle-High Librarian is reading - Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Richie Harty, PRHS Social Studies is reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wal Kimmerer
Monique Landry, PRMHS Nurse is reading The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg
Brent Conway
Assistant Superintendent
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