Spring 2018: Lanier Book Madness

(Editor's note: if you'd like to keep up with more of Mrs. Murphy's book recommendations find her on Twitter: @murphybookpicks !)

My name is Maya Littman and I am doing a review on Book Madness, an annual event that goes on for three to four months. Book Madness is run by Mrs. Murphy who chooses a series of books to go up against each other to be crowned the best book of the year. It meets every other Tuesday and you have to read a book in between. After you read the book you meet with your group and talk about which book should move on using the Newbery Honor Award Criteria. The main points of this rubric are theme, plot, setting, character development and storyline. The current books still in the running are The War That Saved My Life, Solo, House Arrest and Salt to the sea, all worthy books. Mrs. Murphy is great at picking out books and all of them have been so amazing that it has been so hard to choose.

Book Madness is so exciting for me. I get to go read amazing books with amazing people that are like me. Anyone can join and you can read some really great books without any cost! All the books chosen are in the library here at school. I highly recommend joining if you love books as much as I do. Mrs. Murphy is so kind and caring and very interested in talking about the books you read with her. The books are usually ones that provoke feelings and make you feel like you are that person. There are also many books about the struggles of black people and people’s daily struggles too. Just because a book was eliminated does not mean you still cannot read it. The choices are very hard and all the books deserve to be read. I recommend Book Madness for anyone that loves books and wants to read some of the best of all time.

Interview with Mrs.Murphy

Why did you decide to start Book Madness?

· To encourage reading

· To familiarize students with the Newbery criteria

· To stimulate intellectual discussions of good literature

· To provide enrichment for readers

· To provide a time and space for readers to talk about what they read with peers

· To expose strong readers to a variety of styles and genres

· To stimulate students to justify their book choices

What sparked your love of books?

· Good books!

Which book do you hope wins this year?

· Tough question! Since I chose the books, I really enjoyed them all. I chose a variety of genres and writing styles with an assortment of characters and problems. Some were more appealing to me than others, but I won’t say which!

How do you decide which books to use?

· Some are Virginia Readers’ Choice titles

· Again, a variety – in style, genre, characters, and problems

· Books I have enjoyed this year!