
The Book Fort
Instructional Ideas for Immediate Implementation
Welcome to The Book Fort: Special Jolabokaflod Issue!
Week Nineteen: Jolabokaflod
Happy New Year! As I look back on this holiday season, I realized that I have long been disgruntled with the lack of what I consider true holiday spirit; when I lived in Louisville, KY I never felt like it was Christmas at all until I saw A Christmas Carol at Actor's Theatre, and even that remarkable play has lost a bit of its luster. I have always enjoyed receiving books for Christmas from my favorite aunt as a child and started this tradition with my niece and nephews as a result. This winter, I have also been inspired by a colleague to learn more about Iceland's Jolabokaflod, or the Yule Book Flood.
In Iceland, many residents give each other books for Christmas. The emerging cultural tradition is now for everyone to spend Christmas Eve reading. Yes, reading. Imagine how this would feel in your household, when things can be frantic and stressful, when kids are wide awake and presents still need to be wrapped. Read about how Guinevere de la Mare, founder of the Silent Book Club chose to change her own gift giving traditions based on Jolabokaflod.
So, for the first Book Fort of the year, I thought I would try to inspire you to create your own Jolabokaflod by flooding you with recommended texts for all ages. I am thrilled to share with you books that students, teachers, friends, and family love. There are also some tips and tools for reading success included. I hope you enjoy and spread this love to your students as they return to the classroom this new year. Let's make 2018 the year we all read more than we ever have before! It will pay dividends beyond what we will ever truly expect or know, more than scores on tests.
Pip the Possum by Meaghan Fisher
He says to Latonya Taylor Rowe, KY teacher and his grandmother, "I like this book because you read it to me! Pip has a tail that grows wrong and he is sad. One day a snake comes close to Pip and something happens to his tail."
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
High School Recommendations
Brian's Song by William Blinn
Hunter, Union County High School, KY Grade 12
"Even though it is a sad book, Brian's Song has a happy ending. Despite the opposing differences, these friends learned to trust each other through life's challenges."
The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Scowler by Daniel Kraus
Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Check out Amber Armstrong-James's Video about how to manage Independent Reading
What You're Reading
Out of Wonder by Kwame Alexander
Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom by Fisher, Frey, Hattie, & Thayre
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
Unqualified by Anna Faris
Harry Potter: A Journey through a History of Magic
If Not for the Perfect Stranger: Heartwarming & Healing Stories of Kindness from the 2013 Boston Marathon
Kristie Hofelich Ennis, NBCT
Email: kennis@murraystate.edu
Location: Dublin, OH, United States
Facebook: facebook.com/kristie.hofelich
Twitter: @KristieHEnnis