Abby’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2012)

Abby’s comments from the Mt. Mercy University 2012 group.

Heather wrote: "I don't know that I can pick one. I read Harriet the Spy twice. I read Watership Down in 9th grade. The Great Brain books, Encyclopedia Brown, Two Minute Mysteries, Nancy Drew...I read constantly."

Oh my goodness! I LOVED Encyclopedia Brown!! I might have to find one to read for next week, it's been a long time!

My personal favorite film adaptation is the Chronicles of Narnia series. I grew up reading these books and so the attention to detail and overall accuracy was impressive and I was grateful that they did the books justice.

I hope that I can instill the importance of being widely read. I want to have discussions in my classrooms about books I'm reading, and books my students are reading outside of class. I don't know how to get kids excited other than to find things that they are interested in to get them started with. If you can get them to enjoy it for themselves, they will continue to read outside of school.

My favorite book so far has been "Shipbreaker." I really enjoy that utopia/dystopia type of genre, as well as science fiction based books. I think it is so relateable to what we are going through as a society with global warming, and the depletion of our resources.

I wish I would've read "Drum, Girls, and Dangerous Pie." I really enjoyed it and could relate to it!

The book "Because of Anya" is about a little girl with Alopecia Areata. And the book I just read for last week "The Shamer's Daughter" that is about a young girl who has a gift, that ostracizes her from the rest of the community. I like reading books involving diversity and the process in which they find acceptance!

I was really into teen angst kind of books. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Even though, often books like these did not have a definite path, I felt like they reached me in some way or another.

I enjoy both! It kind of depends on what you are looking for in a good read. If I want something more light hearted like Lauren was talking about, I might go with a younger YA novel, while if I want to be challenged or enjoy more complex plotlines I grab an older YA book. I think there are great aspects of each.

I love that it's easy! And I think that's part of what makes it fun. For example, I read Wuthering Heights for a different class and it was a GREAT story! BUT it was very difficult to read and even though I liked the content of the book, I did not really enjoy reading it. I also love that there is such a wide range of genres and usually they are humorous and characters are relatable and realistic.

I feel like young adult lit is important because it is relatable. Being an adolescent is HORRIBLE, and it’s hard to find something that makes you feel like you're not alone. So even though, we as adults find the plot lines repetitive and overdramatic sometimes, I feel like the emotional connections that young adults get from reading make it important to them. I think that's the basis in general for hooking them into being widely read and in love with literature in the future.