Students excell in KMS library project

Students at Kennett Middle School (KMS) recently participated in the 2008-2009 Mark Twain and the Truman Readers Awards Programs, seven of whom read at least four books from each program's list and voted for their favorite. Both programs are part of a state-wide children's choice reading program for students.

Sponsored by the Missouri Association of School Librarians, each year the programs put out a new list of 12 quality chapter books that have been selected by teachers and librarians from around the state.

In order to vote for their favorite books, the students must read or listen to at least four books from the list.

Five students participated in the Mark Twain program, who then voted for their favorite books.

"The Million Dollar Putt by Dan Gutman was my favorite book because it shows that if you have a problem, you can still do anything that you dream of," said sixth-grader Rachel Lane.

"I really enjoyed reading 'Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters' by Lesley Blume because you could be sitting in a chair at home reading and then all of a sudden you would be in the story doing things with Cornelia," said sixth-grader Lindsay Crafton.

"My favorite book was Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan," said sixth-grader Justin Roberts. "It is an adventure book and I love adventure books. You get to have some fun out of reading it!"

"My favorite Mark Twain book was 'Million Dollar Putt' by Dan Gutman," said eighth-grader Amy Johnson, who participated in both the Mark Twain and Truman programs. "It is about a blind 13-year-old boy who plays golf. It taught me that you can do anything you want in life and that everyone has their own speed of doing things. My favorite Truman Reader book was 'Sand Dollar Summer' by Kimberly K. Jones. It teaches that you need to hang onto your family because they love you and they will always be there for you."

"'Rules' by Cynthia Lord was my favorite book on the Mark Twain list because the characters in the story overcome many obstacles and differences between them. The girl also learns to accept people for who they are," said sixth-grader Alli Mowrer, who participated in both the Mark Twain and Truman programs. "Sand Dollar Summer by Kimberly K. Jones was my favorite book on the Truman Reader list because the girls' mom is in an accident, and makes the family move to Maine. She buys a broken down house right on the cold beaches of Maine. She is upset because they left her beautiful room and all her friends behind. She makes a few friends in Maine, and learns that all things must go, and things are not always how they first seem."

One other student participated in the Truman program, eighth-grader Raina Neal.

"My favorite book was 'Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer," Neal said. "I chose this book because it was about an ice storm. All the time I was reading it, I was thinking that I'm glad we aren't going through all this. Then right after I finished the book, the ice storm hit Kennett. We were in a similar situation, so I knew what the main character was feeling."

The Mark Twain Award provides all the children of Missouri with a recommended reading list of literature that will enrich their lives through reading, according to KMS Librarian Kim Johnson.

Johnson also said that the Truman Readers Award, which is in its first year, encourages students in the early teen years to express their unique voice through exploring new literary genres, communication with their peers about young adult literature, and honoring authors writing for young teens.

Both awards are presented annually at the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL).

Last year, KMS participated for the first time, having 15 students who were eligible to vote for the Mark Twain Award.

"I have been encouraging students to read these books since school began in August so they could vote for their favorite book in March and be in one of the Library Clubs," Johnson said. "Both the Mark Twain and the Truman Readers nominee lists are excellent literature for middle school students. I am very proud of the six students who made the Library Clubs; and extremely proud of Alli Mowrer and Amy Johnson, who made both Library Clubs. They were the only two KMS students that read 4 from each nominee list."

On Monday, April 20, the winning books were chosen from around the state.

In the Mark Twain Reader Award Program, first place went to "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan, second place went to "The Million Dollar Putt" by Dan Gutman, and third place went to "Rules" by Cynthia Lord.

In the Truman Reader Award Program, first place went to "Life as we knew it" by Susan Beth Pfeffer, second place went to "Runaway" by Wendelin Van Draanen, and third place went to "Rash" by Pete Hautman.