Countywide Read-Along In Second Year

The annual countywide read-along, One Book, One County, is in its second year in McDonald County.

This year's novel is the classic "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis.

Sheila Owens, librarian at Noel Elementary, said, "We met as a group of librarians to try to determine a book that would appeal to the age ranges. This one, once it was brought up, was overwhelmingly loved and agreed upon."

She also noted, "It happened to be a $1 book through Scholastic, which is good because we order 4,800 copies. Every student and staff member gets a copy to keep."

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a fantasy. It is about four children who leave their home in London to escape the bombing during World War II. In the mysterious old house where they end up staying, they access a magical land through a wardrobe, and their lives are changed forever.

Owens said there is a reading calendar that breaks the book down into daily assignments. The read-along started Jan. 8 and goes through Feb. 2. To keep things interesting, there is a daily trivia question on the Facebook page. Small prizes will be awarded. Noel Elementary will have a family night at which the movie will be shown. Other activities will be held at each school during the read-along.

"The activities are left up to each school. We want them to have fun with it however they want to," Owens said.

She noted, "I like doing this because I like encouraging students to have conversations about literature with their families. Sometimes families get really busy and they forget to have those conversations, and a program like this facilitates those conversations. Sometimes (parents) don't feel included in their child's education, and so when we invite them to participate in One Book, One County, I think they appreciate it."

She added members of the community are welcome to a book while supplies last, regardless of whether they have a child in the school system. They can simply visit their nearest school library to get a copy.

Owens said seeing the anticipation and the excitement when the announcement was made about what this year's book was going to be was special.

"I appreciate their excitement," she said.

She also added, "It will be interesting to see how the fantasy novel compares to the realistic fiction we did last year as far as feedback from the county is concerned."

Last year's book was "My Side of the Mountain," a story about a boy who runs away from his home in the city to live in the wilderness.

Owens said of this year's C.S. Lewis classic, "This series has been published over 100 million copies in 47 languages. It was first published in 1950, so it's stood the test of time for sure."

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is part of the "Chronicles of Narnia" series.

Owens concluded, "The whole idea is they read with their families, so we hope students are taking their books home and reading with their families. We want everyone having conversations about literature with their families."