Each day over on Granitemedia.org, our sister site for district library media programs, we are featuring the reading lives of our elementary media clerks with a daily ‘By the Book’ spotlight interview. Below is one recent example. Check out all the By the Book posts to get to know our fabulous media clerks, as well as find some great book recommendations both for kids and adults.
By the Book: Jennifer Porter, Crestview Elementary
Jennifer is finishing her fifth year as a media clerk at Crestview Elementary. She has done incredible work bringing the library into the 21st century and creating an environment that students are excited to come into.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers by Andrew D. Olsen, and Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle
What was the last great book you read?
Boys on the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. I really enjoyed learning about this group of “boys” and all the history that went into their story. Plus, being from Seattle myself, it was fascinating to learn more about my hometown. I wasn’t even familiar with their story!
The last book that made you cry?
True (…Sort Of) by Katherine Hannigan. I read this a few years ago and was completely drawn in. I finished it as our family was driving to Oregon and I was curled up in the front seat trying not to let the rest of the family hear my sobs. It really made an impact on me and was a beautiful story.
The last book that made you laugh?
Been There, Done That: Writing Stories from Real Life by Mike Winchell
What kind of reader were you as a child? What childhood books and authors stick with you the most?
I actually was a slow reader- things didn’t click for me re: reading until about 4th grade, and I didn’t enjoy reading all that much. But my mom, an avid reader, kept introducing me to great books. My favorite was <em>The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. My mom challenged me to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, with the promise that if I finished it she would buy me all the Madame Alexander Little Women dolls. I still have the set. I loved the classics…still do!
What is the best book you were required to read as a student?
Required? I don’t really remember. The only thing I can think of is in 10th grade English we had to read Romeo and Juliet. I was nervous about reading Shakespeare but my teacher was so great and taught us how to understand Shakespeare that I have loved his work ever since!
What book did you hate reading as a student?
I really can’t remember hating anything I read. I’m sure there was something, I just have no memory of it.
What is your favorite book to recommend to children?
I love to recommend Matthew Kirby’s books. He is a great storyteller and each book fits a different genre.
If you could only bring three books to a desert island, which would you pack?
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen OR A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
By the Book Posts compiled by Nikki Gregerson, District Elementary Library Media Specialist, Educational Technology Department
Jenny Peirce has been the Library Media Educational Technology Specialist for the last 5 years at Kearns High School. Before that she was an STS and eMints Instructional Coach for 5 years. She started her career at Granite teaching 4th grade at Beehive Elementary.
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