Our Middle School Librarians serve as amazing resources for students and teachers throughout the year, whether it’s helping learn how to research to cultivating a love of reading to exploring new genres to finding that next great novel that’s hard to put down. Eager to get students off on the right foot, Librarians Annie Tsai Gomez (“Ms. Tsai”) and Andrea Ostlund hosted a series of Book Tastings for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students.
“Book tasting is a way for us to encourage reading and expose students to different genres,” said Tsai. “It’s set up like a restaurant. We give them a menu and each table they visit is a different genre or category of books.”
There are great examples of the different books students can explore right here in our own library. Fiction, non-fiction, series, “Trumans and Twains” (Missouri book award winners), manga and graphic novels…there’s something for every palette. The librarians encourage students to try new books, too, just like parents encourage their children to reach beyond their favorites and flex those taste buds.
The menus are designed for students to jot down books that pique their interest, since they can’t immediately check out the books they discover at the tasting. Sometimes, though, the students get so excited that they take no chances of an interesting book disappearing. “Kids were strategically hiding books under other books,” Tsai laughed, so the books would be available when they return to check them out. After the tasting, the librarians walk groups of students around the library to ensure they can find their new favorites.
This Book Tasting isn’t just for the students, though. The librarians appreciate the opportunity to get to know their patrons as they wander through the “restaurant.” It’s a sneak peek into the interaction they’ll enjoy all year long. “We get to know them when they check out books because they have to tell us their names,” said Tsai. “We remember what they are interested in, and we enjoy conversations with excited students who will chat you up about what they’ve read.” She and Ostlund recognize that students this year seem even more excited to visit and use the library, since much of our usual activities were constrained by pandemic restrictions. “They are aware that they’ve lived through a period of depravation where they couldn’t be here and physically touch the books,” Tsai said. Their excitement was shared. “We were so touched.”
Here’s to a great year of reading, Middle Schoolers! Bon appetite!