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NMLD > One Book, One District

One Book, One District

What is “One Book, One District”?

One Book, One District is a reading program built around the shared experience of youth reading and talking about the same book.  Through book discussion, and perhaps other activities, our goal is to promote a sense of community, both in schools and public libraries, that link them in a common conversation around a compelling story. 

The Selection Process

Last fall thirty-seven school and public librarians submitted the titles that they thought might be “great reads” for One Book, One District. We targeted grades 6-12 knowing that it would be necessary to break the selections into two groups.

  • There was a need to consider whether the titles were both age and content appropriate.
  • Each title had to be a good, discussable book with well-developed characters who are dealing with issues in their lives, which readers can identify with. 
  • In addition, the book needed to be available at a reasonable cost and in various media formats.

The first round of voting took place and the field was narrowed. The participating librarians were given a month to read before voting on their final selection in each category. 

The Winners Are….

  • The winner in the grades 6-8 category is the 2007 Newbery Honor book, Rules by Maine’s own author, Cynthia Lord. 
  • The winner in the grades 9-12 category is a well-known Native American author who has won many awards for his adult books before trying his skills as a young adult author. The choice is the 2008 Boston Globe/Horn Book winner, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. 

The Week

The targeted date for  “One Book, One District” is March 23-27, 2009.  Our first choice was Turn Off Your Television Week, however this year it falls during school vacation.

If the week of March 23-27, 2009 doesn’t work for your library or school, please feel free to select one that will.  In the end what matters is that schools and libraries in our district enjoy a richly told story, followed by great conversation. 

Whether you participate or not, you absolutely must take the time to read the inspiring essay by Sherman Alexie entitled Superman and Me.  Enjoy!

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