Books For The Inbetweeners! Help Us Build Our Library

Funded May 1, 2014

The In-Betweener Library was a huge hit with the class! The kids were so excited to have a fresh set of books in both Spanish and English. Finally, we had some really toothsome nonfiction books. One boy wrote that these books "were cool and the class was eager to see the new books. Once they got here many class mates [were] already trying to peek at the new books. The book I mostly like was Inside the Titanic." A second student asked me to tell you "Thank you for all these lovely books. You guys I love your warm hearted hearts. Thank you for being so sweet and gentle."

The class tore through the Dork Diaries (and my two newcomers carried the Spanish versions around with them everywhere). In a letter, one of my students wrote that she loved this series "because there was a girl that was in love," which just goes to show these books met my pre-adolescents' new interests! Another student (who is an avid reader) wanted you to know that "my favorite book out of all of them was My Brother Is A Big Fat Liar by James Patterson. Along with the rest of the Middle School series, it was a great book. I don't think I would have discovered these books if you didn't help out. They were really funny and exciting and I happen to know that I wasn't the only one excited and enjoying the books." My students found lots to relate to in the In-Betweener Library, including details that wouldn't necessarily seem important to grown-ups: "A book that I enjoyed was and is 'Smile.' Well because it is sooo similar to what is going to happen to me. I'm supposed to get braces in 1 1/2 month. But not because I lost 2 teeth [which happens to the character in Smile] or any teeth. It's because my teeth are too straight. I love that book." Another kid (who is anxious about 6th grade) loved Smile because "it's kinda like the real world and how middle school will be like."

I think I will close this letter with my translation of one of the newcomers' letters to you: "Thank you for the books you donated to us. They were grand. I had never read "Diario de Nikki" and thanks to your donation I was able to read almost all of them, and I read many more books, too. Before I didn't read as much as now, and since I could take the books home to read, each night I read 16 or 10 pages. I admire you very much for giving us this gift. Thanks a million times over!"”

With gratitude,

Ms. Berenblum