FernFolio

Intended for students in Grades 4 to 6, the Silver Birch Reading Program has two categories, a fiction category and a non-fiction category. There are ten books nominated in each.
Just as soon as copies of the Silver Birch nominated titles arrive in the library, students will be able to start their reading, and, very soon after, their discussions about the books! Readers are invited to lunch-hour meetings during which they can talk about their reading and defend their favourite book. Sometimes these conversations lead to research, such as our investigation, a few years ago, of medical practices during the middle ages. Sometimes they provoke moments of hilarity, like last year, when one reader entertained the group with her skit of a puppy, who thinks she’s a kitten, trying to climb a tree (if you’ve read Prairie Dogs, you’ll remember the scene!).
Students who have read a minimum of five books in either category are eligible to vote for the best book in that category. Some student vote for their favourite fiction title, some vote for their favourite non-fiction title, some vote for both, and some simply enjoy one or a few good books. Every year there are a small number of students who read all of the titles nominated in each category!
Voting takes place in the Spring, and we send our results off to the Ontario Library Association to be added to those from students all over Canada. Every one of us eagerly awaits the results and either celebrates the winning book or concludes, wryly, that the rest of the country has no appreciation for good literature.
Regardless of the outcome, Silver Birch is always exciting!
FernFolio Editor