Best books of 2017 and 8 hopes for 2018

Happy New Year, everyone. One of my goals for 2018 is to get back to writing, so here it goes!

Best books of 2017

2017 was an incredible year of reading! While I have a hard time ranking books (it’s like ranking ice cream flavors), here are some of my favorites:

Several are 2017-18 Project LIT Book Club selections – All American Boys, The Hate U Give, A Long Walk to Water, Solo, Dear Martin, March, Refugee, Long Way Down, Wonder, and Patina – and I have a feeling others may end up on next year’s list…

Three tips I have for educators looking to read more in 2018:

1. Give students daily time to read in class. They’ll crave the routine, and so will you! Although I spend some of our independent reading time circulating the classroom and checking in with students, most of my time is spent reading alongside them. Modeling matters!
2. Read what your students are reading. Looking build relationships with your students? Talk to them about what they’re reading and then grab yourself a copy. (Side note: Teachers can’t be “selfish” readers. If you’re not reading what your students are reading, or worse, you’re judging/criticizing students’ selections, you’re doing it wrong.)
3. Start or join a book club: Because we all need a little peer pressure and accountability! Also, if you’re a K-12 educator, complete this form if you’re interested in learning more about Project LIT Community.

Project LIT Community

Thanks to everyone who has supported Project LIT Community over the past year, particularly the 50+ educators across the country who have launched their own Project LIT chapters! Cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store for us…

It’s pretty surreal to re-read this blog post, and see how much we have already accomplished. More thoughts on this later, but in the meantime, here are some of our 2017 highlights:

Mr. Amato receives Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy

First Book Blog Post: Seeding Book Deserts with Diverse Books

Tennessean: ‘Project Lit’ takes aim at Nashville’s book deserts

There’s a (Project)LIT Movement Spreading Like Wildfire and I’m Here For It

The Horn Book: Reading Is LIT: How a Classroom Project Can Impact an Entire Community

8 hopes for 2018

1. That all students have daily time to read high-quality, culturally relevant books in school.
2. That all students have daily opportunities to discuss these books with caring peers and adults.
3. That all communities commit to increasing access to diverse books.
4. That all schools commit to creating a positive reading culture, and that all leaders take time to be readers.
5. That more adults and community members spend time reading and talking about books with our young people.
6. That we listen more to teachers and students, particularly when it comes to literacy.
7. That we spend more money on what matters – great books for our students.
8. That we refuse to take shortcuts or search for quick fixes, and instead focus on doing the little things day in and day out that it takes to build lifelong readers.

What are your hopes for 2018? Share them in the comments or on Twitter using the #ProjectLITchat hashtag!

Happy New Year, and as always, happy reading!

Jarred