With summer just around the corner, there is no better time to sink one’s teeth into a good book – and that’s exactly what students in the Upper Grand District School Board are doing.
In its third year, the Upper Grand Reads program is a literacy initiative where high school students across the district are encouraged to read the same novel – this year The Unlikely Hero Of Room 13B by Toronto author Teresa Toten.
The goal of the program is to engage students in reading and to get them talking about books and sharing ideas – all while improving their literacy skills.
Toten was eager to participate in the program, saying, “I’m both excited and honoured to be part of this year’s Upper Grand Reads program. It is such an inspiring endeavour. I can’t wait to visit each participating school and meet as many students as is humanly possible.”
This year’s novel, The Unlikely Hero Of Room 13B, tells the story of fourteen-year-old Adam who meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder – he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath.
He’s determined to protect and defend her – to play Batman to her Robyn – whatever the cost. But when Adam’s everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it’s difficult for him to imagine himself falling in love.
How could he have a “normal” relationship when his life is so fraught with problems? And that’s not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam’s mother has started to receive.
The Upper Grand Reads program has expanded this year to include author visits at six area high schools: Centre Dufferin DHS, Centre Wellington DHS, John F. Ross CVI, Norwell DSS, Orangeville DSS, and Wellington Heights SS.
In addition, students at Westside SS and Erin DHS aligned with students at Orangeville DSS to enjoy a full-day author festival.
The hour-long visits at the other schools includesd author readings, discussions about mental wellness, question-and-answer sessions, and book signings.
The visits took place from May 16 and 18.
Paper and digital copies of The Unlikely Hero Of Room 13B are available in school and municipal libraries, at local bookstores, and through the Terry James Resource Centre at the board office in Guelph. Students and parents can contact the teacher-librarians at the host schools for more information.
