Pagers Reading Program
The Pagers reading program is in its ninth season for the high school and eighth season for the middle school. Approximately 25% of the student body successfully completes the program each quarter.
2011-12 Third Quarter Book Selections
High School Quarter 3 Pagers Book
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Inspired by truth, this work of historical fiction leads readers through a tale depicting life in Sarajevo when it was city was under siege in the early 1990s. Following four people whose lives have been altered unimaginably by this experience the story reminds us of the endurance of the human spirit. The characters include, the cellist who plays in an open, bombed out square, for 22 days in memory of those killed in that space, a young man on an adventurous trip to get water for his family, an older man in search of bread to bring home who faces many obstacles, and a young woman, a sniper, who holds the fate of the cellist in her hands as she protects him with her life. This story further shows us how war can change one’s definition of humanity, the effect of music on our emotional endurance, and how a romance with the rituals of daily life can itself be a form of resistance and survival.
Discussion groups are during both lunches on February 27-28.
Middle School Quarter 3 Pagers Book
The Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood
This story takes readers through an adventurous, somewhat unrealistic, tale of what would have happened if the Americans had lost the Revolutionary War. Based in a fictional 1777, where George Washington awaits execution, Benedict Arnold becomes a privateer, and Benjamin Franklin runs a printing shop and distributes illegal newspapers, this story tells about the life and choices of a 17-year-old boy named Creighton Brown. A very spoiled Creighton was sent by his mother to America, against his will, to live with his uncle, an English General. Upon arrival he is faced with challenges and dangers as well as truths he never expected and makes friendships that challenge his loyalties. This story is packed with action, adventure, and compelling portrayals of real-life and fictional characters sure to engage those with a love of history or adventure and fantasy.
Discussion groups are during both lunches on February 27-28.
Details of the program are found at the link below.
Pagers is coordinated by Ms. Christina Lindstrom, Media Specialist.
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."
- Joseph Addison
