Read, Write, Repeat.

Being a school librarian can be a tough job. You might know the perfect book for a student, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can get the kid in question to read it.

Some high schoolers are very concerned about what their peers think and don’t want to be seen with a book that sends the wrong message. They might read Star Trek novels, for example, but would draw the line at carrying them around school.

So if I were the librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d have to approach David Karofsky very carefully.

First, some background …

If you watch Glee, you know Karofsky, who’s portrayed by the exceptional Max Adler, started the season as the school bully, throwing slushies at Glee Club members. The football player also targeted Kurt Hummel, slamming him into lockers and generally terrorizing him.

As the season progressed, it became clear Karofsky was struggling with his own sexual orientation. He kissed an unexpecting Kurt and then threatened to kill him if he told anyone. By the final episode – with a little help from Santana Lopez – Karofsky had become Kurt’s defender. But he still wasn’t ready to accept himself or share his feelings with his friends or family.

That’s where these books could help.

I’d give Karofsky two books by Catherine Gilbert Murdock – Dairy Queen (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) and The Off Season (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). I’d have to be a little careful, because different editions of the books feature different cover art, some of which is quite feminine. And Karofsky doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who’d want to carry around a book with a picture of a cow wearing a tiara on the cover.

But once he got started, I think Karofsky would really get into the story of D.J. Schwenk, who lives on a struggling dairy farm in Wisconsin with her sports-loving family. Both her older brothers are hometown heroes for their accomplishments on the field and now play college football.

D.J., who’s over six feet tall and very strong, is something of a success story herself. She plays linebacker for her high school team (and does a much better job of it than the Glee girls who played for McKinley High during the Super Bowl episode.)

But D.J.’s life is far from easy. Nearly all her free time is spent keeping the farm running. She’s failing English and won’t be able to play if she can’t bring her grades up. Her parents are preoccupied with financial and health issues. Her best friend and younger brother have been acting funny, and she’s got a … well … complicated relationship with the starting quarterback from an opposing football team.

But here’s the kicker.

Nearly every character struggles with figuring out who they really are and deciding how to live their lives.

D.J. is used to going along with whatever her family and friends want rather than speaking up for herself. Will she find her voice? And if she does, what will she say?

Curtis, D.J.’s younger brother, pretends to like sports to keep the peace, but dreams of being a dentist and sneaks off to enter the science fair because he doesn’t think his parents would support his interests.

Amber, D.J.’s best friend, eventually admits she’s a lesbian, even though it makes things awkward with D.J. and damages Amber’s relationship with her mom.

And Win, D.J.’s older brother, gets injured and has to reassess what his life might be like if he’s no longer a football player.

This could get Karofsky thinking.

Who is he really underneath his tough facade? What does he want his life to be? How could he achieve that? And, what’s stopping him from being honest with himself – not to mention with his family and friends?

If I were Karofsky’s librarian, I’d give him both books and tell him to pay special attention to Chapter 19 in The Off Season when Curtis admits who he really is and D.J.’s sort-of boyfriend shows his true colors.

If you’d like to know more about Catherine Gilbert Murdock, these books, or the final installment of the series, Front and Center (Houghton Mifflin, 2009), visit her website.

And finally, if you’d like to see which books I’d recommend to other Glee characters, they are:

• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

The Glee Club at William McKinley High School has more than its fair share of divas.

But no matter how diva-ishly delicious Mercedes, Kurt and Santana can be at times, Rachel Berry always manages to eclipse their efforts.

As En Vogue memorably sang , “And now it’s time for a breakdown”

Rachel temporarily defected from the Glee Club after Mr. Schuster had Tina sing a “West Side Story” song instead of her.

She showed up at Glee Club rehearsal with duct tape covering her mouth to protest Mr. Schuster’s attempts to “silence her voice” after he gave a solo to someone else.

And, she encouraged Sunshine Corazon to join Glee Club so Sunshine could sing back-up. But when it became clear Sunshine was a phenom, Rachel gave her directions to a crack house instead of the auditorium where auditions were really being held.

Sure Rachel, who’s portrayed with neurotic perfection by Lea Michele, occasionally shows flashes of humanity. But ultimately, she always reverts to her true beliefs. That no one else in the Glee Club can hold a candle to her talent.

And, she may be right.

Finn, Rachel’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, believes she’s destined for stardom far beyond Lima, Ohio. And Quinn, Rachel’s best frenemy, has flat-out said, “You don’t belong here, Rachel. And you can’t blame me for helping send you on your way.”

And Kurt Hummel, who’s often battled Rachel for time in the spotlight even admitted, “She may be difficult, but boy can she sing. Bravo!”

Yet Rachel seems stuck in Lima, with the Glee Club the only outlet for her burning passion to perform.

So … if I were the librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d try to expand Rachel’s horizons and help her see some opportunities that exist outside Ohio.

I’d start by giving her Theater Geek (Free Press, 2010) by Mickey Rapkin. Rapkin spent a summer at Stagedoor Manor, a summer theater camp in the Catskills with a reputation for taking in theater-loving misfits and turning out high-quality performances and stars like Natalie Portman, Jon Cryer and Mandy Moore.

Rapkin’s day job is a senior editor at GQ, which I’m sure Rachel and Kurt would find fascinating.

But that’s not why Rachel needs to read this book.

This book would help Rachel in two ways.

First, it would show her a place she could belong. Stagedoor Manor prides itself on offering a home for talented theater kids who feel they don’t fit into their real life. As Jeff Blumenkrantz, a Stagedoor alum who went on to write the music to “Urban Cowboy” said, “I always felt other than. Let’s put it this way. I used to survive the school year, and the reward was Stagedoor Manor.”

Rachel would thrive in an environment where popularity is based on talent. One student who was not popular in his high school was a star at Stagedoor. When another girl from his school came to Stagedoor, she was floored. “For her, it was like ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ” the student said. “She couldn’t figure it out. Why is David Quinn the most popular person here?”

Rachel could go from being a slushie target to someone who mattered in a heartbeat.

Second, it just might help her see she’s not the only talented kid in America. Lots of kids with talent and theater dreams come to Stagedoor Manor and find themselves in supporting roles. (Case in point. Lea Michele, who plays Rachel on Glee, attended Stagedoor and never had a lead role. Not that she’s complaining now.)

Rachel would be a much nicer person if she had a dose of humility that she’d no doubt get after spending three weeks with kids who not only get subtle Sondheim references but have the vocal chops to execute “Sweeney Todd” and, perhaps, even beat her in a sing-off.

So I’d give Rachel the hardcover book, telling her to pay special attention to the anecdote about Courtney Love’s altercation with a hot dog vendor on page 13 and Chapter 7, appropriately titled “Hell Week.”

And, if Rachel liked the book, she could learn more about Mickey Rapkin at this website.

Rapkin has also written Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory (Gotham Books, 2008) which I’m sure Warblers’ front man Blaine Anderson would be interested in perusing. (And for all you Glee fans out there, this book also focuses heavily on the Tufts Beelzebubs, who provided the background vocals for Season Two’s Warblers’ songs.)

But perhaps that’s a recommendation for another day.

My recommendations for Glee characters so far:

• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.

• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

William McKinley High School needs a librarian.

It already has a library. It’s where Noah Puckerman famously asked Lauren Zizes out for a pre-Valentine’s Day date. It’s where Artie, Tina, Kurt, Mercedes and Brittany performed “You Can’t Touch This,” an M.C. Hammer tribute complete with parachute pants. And, it’s where Finn and Rachel had a shelf-clearing lovers’ quarrel.

But the only librarian I’ve ever seen is a stereotypically stodgy woman who periodically appears to shush any Glee kids who get carried away.

Nothing against actress Jean Sincere who plays the role, but if there’s ever been a school that could benefit from a tuned-in, turned-on librarian who really knows young adult literature, it’s William McKinley High.

Because – brilliant singing voices aside – the kids there have issues. And, sometimes, the best way to cope with whatever issue is troubling you at the moment isn’t bursting into song. It’s reading about someone facing a similar situation.

That’s why so many young adult books feature characters who feel left out, unaccepted, abused or lacking in some vital way.

What teen hasn’t felt that way at least once? What Glee teen hasn’t felt that way at least once per episode?

A librarian could recommend the perfect book for each character.

I’m not officially a librarian, but I could play one on TV. And if I did, the first book I’d recommend to a Glee cast member would be David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy to Kurt Hummel, who is beautifully portrayed by Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer.

If you watch Glee, you know Kurt has had two stressful seasons. He’s come out as gay, seen his father nearly die after a heart attack and formed an uneasy alliance with his new stepbrother, Finn. Through all this, he’s endured escalating bullying from closeted football player Dave Karofsky that had Kurt briefly transfer to another, more accepting, school. There, he met, sang with – and ultimately kissed – a boy named Blaine.

Boy Meets Boy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) paints the picture of a much more accepting world than anything Kurt has encountered so far. As Paul, the main character, says on the first page, “There isn’t really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They got all mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best.”

And Paul’s high school reflects that. Paul is gay. His best friend, Joni, is straight. The school’s quarterback is a 6-foot-3 drag queen named the Infinite Darlene who also is the homecoming queen. There’s also Ted, Joni’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. And Kyle, Paul’s ex-boyfriend, who’s a bit confused. And Noah, the new boy in town who’s caught Paul’s eye.

It’s kind of like Kurt’s new school, Dalton Academy, might be if it were co-ed and no one wore uniforms.

The best thing about this book is its simple charm.

It’s mainly a love story between Paul and Noah, who meet in the self-help section of a bookstore in this scene:

“I am aware of my breathing. I am aware of my heartbeat. I am aware that my shirt is half untucked. I take the book from him and say thanks. I put it back on the shelf. There’s no way that Self-Help can help me now.”

Paul and Noah meet, connect and date with help and some well-intentioned hindrances from Paul’s friends. (Besides being a drag queen, the Infinite Darlene is a bit of a drama queen.)

The book’s appeal also lies in the fact that while it focuses on gay relationships, it’s a sweet, romantic story that would work just as well if it were about a heterosexual couple. The characters’ sexual orientation is beside the point.

Because their struggles are universal.

How do you stay connected to someone you love? What do you do when you don’t like the person your best friend loves? How do you apologize when you’ve made a mistake? How do you forgive someone who has hurt you?

If I were Kurt’s librarian, I’d hand him the paperback version of this book and tell him to read it all, paying special attention to Paul’s alphabetical list of why he doesn’t know what to do about Noah on page 156 and the very romantic kissing scene on page 178.

I’d also point out that The Bulletin gave this a starred review and said, “In a genre filled with darkness, torment and anxiety, this is a shiningly affirmative and hopeful book.”

Which is just what Kurt Hummel and many of the other students at William McKinley High School need to read.

So hey, Ryan Murphy. If you think Glee needs one more librarian … give me a call.

When I was a child, my sister and I spent our summers reading.

Sometimes, we’d hop on the city bus and go to the main library, but mostly we’d walk to Congress Park – a rundown playground near our house with monkey bars that would be deemed unsafe by today’s standards. 

There, we’d wait for the bookmobile to chug its way around the corner. Once it arrived, we’d check out as many books as we could carry, stagger home, and start reading. I don’t remember being especially discriminating. If the book had two covers and pages inside, it was all right by me.

Once we had each read our books, we’d swap stacks and begin again. But in a day or two were were always back — waiting for the bookmobile.

We were such frequent visitors, the bookmobile librarian didn’t think we actually could have read the books were were claiming on our summer reading club sheets.

But after she’d quizzed us and realized we truly had, she became concerned and wanted to speak to our mother about getting us adult library cards instead of our children’s versions. We obviously weren’t being sufficiently challenged.

I still remember my mother’s response.

“It won’t make any difference,” she said. “They’ll read the adult books just as fast.”

And she was right.

When I became a parent myself, in another city, I was thrilled to live near a bookmobile stop — also by a park as it happens — and giddily took my daughters. (One even followed in my footsteps by completing her reading sheet on the third day of summer vacation.)

They came home with stacks of books, but I usually left empty-handed. The bookmobile was big on cookbooks and romance novels for adults, which, while nice, weren’t my preferred subject matter.

Then I found out I could request books that the bookmobile would have on hand the next time it stopped. Bingo! I’d hit paydirt.

Once, I was even interviewed by a newspaper reporter who was getting citizen input on whether my suburb needed its own library. I said no, because we had the bookmobile.

Now, we are getting a lovely library within biking distance from my house. And I cannot lie. I am excited. I’m sure I will want to move in once it opens.

But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the brightly colored, diesel-fueled bookmobiles that fed my need to read as a child.

So in that spirt, I recommend Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston (HarperCollins, 2011).

It’s the true story of librarian Dorothy Thomas who started a bookmobile for rural families. And, it’s altogether lovely. From the moving story of Miss Dorothy’s devotion to books to how she shared that passion with her neighbors, young and old, and how that passion influenced their lives, the book exudes nothing but love.

And the illustrations by Susan Condie Lamb are killer.

So check it out when you get the chance. And if it happens to be from your local bookmobile, so much the better.

Lists of books always get me excited. I have a running list of requests at the library, and I’m always adding more to my to-be-read stack.

My daughters’ school helped me out recently by providing the list for its annual Battle of the Books. Students read books on the list on their own time and then are assigned to multi-grade teams. The teams compete to see which one can correctly answer the most questions about the books on the list.

This is the first year my youngest daughter can participate, so she’s been reading the books at her age level with a vengeance. Her teacher is encouraging the class by having them read books from the list and then do creative book reports.

So far, my daughter has gone to school dressed as Molly from Barbara Cohen’s Molly’s Pilgrim and done a flip book of a key scene in Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children.

I was pleased to see the list contained some books my daughter had already read on her own — like Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

But there are a lot for her to still explore — even if she sticks to her grade level. Books like Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater, Freckle Juice by Judy Blume and Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary.

I even got some new titles. I’d never heard of or read A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla until it came home in my daughter’s backpack. And, somehow, I’d missed reading Roald Dahl’s classic James and the Giant Peach. (Although, in my defense, I’ve read both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Glass Elevator.)

The list also had some of my all-time favorites. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (which may be the book that made me want to be a writer), Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles and My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

Here’s the rest of the list. See how many you’ve read and which ones would make good additions to your personal reading list!

Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney
Tornado by Betsy Byars
Wanted … Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars
Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
Magic School Bus: “Inside the Earth” by Joanna Cole
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Daglish
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson
The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman
Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise
Worth by A. LaFaye
Fables by Arnold Lobel
All About Sam by Lois Lowry
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
When the Circus Came to Town by Laurence Yep

Which are your favorites?

Jessica Doyle, the first lady of Wisconsin, has a statewide book club for students and book-lovers.

It’s called Read On, and here’s how it works.  

Mrs. Doyle picks books for readers of different ages using input from educators, librarians and the students themselves. Then, through the club, students, teachers, and parents can read and discuss the books in and out of the classroom.

And every month, there are Reading Days at the Residence at the governor’s mansion in Madison, Wisconsin.

There’s also a handy website that features different books on the list each month. It has a web log where readers can share their thoughts on the books and suggest other titles for consideration.

I always like a good list — especially if it’s a list of good books. So here are the books from Mrs. Doyle’s list. I’ve added comments after some of the titles I’m familiar with. And some of these titles will be reviewed on this blog later in the school year.

Preschool (Ages 0-4)

• My Garden (By Wisconsin author Kevin Henkes, who was once described as the Mick Jagger of children’s literature.)
• Boo to You!
• What Can You Do With A Paleta?
• What Will You Be, Sara Mee?
• Yes Day!
• I Can Help!
• Pouch!
• Never Smile at a Monkey
• A Beach Tail (Watch for a kid review of this title.)
• Dog’s Colorful Day

Primary (Grades K-2) 

• Shark vs. Train
• Z is for Zombie
• The Village Garage
• Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia
• Tiger and Turtle
• Beautiful Moon / Bella Luna (Illustrated by Wisconsin artist Bonnie Leick.)
• My People
• Book Fiesta!
• A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk, a Forest of Poems
• What If?
• Pigs to the Rescue (Watch for a kid review of this title.)

Intermediate (Grades 3-5) 

• Justin Case: School, Drool, & Other Daily Disasters (Watch for a kid review of this title.)
• American Chillers: Wisconsin Werewolves
• Going Home, Coming Home
• Odd and the Frost Giants
• Dream
• Dr. Kate: Angel on Snowshoes (Watch for an interview with the author of this title.)
• Looking Like Me
• Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel
• Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection
• Hip Hop Speaks to Children
• Top of the Order
• Volcano Wakes Up

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• One Crazy Summer
• Wednesday Wars (A 2008 Newbery Honor selection that is one of my all-time favorite reads.)
• Boys Without Names (Excellent book by Wisconsin author Kashmira Sheth.)
• Out of My Mind
• Red Glass
• The Reinvention of Edison Thomas (This author was interviewed earlier.)
• My Life With the Lincolns
• Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (A really good story about a family facing the illness of a child.)
• Shooting the Moon
• All the Broken Pieces
• More About Boy
• Albert Einstein

High School (Grades 9-12) 

• Hate List
• The Latehomecomer: A Memoir
• Stitches
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• Rush
• Funny in Farsi
• Bruiser
• Shooting Star
• Liar (Good book, which generated much discussion in the book world over its cover.)
• Partly Cloudy
• Crossing Stones
• Marcello in the Real World (Touching and moving.)
• Candor
• Shiver

Which of these have you read? Share your favorites in the comments.