I know I said last week was the last week of comics, but I always have a couple of odds and ends before the final school bell rings. For those of you who’ve been reading awhile and know how important and vital my classroom’s lending library is to the way I do business with my students, you’ll understand what a Herculean undertaking this was.
Back in 2011, I read and enjoyed Ready Player One, a dystopian science fiction novel written by Ernest “Ernie” Cline. The novel posits a brutal future for humanity where people find relief from the ills of the world in OASIS, a virtual reality utopia steeped in nostalgia for 1980’s pop culture. The novel’s protagonist, Wade Watts, works to unravel the secrets of OASIS while taking part in an elaborate treasure hunt created by OASIS’ inventor James Halliday.
It’s a great book. It received a lot of press when it first came out for the way Cline used ’80’s culture to define OASIS… but there’s quite a bit more depth to the book than references to Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. Readers loved that aspect of the story so much, they overlook the desperate sadness of the state of the world Cline’s created in 2044, and I find that the most interesting part of RP1. It’s a solid read and one I’ve passed on to my students many times.
The detail about Ready Player One that immediately arrested me when I first read it was the backstory of James Halliday. The computer genius and billionaire who incites the plot of RP1… is a graduate of the high school where I’m currently teaching 9th grade English Language Arts. Middletown Ohio is specifically named in the book several times and at one point, the protagonists find themselves in a virtual reality simulation of Middletown.
Well, I knew I had to prevail on the civic pride of Ernie Cline to donate a class set of Ready Player One to my classroom’s library
…and lo and behold, he did!
I’m going to end up doing some comics about Ready Player One and teaching the novel but I wanted to shout out to Mr. Cline and his publishers at Crown for the act of kindness.
…yes, YOU!
Hi everybody. I wasn’t planning on doing any more DonorsChoose projects this year, but Burlington Coat Factory recently opened a branch in our neck of the woods and they specifically requested teachers in the area put projects up for perusal.
I’m hoping that might mean a few funding dollars coming my students’ way… but I thought I’d ask readers here to take a look as well. If you enjoy my comics, the best way you can help me out right now is to support my classroom.
College Bound Students Need New Reading Opportunities
Biff! Bam! POW! Art Supplies for a Literary Comic Magazine!
If you ender the promo code SPARK on the payment screen if you donate, your donation will be doubled. This awesome match offer lasts through March 12.
I can also mention that I have a variety of supplies and books chosen on an Amazon Wish List – readers have been so supportive through that venue in the past few months, it’s a bit overwhelming.
At any rate, you have my thanks if you donate… or if you can’t, but you share this out with other people here on Tumblr or on other social media venues.
A big huge THANK YOU to the anonymous donor who bought these books off of my Amazon Teacher Wish List. My students are going to love these!
Here’s my Wish List, if you were interested in becoming a hero like this wonderful person! There’s a bunch of new books and supplies on there awaiting your charity:)
I don’t normally use student likenesses or names in my comics, but I absolutely wanted to spotlight my former student Casey. Her kindness and generosity toward my classroom has been staggering over the past two years. Also, girl’s a John Green fan so you have to give it up for her.
Students are allowed to read a book after they are finished with the Ohio Graduation Test, so my book nook did a brisk business over the past week.
I’m enormously proud of my classroom’s lending library. I’ve worked pretty tirelessly over the last five years to create a space full of awesome books for teenage readers, including a sizable section of graphic novels. I scour thrift stores, secondhand shops, and yard sales to either find good books for my classroom, or books I can sell at a profit and use the cash I get for those books to buy better ones for my classroom. Our school’s media center has not received any funding from the state of Ohio for almost TEN YEARS, people. It’s a travesty I try to combat a little with my collection of books.
It’s so rewarding when I have kids who took classes with me three years ago come by and tell me how much they loved a certain novel or book they would have never been in contact with if it hadn’t been because of a resource I created.
If you’re working to build your classroom lending library’s graphic novel selection, here are some good deals floating around the Internet this week:
1. Amazon has crazy-discounted all the Scott Pilgrim books. While some of the volumes may have content that isn’t exactly suitable for general classroom libraries (I keep all but Volume 1 on my shelf next to my desk), the Scott Pilgrim books were hugely popular with my students last year. Picking up the whole series for $25 bucks is a steal.
2. Things from Another World is having a “back to school” sale this week: A huge selection of their comics and graphic novels are marked down 60%, with a promise of a 70% mark down next week. Some very good deals on durable comic hardcovers to be had here, but supplies are limited on everything.
Teachable Moments 