What does it mean to rise to the occasion, not once, but over and over again? Sometimes it means reckoning with grief. Other times it means stumbling forward, messing up, and trying again. And sometimes it means simply showing up, imperfect, but still trying to be better.
“Those moments of connection when you can have them with people who seem so different from you on the outside, I really do think that it braids a level of connectiveness and empathy, and it is much harder to harden your heart.” — Gayle Forman
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For her reading challenge, Flawed, Gayle is going to bat for the prickly, messy, not-here-to-be-liked protagonists. She points out that kids are used to reading about heroes, but it can be just as powerful, maybe even more so, to read about characters who fall short and grow anyway. Download the reading challenge below!
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This week’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Lori Shallio, media specialist at Heritage Intermediate School in Middlebury, Indiana. She shares how a Hot Ones-style challenge involving her principal and spicy nuggets helped students smash their community reading goal.
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Listen to the full episode, "Slow Reveal: Gayle Forman on Friends, Flaws, and Finding Immortality," on Apple, Spotify, Castbox, or wherever you get your podcasts. Like what you hear? Please leave a 5-star review, subscribe, and share with someone who will enjoy it!
Whatever you do, keep reading!
Download the free reading challenge worksheet, or view the challenge materials on our helpdesk.