Knoxville High School has launched a student and staff reading initiative featuring a 30-book challenge and a book club.
Through the initiative, students and staff will challenge themselves to read 30 books before the end of the school year. There will also be a book club through which members read Iowa High School Book Award nominees for the 2022-23 academic year. If there is additional time, the book club will also read a few works from the National Book Awards Longlist: Young People’s Literature.
“Reading is an incredibly important skill and activity for young people and adults of all ages, which is why we are so excited to move forward with this initiative,” said Allie Emery, KCSD Director of Teaching and Learning. “With all this technology at our fingertips, it is easy to forget about books. We hope that we can inspire everyone in our district to pick up a book and discover or rediscover a passion for literature. There is truly a story for everyone.”
To begin, the 23-member book club read “What I Carry,” by Jennifer Longo. The book is the All Iowa Reads selection for teenagers this year. The book club is now reading its fifth book, “The Girl from Widow Hills,” by Megan Miranda. Community donations funded the first four book club books.
As for the challenge, students and staff will compete with themselves rather than against others. All individuals are welcome to participate, but are not required to do so.