Hello and welcome to books with Bradford where we talk about you guessed. It books. I'm your host mrs. Bradford. And today we have amazing Librarians and Library aids to help us out today. So today we have Destiny Conrad. I work at Brockett Elementary School, and I've been there since January. Hey guys. You can catch a name's Jim Wang and I work at the middle school and I've been there for about five or six years. You didn't start there though. I sure did it. So I started at the elementary school at Monaco and I was there for a little bit and then I moved on. a good tip Middle School I'm Sharon clemmer. I'm at the high school and this is my 18th year and I'm Jennifer Hazen and the director of instructional media in libraries for the district. And this is my eighth year in this position and prior to that. I taught at Monaco Elementary very good. Okay. So we're going to go ahead and start right off the bat with the questions. The first question is, what was the most popular book last year at each School? The most popular book at Monaco was the complete guide to the Titanic. It's a nonfiction book that for some reason really took off last year. Very cool. Okay at the high school. It was always and forever Lara Jean of course with the whole. Yeah with the whole PS PS. I love you and no yeah right by Jenny Han y'all Virginia and at the middle school? It's Amulet the theories and it's a graphic novel series and Coincidentally, it's also the actually ironically it is the same favorite. Now. Those are strict current it's still like okay. So the kids are still checking in checking it out. Okay. What about over Brockett? And at Brockett Diary of a Wimpy Kid double down and the kids loved I ruined kid. I'm constantly trying to sway them other ways because they just focus on the same books and over and over. Over now which in the series which what number is that? You know because they are there like I know that's like full of that came out just like the Meltdown or something like that. Yeah, I was surprised because a few years ago non-fiction books on the shelves at Rocket. I don't know what changed it now. It's kind of flip-flop and or brackets reading more fiction and want to go When I'm fishing, that's great, though. Yeah, that wasn't either way then that's awesome. Okay. Okay. So the next question is what is a book that you've heard about that? You haven't gotten to read yet a book that you are looking forward to reading but you haven't gotten your read yet. A book that is on my list is internment. It's a ya novel that's got a lot of press a lot of you know, like Twitter chat or whatever, but I just can't a lot of the ones I avoid reading that are on. My list are ones that just would I mean it says about you know, kids being locked up and after recent events and after the you know, living through this summer of you know, the children being separated from their parents and putting these places On The Border's I just can't it's too soon. I just can't read internment yet. Can't really quite yet, right. Mine is the handmaid's tale. Oh, yeah, okay and just because of the series that come out. Have you watched any of the series yet? Okay, so but you're wanting to read the book first that kind of thing. Okay, very good. Okay, maybe for up in Middle School The Giver by Lois Lowry just because it's seems like a pretty deep. Have you ever have you never read The Giver I've heard it's really good photo of it, and I've wanted to read but it seems like it might be a little I need to have some time to really so I teach the giver every year for my rating for my regulars when it's they always they always seem to really like it was deep meaningful. It's it is deep. It's a lot to kind of get a couple of checked out the middle schools. It's fantastic. Absolutely. Fantastic. Okay for me, I want to read wild. Yes. It's about the 1100 mile Trek hike or whatever and I can't remember the girl that starred in the movie. I don't want to learn some other serious Reese Witherspoon was in it. And so I want to read the book before I watch it. But I've heard it's really good. Have you ever did you ever watch Gilmore Girls? I think we're at the very end there like going on the wild one and they're like book or movie and they're like book movie and they have to like separate them. It's just that part of something. Yes. I love to read that as well. Yeah, the author of that book is Cheryl straight and straight isn't her real last name, but she yeah, she gave herself a new like a Santa last cannot even a pseudonym. Just because of her her mindset when she was writing in Walking interesting because she's straight cheering. I love it. Okay. What is the book that you've read, but would love to read again Twilight. It's fine. Okay. Mine is a young adult novel and it's called we were Liars by E Lockhart. And I mean, I love it. I don't know why I recommend it to everyone. I don't know. It's just one of those books. I'm surprised every time I don't know why. I guess mine will be when that was a book a couple years ago. My son and I read it read it. I mean it was very suspenseful novel mystery. Swear. She can read your death date on your forehead who so really was intriguing in my son. I mean, I think you read it in a day just because very cool that sounds really interesting. It was called win. Mmm. Okay, wh M VN W. Yeah, wwhen, okay. So mine was required reading for Sociology class, and I'm so thankful that I had to read it. But Tuesdays with Morrie. Oh, yeah. Bye Mitch Albom. I love it. And I think everybody should read it and I would read it over and over. It's one of those Memoirs that like, yeah that you just Just Hits home and cry makes you just cry cry cry. Yes. Okay. So what is a book that you've read more than once in loved it every time Twilight? Even your Twilight I have to admit. I've never read a book more than one really once I read a book. I'm like, okay, I'm done really never like never been like, oh, I want to read it again to get something else out of it. Wow, that's crazy to me me too - a lot of just self-help books, but I can't remember the title since I've read many and I will reread we were reading tell you not. Dr. Phil. Are you okay? Marie force is a author that I love and she has this series from what it's called. But this ladies that like a police officer somewhere. Oh, Washington DC and her husband becomes vice president. Anyway, it's basically a love story in nine not nine novels and I'm read those over and over again. Just when I need to veg out. I like it. Yeah, so mine is every year we read and then there were none by Agatha Christie. And of course, I know what happens. I know the ending and I got the Kersey being so like amazing and such a fantastic writer and such a fantastic mystery writer. It's like every single time I find something new in there and I'm like, oh look at this. This is what this means and the kids are like, okay we can yeah sure. We'll get on board with you. Just okay, that's fine. Yeah, and it's just it's so good that's happened a lot with books. I had to read in high school and now I'll go back and read. Yeah. But they are okay. Now here's the confession time a book that you've read or a book that you feel like. Everyone has read and you have never read before you one of those books like for example. Mine is To Kill a Mockingbird when I yes, I when I was in high school. I took a GT English class and we mirrored the seniors my sophomore year. And so I missed that I didn't read To Kill a Mockingbird. I've never read it. I know I know so, what about you guys? Mine is a number one. I feel like I've read the books but and and never was and never one that I have not is where the Crawdad seeing and I've tried it. I've tried twice and it got so much it was so hyped up all summer long. I've tried it twice and I just can't get into it. Was it just like what we did it for you just come morning. Really. I got it here in the library, but not thought about taking it on this weekend by my name. I'll do it later. Okay. Mine's a newer one, too. Hey, kiddo. And that's pretty cool because it's such a good bug. I just had a run it down for whose haven't haven't run it yet. I'm trying to think of one a little I mean, I guess I can say, you know the graph some of the graphic novels that are really popular. I haven't I feel like you know amulet right so that most popular one in your library. You have not yet read it because you know, it's something it's supernatural. Yeah, that's not something I really mean to. Oh, okay. So that's not your life's not like that. You're not your genre, okay. The kids check it out all the time. So So mine is not just one book that two different series. I've never read anything from Twilight. He can be our friend. It's not even on my radar to want to read. It's just not something I'm into and I have never read any of the Harry Potter series. Whoa, neither. I will not you've not done wrong. It's to your fire and I tell the kids it's not me, you know. I was not watching and if I watch them in flour on First Look, it's not my genre at all. But I mean I read it when I was 20 years old. I love it. So try it again can't believe this battle Yeah, it's crazy getting up there. It's crazy. Okay. So the first the next one is your favorite classic novel of all time. This Twilight of classic. No, it's not there yet my regards Just A Separate Peace, I read it in high school and again, I read it a few times and I don't know I just love it. It's friendship story. I guess is and of Green Gables, but I only say that because I love the movies. That's one of my That's a classic. Absolutely. That's Miss Julie's favorite and least favorite. I like Journey to the Center of the Earth. I always enjoyed reading that so you like that but you don't like Harry Potter. That's one of those things in a brown sugar that I read. Okay a long time. Okay. Yeah, I love is a knighted with me. I guess I like to get to be when I was in high school and I do like asking you just like hit me and I was just good and everybody else was like those workers stupid and boring and I'm like no, it's so good. You guys just like deeper Redeemer. I don't get it. It's so good. Okay. Now I know this one was probably hard to pick but I want to I wanted to know. One of your most favorite books of all time. If you couldn't just land on one. Give me like one or two. I'll let I'll let you go first. Twilight - love you forever. The idea behind it. I guess the idea behind him taking care of his mom at the end after she's taking care of him. I cry at this time. It's real sweet mine. I've got to Sharon's going to disagree with me because she can't even get through it Eleanor elephant is completely line, which has the best protagonist in all of literary history in it. I finished it. You didn't I did. Okay. I thought you gave it up. I gave it up several times and I finally finished it. It is so good and then I've got an on. Fiction book to called the cooking Gene and the guys name is Michael Twitty and he basically Trace back if you're a southern American it will really resonate with you because you know, I go to Thanksgiving at my mom's or whatever and I think oh I'm eating my granny's stuffing. Well, no, not really. I'm eating the stuffing that the cook, you know, whoever had you know years and years ago and the seed was planted in Africa, like all of our southern cooking the slaves didn't come here and learn to cook they knew how to cook and they brought their There, you know ways here. So it's kind of a book about that about where our cooking come from comes from traced all the way to Ghana and this guy he's just interesting and it was just interesting to read really and it's called the cooking Gene cooking Gene. I think Michael Twitty. That's really good. So the first time I guess I started reading was the Judy Blume books for an elementary and those were my most Fondest Memories, I guess and I think Fourth Grade Nothing tells on hotels of the Fourth Grade Nothing. So just memories that I can't think of a non-food coming. There's a lot of nonfiction boats. I've just got a lot of the biographies and Memoirs that I can't yeah. Okay. So whenever I was younger, I would read Nancy Drew all the time, but as an adult, I'm a sucker for romance and Nicholas Sparks. I just and so the notebook. I remember reading that way before the movie came out and I just loved it. I could think of yeah, I like it. I think I read the I think I read The Notebook after the movie came out and I was like, this is different. But yeah different a little story like the book. They're both agree the book the book was better than anything was really good. It was well done. But if the book is always better that's just kind of how it happens. Now something you what is something that you've read lately that you would recommend to a student or a colleague. I know this is gonna be harder for like you guys down at the middle and elementary and stuff for being Like okay like okay. I have like to a colleague and then to a student is going to be a very like a vastly different thing. Okay. So what you guys got so I actually had a colleague by but for me it's called Uninvited. It's by Lisa Liza. I don't really know how you say it Turk cursed and it's like a I guess a self-help book kind of but she talks about like her own rejections that she went through in life, and she's just very raw in it and I really admire. It's a really good book. That's a called uninvite. I'm invited. Okay. All right, and I think she just came out with a new one recently. I don't know what it's called Good Eye. Mine is heart. I did a book study this summer with some colleagues and pick this book kind of just reading the description and we studied this summer and it's really good. I think every pre-service teacher. It should be required reading. It's just about finding your passion, you know, even when the people around you or passionless. Yeah, really good. And heart right part part node K Inouye LD. Okay for a student, I would recommend the book. Hey kiddo. He's a Maverick nominee this year and one reason being there, you know this author who wrote A Memoir and graphic novel form, which is really popular right now with means especially like, you know middle school, I guess and some of them are not really into reading like that, but it's just the challenges that he goes through in the struggles when as a Young adult, you know, even younger and being raised by his grandparents his mom was a drug addict. He didn't know his dad, you know kind of thing but in the end, I think it just has a great message to it that no matter what happens, you know in life, you know, you get to make choices whether you know when you get older when you're older and you know these choices, but what kind of people you want in your life and You know, so I think it's a really good message to the students who have some issues some issues and then they have the idea that they do in fact have a choice. Hmm. Yeah, and that they don't have to be like hold the book of Hope. Yeah. I love that. I wish more students will check it out. Yeah. Well, maybe maybe now they will. Especially if they're not like a super big on reading just like text and text and type crime like breaking it up with this graphic novel my son Brock it checked out a graphic novel. It was about science things. Yeah, and he loves it and it was so cute was about magnetism and we were reading it. Okay. I'm sorry. What do you recommend? Mary's monster aelita judge. And once that it's about Mary Shelley. It's just really interesting facts about her that I had no idea she had a car. Crazy Life a Crazy Life Sharon recommended that to me and I took it home and I finished it in one sitting that afternoon. It was a Friday afternoon. That's out there just read it. It's so good and I'm not even think I couldn't care less about feeling fiction Mary Shelley Is it nonfiction? I mean so good and the illustrations are great are they? I'm sure I don't know she died because she knew she had Okay, any other books that you guys can think about that you would just like to throw out there for the world to recommend anything that you've read in the past that you're like, oh, you know after that just have just like jog in your brain since we've been talking fiction. Yeah, if any non fiction, especially those are the ones that I found people are really Malala Malayalam. That's a one a highly recommend in Christ, and she's a gold digger education for granted. Died. Yeah, because you know to fight for her rights. Yeah, and they don't have or she is so yeah good nonfiction young adult. Yeah. We have gotten be about Nora limiting. Yeah. I think there's there are just a lot of new. I mean, you know, even five just five years ago. The world of literature was on that the birth and now we have so many I mean if you're a reader you should be able to find yourself in more books now than you could have in the past. So I would you know, encourage people to look for those newer authors, right? And Jason Reynolds, I want to say a thing about him because he's my very favorite author of all time, even though none of his books made my list because he just writes the way I think my kids talk in other people's kids talk and I think a lot of kids for some reason. It doesn't a couple of his books are pretty popular here, but I think a lot of kids would be hooked on reading it they started with him in high school. Yeah, and when I saw him at that North Texas teen book very thing he was just captivating as a person as well. He was so cool to just like being In the same room with and you know, that was it was such a cool, like he know that I got to see with like nickel Yoon and Jason Reynolds and Andy Thomas Thompson with Thomas Thomas and just like when you know, they hate you give was about to blow up and it was just kind of crazy to be there and then like looking back on it going I was there with all of them and they gave me advice and I like somewhere I have like a pad of all of the things they just like said because they were intriguing people. And they were like, you know readers and writers both like just you just got to start. You just got it. You got it. Just start somewhere in order to keep going and they talked a lot about perseverance and stuff like that and Jason Reynolds. Like I always think about him when I'm like, okay, I just gotta if I'm going to write something. I just got to keep going because that's what Jason Reynolds told me to do. And I am going to do what he says because he is a cool human. I remember when he wrote after right after he wrote We are the greatest he was at the library convention conference here in Texas. And I remember I was sitting at a session and I'm like I'm gonna have to leave early because I've got to get his line I go. There's not a lying. I walked straight up to him. I'm like a rush because I thought there would be a line and he's like, well, there's not but after that you just kind of blew up and he hasn't been back to TLA because he's too popular. Yeah, he's crazy popular now so okay. Can I say one more thing about absolute about rereading books? We talked about the book. We the books we read and I don't really read that often just because I like new stuff but I did want to say there's no shame in it. Nobody asked Donald Miller who was the book whisper always says, you know, nobody asks the basketball player like wow why he keeps dribbling the ball. So we shouldn't ask readers. You know, why do you keep reading that book? Very surprised. There's a lot of comfort in Reading A Familiar book and you should be ashamed of it. Well, I have a lot of kids at Brockett that reread and again, can I check it out again? Well, I'm like teaching the novels that I teach it's like I like teaching them because I feel that the students are going to see themselves in these characters, or maybe I also see myself in these characters and it is it's a very comforting feeling it's like being home and I like that being comfortable with something like that and in something that people find so uncomfortable sometimes in Reading which which is awful, but I know that like them gaining that information and like looking for themselves in the novel is really one of the most important things you could do sure. Okay, anything else to add today? You guys don't think so. Thanks for having us. Well, thank you guys. You guys have been so amazing. I really appreciate you guys coming today. You guys have been great. This has been an episode of books with Bradford. Come back next time to hear some more inspired readers and lovers of books and always remember to be excellent to each other Tata.
Today on Books with Bradford, we interviewed Head Librarian, Jennifer Hazen, and Sharon Clemmer (HS library aide), Jem Wang (MS library aide), and Destiny Conrad (BES library aide). List of recommended books: The Complete Guide to the Titanic, Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han, Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down by Jeff Kinney, Internment by Samira Ahmed, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, When by Victoria Laurie, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Separate Peace by  John Knowles, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Love You Forever by  Robert Munsch, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by  Gail Honeyman, The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty, Judy Blume books, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, Nancy Drew books, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst, Mary's Monster by Lita Judge, I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai, anything by Jason Reynolds 