The ECS Common Read first got started in 2004, when Librarian Rennie Macleod made the proposal after seeing a presentation at an NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) conference. She thought the model of a community coming together to read the same book and then reflect on and develop projects around it would be a perfect fit for ECS.

 

Since that time, the school has organized annual common reads of books as diverse as Pope Joan, Search of the Moon King's Daughter, Tortilla Curtain, Year of Wonders, A Single Shard, and Word Nerd. Common Read projects that teachers and students have initiated include making pottery, creating quilts, hosting author visits, and even knitting a hat in the style of a main character! The readership has varied depending upon the book: in some years, students and staff from Grades 6 to 11 have read the same book; in others, there is a different book for each Division.

 

This summer, the girls in Middle School (students entering Grades 6, 7, and 8 in the Fall) will be reading Wonder, by first-time author R.J. Palacio. Already a bestseller, Wonder tells the story of 10-year-old Auggie Pullman, who has had countless surgeries to correct his facial features. He’s used to people reacting in a variety of ways when they see him, but he’s anxious about starting Middle School, especially because his mother home-schooled him until this point. Palacio tells the ensuing story from Auggie’s point of view and through the voices of his family and classmates. No doubt Middle School girls (and teachers) will be moved by this compelling story.

 

Meanwhile, the girls in Senior School (students entering Grades 9, 10, and 11) will be busy reading Arianna Huffington’s On Becoming Fearless....in Love, Work and Life.   As they will soon discover, the founder of the highly successful Huffington Post wrote the book for her two daughters, when she saw them worrying about the same things she worried about at their age, despite the advances of feminism. She wanted to convey the message to them and to other young women that they need to find, listen to, and act upon their own inner voices, rather than listening to those of others.

 

Mrs. MacLeod is confident that both Common Read books will spark exciting ideas for projects and initiatives, and looks forward to hearing about them when school resumes in the Fall!