Building Better Readers

In an effort to foster a love for reading in their students, Saint Thomas Aquinas teachers take their classes to the Learning Commons. Mr. Lee, Mr. Balistreri, Mrs. Jones and Dr. Wolf encourage their students to check out books and give them time for reading breaks. 

When students are given the opportunity to choose a book that interests them, they become advocates for their own learning and develop a personal connection to novels.

What Students are Saying 

• 66% look forward to reading
• 83% say they visualize scenes in the book while reading - an indicator of high comprehension, retention, and connection
• 67% feel their brains are "stronger" after reading and feel more confident in their reading ability 

Students indicate that their time spent reading in the Learning Commons is calming and relaxing.

Discover how to Get your Student Interested in Reading
This resource includes book suggestions for young adults,  teens and young children as well as tips for reading aloud to your child. 

Reading Recommendations & Tips

Just for Parents and Adults - Welcome Back to Reading
These novels are moving, thought-provoking, and centered on kindness. They are two of the best books I've read in a long time! 

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - fiction

A collection of letters sent and received from and to the main character, Sybil. She is in her late 70s/80s and is a retired, accomplished attorney. She writes letters to and receives them from a variety of people in her life. There is one letter in particular that she is writing (and continues throughout) that is never sent. It is revealed in the novel. Letters are a reminder to value and foster connection.

• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi - fiction 

Theo is an elderly man who arrives in Golden, GA, seemingly by chance. He sees penciled portraits in a coffee shop, begins buying them, and then bestows them on the subjects/"owners”.  He hears stories as he gives them to the recipients, and his own story unfolds in a sweet, moving way as the novel progresses.

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Mrs. Amanda Davis, has been a librarian since 2006 and joined Saint Thomas Aquinas in 2017. She loves working with students and staff every day and collaborates with teachers to connect classroom content to research skills to prepare students who are technologically, media, and informationally literate.

I believe libraries are equalizers of opportunities and can inspire students to discover their full potential and succeed at their highest level in an ever-changing world.