Lisa Bransten
PA News Editor
What is the best way to find good books for your children this summer? Well there are the reading lists, of course, but what to choose from those long lists? And there are knowledgeable librarians and bookstore clerks all around the city and the world, but those people might not know your tastes and vice versa.
The best way would be to have your child ask a friend with similar tastes and reading ability. But in the summer, as the SFDS community scatters, that is not always an option.
But this summer there is another option for many children.
Have them check out what their friends are reading and recommending on Destiny Quest, a book related-social network that Renee Otero of the SFDS library began introducing to third, fourth , and fifth graders in January.
Here, for example, is what Landon C. thought of Kate DiCamillo’s novel The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane:
“AWESOME READ PLEASE READ!!!!!!! IF YOU DONT YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON A GGGRRREEAAAT BOOK”
And this is what Leila S. wrote about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:
“this book is so good but if you don’t like violence don’t read this, there is a lot of sadness, death and blood. it is sooooo good!!”
The launch of Destiny Quest in January was met with much excitement, said Ms. Otero. “I’ve been really surprised how excited the kids were to have this,” she said. “There was a flurry of book excitement around this technology.”
On Destiny Quest students can “friend” their peers and then send them messages or recommend books. Their “friends” can include teachers and must include Ms. Otero.
If this sounds a lot like Facebook and other social networking sites, it is supposed to.
There is a dual purpose behind the use of the new program: to get the students excited about books and reading and to introduce them to social networking in a completely safe, private, and school-monitored environment.
Before launching the site at school, Ms. Otero ran the program by Jason Stone, director of instructional technology, who loved the idea of introducing the younger students to social networking in a school setting with clear rules about behavior.
“Renee did a terrific job of introducing the tool and discussing the etiquette involved in communicating online,” said Mr. Stone. “We both continue to work to remind students that the way they treat people online should be just as kind and good as how they treat people in the real world.”
To access Destiny Quest:
1. Click the Library tab on the left side of the SFDS home page.
2. Click the Catalog link.
3. Click the Destiny Quest tab on the catalog page.
Access to book lists and book reviews is public, but users must have an account to access the social networking areas of the site. All students can set up accounts using their last name and library number (and Ms. Otero said she would be in the library June 14 to the end of July if anyone forgets their library number).
Among the rules for Destiny Quest are that the students must “friend” Ms. Otero and they must accept all “friend” invitations from teachers and peers. Messages sent on Destiny Quest must be about books and there are strict rules about the tone of messages. Hurtful comments may be met with the loss of an account, said Ms. Otero.
So far, however, students have been very respectful of the rules of the tool. The only violation so far came as a few students used their accounts to discuss a baseball game. “I had to say, ‘Look, this is a forum for books, pick up the phone,’” said Ms. Otero.
But if the students are excited about baseball, maybe they can message each other about baseball books, she said. As a serious book lover, Ms. Otero hopes Destiny Quest will be another tool to help spread her enthusiasm and will support the expositional writing that teachers are presenting in the classroom.
“’Dude this [book] is really cool’ is just giving an opinion,” said Ms. Otero. “But I want them to go in and support what they liked about a book,” she said. “They need to think about useful information like what type of reader might like the book or where it takes place or what makes it good or not good. Is it the writing or the plot?”
Destiny Quest also includes several types of lists that students can peruse such as new arrivals to the library, the most popular books of the week, and the summer reading lists. They can even request books that the library doesn’t already own.
Ms. Otero said she loves to know what the kids are reading and want to read, and she hoped students would keep in touch and even come in over the summer. The library is open 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. from the middle of June to the end of July. Click here for summer reading lists.
So this summer, SF Day students should definitely get outside and play. But when it is time to curl up with a good read, they should log on, see what their buddies are reading, and find a great book!
