Module 1: Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind

Summary:
If students read 1,000 books by June 12, the principal will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school. There are voracious readers at the school who cannot put books down, and then there are the reluctant readers who would rather play video games than pick up any reading material and help attain the school goal. One particular reluctant reader has no interest in any genre. His teacher, Miss Malarky, tries to get this student to read from a variety of genres, hoping she'll stumble across a book he loves. The persistant teacher wins in the end because she finds a book with all of the elements in it that the student loves. He even reads at night under the covers with his flashlight. He reads book number 1,001, but that doesn't matter. The most important thing is that he discovers his love of reading.

Reference:
Fincher, J. & O'Malley, K. (2006). Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

My Impressions of the Book:
I thought this book was really predictable and I lost interest in it after the first couple of pages because I could clearly see where it was headed. I suppose this book was meant to be an inspiration to teachers to never give up trying to turn students into readers. From a teacher's perspective I don't think this is realistic. We may be able to reach most of our students and help them find books they enjoy, but you just can't win them all over, even if you're a super teacher! The other purpose was probably to inspire reluctant readers to try reading. I enjoy books with well developed characters, settings, and plots. This book just seemed weak to me in all of these areas. It didn't leave me wanting to read the rest of the books in the Miss Malarkey series.


Professional Book Reviews:
Phelan, C. (2006, July)[Review of the book Miss Malarky Leaves No Reader Behind] The Booklist, Vol. 102, No. 21.
Gr. 1-3. Ace teacher Miss Malarkey returns in a picture book narrated by a reluctant reader. Although comfortable within his small group of video-game-playing buddies, a boy wants to contribute to the schoolwide goal of reading 1,000 books in hope of seeing Principal Wiggins "dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school."Trying one of Miss Malarkey's suggested books after another, he rejects them all--until she finds the perfect one to match his eclectic interests. Expressive cartoon-style illustrations, brightened with markers and colored pencils, create a series of lively scenes in which speech balloons record conversations and comments not found in the text. With an unstated moral, this is one volume that librarians won't soon forget. Short lists of recommended books, including a bibliography of adult books that recommend children's books, are appended.

Sheridan, R. (2006, August 1). [Review of Miss Malarky Leaves No Reader Behind]. School Library Journal, Vol 52, Issue 8, p. 81.
K-Gr 2-During the first week of school, Principal Wiggins promises that if the students read 1000 books by June 12, he will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof. Miss Malarkey tells her class that they will be doing the Everybody Reads in America program and promises that all of the students will find books they love before the end of the school year. She picks some for each of them, engaging even reluctant readers. One boy remains unable to find a book he likes until June 10, when Miss Malarkey chooses one that has aliens, race cars, funny jokes, chewing gum, hot sauce, and cannonballs. It becomes number 1001 read by the students and the story ends with everyone wishing Principal Wiggins (whose hair is now purple) a good night on the roof. This title will resonate with those who choose math, video games, and sports over books. O'Malley's illustrations, done in markers and colored pencils, enhance the text with expressive pictures of the students and their teacher as they explore (or choose not to explore) the joys of reading. The illustrations lend humor and credibility to the reluctance of some of the students. A must-have for all libraries.-Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Use in a Library Setting:
Many school libraries have a reading contest or reading goal set for the school. This book might be a good way of showing students what a reading goal is and how students can work hard (even the reluctant ones) to achieve the goal. It takes everyone in the school working together to be victorious.

This book mentions a variety of genres. Teachers or librarians could use it as a springboard to discuss the various book genres that exist and could go more in depth about each one throughout the year, reading books aloud from these genres.