Re: Target:Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew (Long)

[Elisa <jgqueet@erols.com>]

.................................................................
> The messages have been coming in fast and furious about what to do with a large 
>collection of Hardy/Drew books. I will just post the basics in this target. Thank 
>you all for your help! P.S. I went to my school today and discovered that all the 
>ND/HB Books were from the old printing (blue covers)and not in very good shape.
> ****************
> ...Our hook was AR, but using them for booktalks, read-alouds etc. could
> get you going.
> ...My advice is to see how well they circulate.  You may find that some
> students really take to the series.  After a while make a decision as to
> what books you will keep and find good homes for the rest.
> ... I don't know what grades you have, but my Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys
> are  well-used by 1st graders (who usually have their parents read them)
> through 5th and even some sixth graders.
> ...My experience is that kids are the best salesmen to other kids. Once
> one gets hooked, others will follow.
> ...They do get read, but it may be in spurts. One year they may not be
> checked out a lot, but the next year they go out a lot.
> ..If they are not used I wouldn't keep all of them on the shelf, ont he
> other hand my niece whoe is nine has read a majority of them and would
> love to find them in her school library.
> ...If you don't keep them in your library you might offer your
> collection to the public library where they could still get used.
> ...Just in the past year or two, when we ordered the Accelerated Reader
> disk for them, they have taken off again in demand.
> ...I had a revival of ND and HB books a few years ago when a teacher
> started pushing them.  You never know what will become fashionable!  My
> suggestion is advertise them to your teachers--propose a possible
> "mystery" unit and then if it does not go, discard a one third each year
> but keep a few.
> ...How about a special display?  Have kids read them and if they can>
> solve the mystery before Nancy, give them a small prize, such as a
> pencil, name on a wall, free homework coupon, etc.
> ...The biggest factor in getting the kids
> to read the ND & HB books has been the parents who come in during book
> fair or open house or conferences & show their kids these same books
> they read when they were the age of their children.  Many of the parents
> are reading these books to their kids at home and the kids come in
> looking for more.
> ...You can acclerated reader disks on those books --kids will read them
> then.
> ...All it takes it one reader for these sets to take off.  I have
> "Student Reviewers" and every once in a while when particular books
> could use a boost that I KNOW kids will like, I get a few children to
> volunteer to do a review and booktalk.  (There are incentive rewards so
> I am never short on volunteers).
> ...Surprise, but those books just fly off my shelves.  There must be a
> TV
> > show or something, and the Nancy Drew books have been reissued with
> > more current covers and our girls love them.  They buy them in paperback> and 
>brag about how many they have.
> ...I think they'd be great in a mystery unit.  With them mixed in with
> other author's works, it would help them read a variety of mystery books
> rather than the whole set 1 - infinity.
> ...If you use Accelerated Reader, there are test disks for both series.
> ...They seem to have been
> > modified to be current and more politically correct, however the ones I've read 
>have some weightest prejudices.

Darcy G.
Grade Teacher on Special Assignment
School District of Philadelphia
jgqueet@erols.com

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