On Monday, we shared the exciting news: Kids around the world have surpassed the 200 million minute mark in the Summer Reading Challenge! Schools around the world continue to log their summer reading minutes to win our grand prize: A school visit from Gordon Korman (for the middle school with the most minutes logged) and a school visit from David Shannon (for the elementary school that logs the most minutes.) You can watch David Shannon's message to summer readers here. We asked David Shannon a few questions about summer reading:
OOM: What book was the most challenging for you to read when you were growing up but made you feel super proud to finish it?
DS: The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was by far the biggest book (actually, three books) that I’d ever read, and it took me weeks and weeks to read it. I still remember finishing it on the school bus. I felt like I’d really accomplished something, but I also felt sad that it was over.
OOM: What books are on your summer reading list?
DS: My daughter gave me a book about Banksy, the street artist. He paints pictures on walls in the middle of the night and no one knows his real identity. I’d also like to read The Wind in the Willows.
OOM: What’s your favorite book you read as a child?
DS: That’s always a tough question – there were so many and that was so long ago! I really liked Barthalomew Cubbins and the 500 Hats, and Oobleck! by Dr. Seuss. I also liked all the Babar stories and The Story of Ferdinand. Later I really loved the Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander.
OOM: What’s your favorite book to read in the dark with a flashlight or under the stars?
DS: Everything’s good when you’re reading by flashlight!
OOM: What’s your next vacation and what books are you packing?
DS: I’m going up to Sierra Nevada mountains pretty soon, so I’ll probably bring along some books about fishing or treasure hunting. Or maybe a book about finding Bigfoot!
