Schaumburg High School’s Library is once again hosting their annual Abe Lincoln Reading Program. The program is designed to promote reading initiative and broaden students’ literary accessibility by featuring 20 unique titles in the modern young adult fiction genre.
At Schaumburg High School, the program starts in September and ends in May. Students are encouraged to participate all year by reading novels from the list and submitting reviews. Each time a student writes a review for a book, their name is entered into a raffle that takes place in May. Schaumburg’s library has added personalized features in addition to the raffle prize such as prizes and treats just by participating.
Schaumburg Librarian, Nevenka Jevtic, says the most important part of the contest is, “to make positive connections with students, as it relates to reading and critical thinking about what it is we’re reading.”
The featured novels are carefully selected in order to adhere to the young adult demographic. Genres in this year’s list include, horror, mystery, romance, comedy, autobiography, graphic novels, non-fiction, historical fiction, and realistic fiction.
One student from Schaumburg, Berna Ozbey, read every single title from last year’s list. Ozbey says, “The most rewarding part of participating in the program has been meeting with new people who like reading as much as I do. With this program I got the opportunity to make new friends and meet new people, which is a huge plus in my opinion.”
Not only can students participate in the program through Schaumburg High School, but they can also participate in deciding which novel should be awarded by the State for the official Lincoln Award. By reading a minimum of four novels, students qualify to submit their vote on which title will win the award.
In the state of Illinois, teachers and librarians, throughout the year, are welcome to nominate young adult novels they see attracting students’ attention in their respective schools. The novels are selected by a specified panel of teachers and librarians that work together to curate the titles included in the program. Although nominations are submitted mostly on popularity, the panel takes literary merit into great consideration as well when establishing the official list.
The collaborative effort between educators in Illinois to create and sponsor the program creates positive and enriching exposure to literature for students. Stop by the media center today to browse through the stacks and pick out something to read over break.