Stop, Drop, & Read!

Our library partnered with the middle school on this really fun idea called “Stop, Drop, and Read!”  We encouraged the middle school students to meet at the mall on Saturday afternoon for a Flash Mob event, but rather than singing, dancing, or the surprise engagement, we asked the kids to bring a book to read.

We asked the mall’s permission before the event, just to make sure the trusty librarians would be disturbing the peace and with a go-ahead from security we launched our event.  Unfortunately, we only got between 20 – 25 students to come out for the event.  We did get a few teachers, one of the middle school librarians, my manager, and myself also showed up to take part.  The middle school librarian created a great poster that we unfurled with a countdown from the kids and then the books came out.  It was really great to see – all the kids (and some of their parents too!) sat down and read for 20-minutes.  We had a lot of people stop and take a gander and 20+ students sitting quietly and reading right outside the mall’s food court.  I’m hoping this can become an annual event to raise awareness about the importance of reading and that more students will become a part of it. 

Try it out in your community and see what happens!