All about the Abe’s is the program the Plainfield South Media Center created to help promote the benefits of reading with freshmen and also to help present the ABE award.
The Illinois School Library Media Association chooses the best 22 books for teens and young adults every year. The author whose book is voted as the best is awarded the ABE.
“Last year the book was “The Fault in Our Stars”, which everyone loved,” said Gwendolyn Kuhns, media specialist.
The PSHS Media Center created this program not only to support the award, but to encourage students to read more.
“Librarians are supposed to push them as good reading options because there is so much research that shows reading for pleasure is really good in terms of creating people who are empathetic,” Kuhns said.
To be involved in the voting process in March, freshmen must read at least four of the nominated books. After each book they read, they must fill out a comment card in the media center.
Every comment left about the book will enter the student into a weekly prize drawing. The freshmen English class that reads the most ABE books will be awarded a pizza party.
“Because it’s about the Abe’s, and Abe is on the five dollar bill, the winners get a five dollar gift card to Subway or Dunkin’ Donuts,” Kuhns said.
There will be a voting breakfast sometime in March to choose which author wrote the best book. All students who want to participate in the breakfast have to read at least 4 ABE books. So far, Mrs. Brown’s second period English class has read somewhere near 80 books.