Episode Outline:
Listen to the episode here!
Intro
Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of books to help spark deep conversations and help us think through the big ideas in life. My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with those amazing books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.
I’m your host, Corrina Allen – a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and still a bit tired from our trip to the beach yesterday!
This is Episode #54 and today I’m sharing a conversation with Jarred Amato – a high school English teacher and founder of the ProjectLIT Community.
Perhaps like you, I kept hearing about this thing called ProjectLIT and I kept bumping into conversations on Twitter about it. And I since I had questions and definitely wanted to know more – I figured you might as well. Some disclosure – after chatting with Jarred and after learning more from a wonderful session at NerdCamp last week ( a big thank you to Kimiko, Ashleigh, and Lindsey) , I have decided to start a ProjectLIT Book Club at my school this year for 4th and 5th graders. And promptly bought a shirt and a tank and cup and a hat… because, well – like I told Jarred – I have no chill!
Alright – take a listen!
Jarred Amato – Interview Outline
Welcome to the podcast! Can you take a minute to introduce yourself to our listeners?
ProjectLIT
What is ProjectLIT and how did it get started?
What does a chapter do?
How are the books selected?
What are the books for the 2018-19 school year?
If someone wanted to start a ProjectLit Chapter in their own community, what would they need to know? And what would they need to do?
One of the things that makes ProjectLITstand out as more than just a book club, is the focus on service projects to increase book access in the school and community. What are some examples of projects that chapters have been doing?
Did I see you also have a Twitter Chat?
Tell me about the ProjectLIT Summit!
What are your plans for the future of ProjectLIT?
Your Reading Life
One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child?
What were some of your most influential reads growing up?
What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked?
Links:
Jarred’s website –https://jarredamato.wordpress.com
Jarred on Twitter
ProjectLIT on Twitter
ProjectLIT Chapter Leader Application
#ProjectLITChat Twitter Chat
ProjectLIT swag: https://project-lit-community.myshopify.com
David’s ending to Long Way Down
Books & Authors We Chatted About:
The Color of Water (James McBride)
Darius the Great is Not Okay (Adib Khorram)
Hope Nation (Rose Brock)
2018-19 ProjectLIT Middle Grade Book Club Selections
Ghost Boys (Jewell Parker Rhodes)
Sunny (Jason Reynolds)
I am Alfonso Jones (Tony Medina)
Amal Unbound (Aisha Saeed)
Rebound (Kwame Alexander)
Like Vanessa (Tami Charles)
The Stars Beneath Our Feet (David Barclay Moore)
Time Bomb (Joelle Charbonneau)
Wishtree (Katherine Applegate)
Amina’s Voice (Hena Khan)
The First Rule of Punk (Celia C. Perez)
The Parker Inheritance (Varian Johnson)
2018-19 ProjectLIT Young Adult Book Club Selections
The Poet X (Elizabeth Acevedo)
When I Was the Greatest (Jason Reynolds)
Born a Crime (Trevor Noah)
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
Tradition (Brenden Kiely)
The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater)
Allegedly (Tiffany Jackson)
Odd One Out (Nic Stone)
Pride (Ibi Zoboi)
Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)
I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Erika L. Sanchez)
Dread Nation (Justina Ireland)
On the Come Up (Angie Thomas)
Closing
Alright, that wraps up our show this week!
If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.
Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network 
features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com
Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.
Thanks and see you soon! Bye!
Corrina Allen is a 5th grade teacher in Central New York and mom of two energetic tween girls. She is passionate about helping kids discover who they are as readers.
Corrina is the host of Books Between – a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect children between 8 and 12 to books they’ll love.
Find her on Twitter at @corrinaaallen or Instagram at @Corrina_Allen.
MG Book Village 
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