A group of middle school students who call themselves the Reading Angels descended upon the Middle School Library Reading Nook at morning break to read several short stories from Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Their appearance helped to raise awareness about censorship and the freedom to read at the end of Banned Books Week 2011.
The group of 7th graders who often gather at break times in the Library to read stories to each other proclaimed their mission at Morning Meeting today:
"We are the Reading Angels. Our mission is to defeat those who find words boring. By reading stories out loud we can make the world even more awesome!"
The Scary Stories series is listed at number 7 in the American Library Association’s List “Top 100 Banned/Challenged books: 2000-2009”. It is a collection of traditional and modern-day stories from folklore and urban legends about ghosts, witches, and vampires. It is often challenged over objections to its subject matter.
Today’s audience was rapt! As Schwartz says in his introduction, scary stories are “meant to be told” because it makes them more scary. Excited by their welcome reception, the Reading Angels are already planning their next appearance. Updates will be posted here, so stay tuned!
