What is TAG and how do I participate?
TAG, which stands for Teen Advisory Group, is for students with a voracious appetite for reading. This group is responsible for reading 20-25 novels between September and March and for selecting the 2020-2021 Trendy Twelve titles promoted across the district. This group will also plan and facilitate some extracurricular library activities associated with library programs and promoting reading to our PSMS community.
As a reader selector, you have the opportunity to help choose books for the Trendy Twelve List. The books are selected to provide quality reading for Prairie Star Middle School students as well for other Blue Valley middle school students. With that in mind, there are a wide variety of tastes and interests to consider. The titles on the list include a balance of genres, age appropriateness, and interest levels. **Not all titles may be equally suitable for sixth grade participants. 6th grade students may opt of some titles. There are some titles earmarked for 8th grade students although any student may read them. 8th grade students must choose a minimum of three novels with a 2019 copyright to review in place of three 2019-20 TAG books.
TAG meets monthly during lunch from September to May. Students may earn community service hours for this activity -- 1 hour for each meeting or event attended, and 2 hours for each TAG book read and reviewed. This group is best suited to serious readers who can make the commitment to reading all of the books rather quickly.
I will communicate TAG information via student announcements, student emails, instagram reminders, monthly newsletters, and in the weekly activities email sent by Mrs. Hayes. Students, it is your responsibility to check for updates regularly! @librarygoddessz on twitter @PSMS_Library on instagram
TAG titles are available at the PSMS library and at the Johnson County public library. Many are available in ebook or audiobook formats through our Axis 360 app. Complete information about accessing our digital collection can be found @ https://bluevalleyk12.libguides.com/psm/psms/ebooks
We use Canvas to track and discuss our books outside of our meetings. Because we meet during lunch by grade level, these forums give us the chance to meet as an entire group virtually with students from across the district.
All books are to be rated in the following manner.
5 = very highly recommended 3 = average 1 = poor
4 = highly recommended 2 = adequate, fair 0 = not appropriate
Every vote affects the outcome, so it is very important that you read ALL the books on our list! Remember, you are not just reading for your personal taste but to select those books that will appeal to a wide variety of our students at PSMS and across the district.
Goodreads -- optional ages 13+
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TO DO!
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Fill out the TAG membership application
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Join our district TAG Canvas group
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Start reading and reviewing!
Trendy 12 2020-2021
Meeting Dates 2020-2021
TAG Titles
TAG 2020-2021 Reading List
Place a hold! Ebook & Audiobooks
Charlie Thorne and The Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle Norton
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
Hope And Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum
It's the End of the World as I Know It by Matthew Landis
Mike by Andrew Norriss
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Pan's labyrinth : the labyrinth of the faun by Guillermo Del Toro
Skyjacked by Paul Griffin
Spin by Lamar Giles
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
The How & The Why by Cynthia Hand
The Line Tender by Kate Allen Dutton
The Lonely Dead by April Henry
The Lovely And The Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer
White Rose by Kip Wilson
Plus, 8th grade TAG members will read any two 2020 copyright titles in addition to or in place of 2 TAG titles of your choice You can find these in our library, at the public library, or in galley freebies! LitPick, BookishFirst, Goodreads, NetGalley, & Amazon
Book Reviews
The heart of what you do as a TAG member is reviewing and recommending books for our school community! Your participation in the TAG Canvas course is essential and required! The Canvas course is district wide. This gives you a chance to see what your fellow colleagues at other middle schools think about TAG selections and you might even make a new friend by connecting to a reader from another school!
Always identify your posts by typing PSMS followed by your first name and last initial and grade on the first line then hit return to begin your review. example: PSMSLIBRARYGODDESS6
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is...
Things to include in each review:
- Rating System Ratings help to give readers an immediate sense of how you felt about a book. We will rate our books on a scale of 1-5 with one being low and 5 being high. Think about what makes a book a 1 versus a 5. You can also give ½ points!
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Summary Readers will want to know what the book is about. This includes a relevant but brief description of the novel without giving away any spoilers. Make sure you don’t rob readers of that genuine emotional reaction or discovery. Find the hook! Try to hook readers from the very first sentence! Make your opinion clear! As you describe the plot, share your opinion on the things that worked or didn’t when it comes to the writing, characters, and the events of the book. Tell readers why they should (or shouldn’t) pick this book up.
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Voice Find your voice! Celebrate your uniqueness in your book reviews. Provide the insight only you can offer. This is an opportunity to share your passion with other readers, so make it personal. When it comes to book reviews, it’s important to explain both your praise and critiques of a book so that other readers get the whole picture. For example, don’t just say that the book has great characters—explain what makes them great. Don’t tell readers that the book was boring—explain which elements failed to capture your attention. This will help readers to understand your point of view and decide for themselves whether or not this is a book that they might enjoy. Thoughtful praise and critique often can also be a great starting point for a continued conversation about a book.
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Recommend Let readers know if this is a book you’d recommend, and to whom. Not every book is suited to every reader, so you’ll want to be specific about who is likely to enjoy it. Keep in mind that even if a book didn’t fit your personal reading tastes, there’s a chance it may appeal to other readers and your review could help them discover it. Your job is to pick the ones that will have the most appeal to the most students!
LitPick, BookishFirst, Goodreads, NetGalley, & Amazon
these sites offer book reviews as do many personal blogs! If you’re stuck, read a few reviews by other authors about other books to get a sense of how to write one! DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!