Reading A Book

OUR QUIZ today:Under what circumstances would Rush Limbaugh -- that draft-dodging, thrice-married protector of the nation's morals -- possibly defend the right of a fourth-grader to spend his school days reading a book with a chapter titled "Condoms: The New Diploma"?A. Over his enormous dead body.B. Only when tripping on the cholesterol-surge of too many Arch Deluxes.C. If he had written the book himself.If you guessed B, you're my kind of reader. But what actually happened -- as reported in the Washington Post -- is much stranger.

Watching Orioles center fielder Adam Jones so far this season feels like one of those moments when you're reading a book, you're midway through the opening chapter, and you realize you can't take your eyes off the page. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/toydept)

Dr. Evelyn A. Flory is headmistress of the St. Paul School for girls in Baltimore County. She has served as a teacher and administrator for more than 30 years. She has taught English in private secondary schools and in New York state's public university system.When I realize my eyes are on the horizon (or the wallpaper) more than on the page, I put the book down for good.Rev. Brad R. Braxton is pastor of Douglass Memorial Community Church in Baltimore. As a Rhodes Scholar he earned a master of philosophy degree in New Testament studies at Oxford University in England.

Last summer, I flew from Salt Lake City to BWI Marshall Airport and found myself sitting next to two kids from a small town in Utah. Ten-year-old James occupied the seat by the window while his sister Andrea, 8, sat in the middle. The siblings were flying out to visit their father before the coming start of the school year. I made small talk with Andrea during the takeoff, asking about her family and her favorite movies. Inevitably, the conversation drifted to school, and I asked about the books she had read for class.

Watching Orioles center fielder Adam Jones so far this season feels like one of those moments when you're reading a book, you're midway through the opening chapter, and you realize you can't take your eyes off the page. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/toydept)

The elevator door opens, and five children charge into the lobby of the Arundel Center, descending on boxes stuffed with hundreds of books.The children, ages 8 to 12, rummage through the books, select titles and sit down on a bench in the lobby to read. They are engrossed in the books, reading them to each other and ignoring the adults standing around watching them."I like it," says Latanya Barnes, 8, who is reading a book that proclaims, "You're All Right." Others gather around Adrian Wallace, 8,who is reading a book with pictures of clocks, "What Time Is It?"

Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina recalls these reading moments for Sun staff member Mark Hoeflich.Do you remember the first book or series of books you read?"

Reading aloud is the magic key that opens up the world of books for your child. One of the most widely recognized experts in the read-aloud movement is Jim Trelease, author of "The New Read-Aloud Handbook." Along with many other educators in the field of reading, Trelease recognizes that successful readers are those who have early and ongoing experiences with literature at home. Here are some of the ways to share reading with your child based upon current research: * Begin reading to your child as early as possible.

If you want to be where the action is, head for the schools. We haveplenty of accomplishments to acknowledge and programs to tell you about this week.*Belle Grove Elementary School news: The following pupils were winners of the school Halloween costume contest.First grade: Marion Bennett, most original; Jamie Blake, prettiest; Roger McGheer, scariest; and Amanda Turek, funniest. Also: Steven Moore, most original; Tanya Schools, prettiest; Jamie Greene, scariest; and Tyler Satterfield, funniest.

Q: Some of the books you mention in your column sound interesting, but I'm having trouble finding them. The bookstores in my small oceanfront town have very limited offerings.Should I write to the publishers and ask about price and availability? Also, do you know of a book that provides advice on decorating a beach house?A: Almost every book I refer to in this column can be bought off the shelf in a major city or, in smaller communities, can easily be ordered. You needn't contact the publisher yourself.

John Waters poked fun at Jackie Onassis. He knocked the Catholic Church. He urged African-American youths to listen to country music -- simply to drive their parents crazy. And, as usual, the Baltimore filmmaker said a lot of other things that we cannot print here. Indeed if anyone thought that Waters, who yesterday addressed the annual convention of the Association of College and Research Libraries, might censor himself -- in deference to the finer sensibilities of a roomful of 2,500 librarians -- he thought wrong.

Sykesville Middle School's Greta Gilmore said most of the pupils she works with come to her classroom as "reluctant readers." As a reading and language arts specialist, she gives them the extra help they need to develop good reading skills -- and find enjoyment in reading. "It's really gratifying when you have a student who decides reading is not so bad after all," Gilmore said. Gilmore, 52, of Eldersburg, has been teaching for 24 years. She was recently recognized as an outstanding teacher by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

A bumper sticker on my neighbor's car tells me, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." And I try to be outraged - honest. But I can't get too agitated about the outrage du jour - what teens are reading in the library. An award-winning young adult novel, The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things, written by Carolyn Mackler and published by Candlewick Press, where I am editorial director, was removed recently from the shelves of the Carroll County school libraries by Charles I. Ecker, superintendent of schools.

AS I RETURNED a mystery novel to my little neighborhood reading room, the Village Learning Place, the other day, I thought about the Augusts of my childhood. Teachers preached the value of summer reading, which, in a way, we revered. But like all assignments, given three months to complete, the real work gets done at the end. So, as Labor Day loomed, my mother rounded up her children and we were off for a walk to what was then the Enoch Pratt's Branch 6 on St. Paul Street. The trick there was getting a book recommended by the librarian.

An interview with Rolland Amos, facilitator for the Biography Book Club at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Ellicott City. What is your club reading? Mr. Capone by Robert J. Schoenberg. How did this club get started? I saw a flier at the store on the club. They were reading a book on Thomas Jefferson so I decided to go. The facilitator then had to leave so I assumed his duties. That was three years ago. The club is in its fourth year, at least. Who are some of the people your club has enjoyed reading about most?

An interview with Nancy Berla, co-founder of Heartlands book discussion group. How did your group get started? I had a friend who was in a book club in the community with me, and she eventually had to move to Heartlands, a retirement center in Ellicott City. I continued to visit her and read to her. She was almost blind. ... She was interested in having a book club with the residents there, so she and I worked on it. ... She died a couple of years later, and I continued on with it in her memory.

An interview with Nancy Berla, co-founder of the Vantage House book club. What is Vantage House? Vantage House is a life-care retirement center [in Columbia]. How did your club get started? I founded it with some of the residents. It was interesting because they had asked the [Howard County] library for support in setting up a book club, and I volunteer at the library in another capacity, and my mother-in-law had recently moved into the Vantage House. We started the book club in April of 1982.

John Waters poked fun at Jackie Onassis. He knocked the Catholic Church. He urged African-American youths to listen to country music -- simply to drive their parents crazy. And, as usual, the Baltimore filmmaker said a lot of other things that we cannot print here. Indeed if anyone thought that Waters, who yesterday addressed the annual convention of the Association of College and Research Libraries, might censor himself -- in deference to the finer sensibilities of a roomful of 2,500 librarians -- he thought wrong.

CHICAGO - Seattle did it first. Los Angeles is doing it next. But this city of ethnic neighborhoods and exaggerated blue-collar grit - former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka likened the town and the football team to "a bunch of guys named Grabowski" - is where the United States' hottest intellectual trend really took off. Mayor Richard M. Daley last fall asked every resident of this city of 3 million to read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The response to One Book, One Chicago was electric.

Editor's Note: In her next-to-last column today, Jerdine Nolen writes a personal correspondence to her readers. Reading and writing are celebrations of the mind's ability to think. We are wired to search for and construct meaning from our environments. We strive to understand the most un-understandable things. Learning to speak, listen, read and write -- to become literate -- is the most important thing a person can ever do in his or her lifetime. It is by far the best ticket for success.