Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman is cause for celebration at libraries this summer. The expected July 14th release date has fans of To Kill A Mockingbird all a twitter. Here are a few ideas to use at your library to celebrate this great literary occasion.
- Turn your inside book drop into a tree knot hole. Use paper or a large painted sheet to create a tree to drape in front of it. Have the children knock and ask for Boo Radley. Children can reach in and get candy, bookmarks or anything else you would like to give away.
- Host a scavenger hunt in your children’s area for items found in the tree knot such as gum, balls of twine and pennies.
- Have a community reads program and discussion group at your library. Buy a number of copies to giveaway to the first people who sign up.
- If you are having a book group and want to serve refreshments, you can try recipes inspired by the book at http://leafsandleaves.blogspot.com/2011/08/recipes-from-to-kill-mockingbird.html. You can find Calpurnia’s crackling bread, Miss Maudie’s Lane Cake, frosted tea cakes and fresh lemonade.
- Invite Paul Acampora for an author visit. He wrote I Kill The Mockingbird. It is about a group of middle school students who hide the books in local libraries and bookstores to create hype to get their classmates to read it.
- Hide the books and have your own I Kill The Mockingbird hype event.
- Do a reader’s theater with children and or teens with certain scenes from the book such as a courtroom scene.
Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH
