Share Good Books with Friends in 2024

Are you thinking about what books you’ll read this year?  Do you like to talk with friends about the books you read?  Try the “12 Months, 12 Friends, 12 Books” reading challenge.

Start the New Year with a Reading Challenge

At the start of 2024, resolve to make time to read every day.  Try the BW English Department reading challenge, or try one of the many reading challenges you can find online.

You Can Count on These Books

What’s on your reading list for 2024?  Check out the display of new books in the BW English Department!  (Each of these books has a number in the title.)

English Teachers Share their Favorite Books of 2023

The members of the Belleville West English Department recently compiled a list of their favorite books from 2023.  These are books that teachers read during the past year, but they were not all published in 2023.

Mr. Brunner
The Wager by David Grann

Ms. Chalmers
Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Mrs. Coyne
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Mr. Garland
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Ms. Guebert
Stoner by John Williams

Mr. Herron
Don’t Cry For Me by Daniel Black

Ms. Hodson
The Project by Courtney Summers

Mrs. Hunter
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Mr. Jenkins
The Passage by Justin Cronin

Mr. Johnson
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Mrs. Lewis
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Mr. Lodle
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Mrs. Mims
Finding Me by Viola Davis (audiobook read by author)

Mr. Reidelberger
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Ms. Richardson
The Good House by Tananarive Due

Ms. Schaab
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Mrs. Schlich
Finding Me by Viola Davis

Ms. Schloesser
Let Us Descend by Jesamyn Ward

Mr. Schobert
Hidden Genius by Polina Pompliano

Mrs. Short
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Mr. Spriggs
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Mrs. Story
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Ms. Thurnau
Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel by Ruta Sepetys

Dr. Ursani
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Belleville West Students Read 1.7 Million Pages in First Semester

At the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, the BW English Department challenged the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes to each read ONE MILLION PAGES of pleasure reading during this school year.

The SENIOR CLASS finished first semester with 416,183 pages.  They read 223,351 pages of pleasure reading during the second quarter.  That’s an average of 591 pages per senior.  These senior classes read the most pages per student:

Ms. Schaab, fourth hour – 1369 pages

Mr. Lodle, first hour – 1310 pages

Ms. Thurnau, seventh hour – 1095 pages

Mr. Lodle, second hour – 817 pages

Mrs. Story, second hour – 752 pages

Mrs. Lewis, fourth hour – 746 pages

Ms. Thurnau, fifth hour – 675 pages

Mrs. Story, third hour – 661 pages

Ms. Schaab, fifth hour – 548 pages

The JUNIOR CLASS finished first semester with 440,286 pages.  They read 258,495 pages of pleasure reading during the second quarter.  That’s an average of 573 pages per junior.  These junior classes read the most pages per student:

Mr. Garland, fifth hour – 5314 pages

Mr. Schobert, sixth hour – 831 pages

Ms. Hodson, sixth hour – 721 pages

Mr. Schobert, fifth hour – 710 pages

Mr. Brunner, first hour – 635 pages

Ms. Chalmers, first hour – 598 pages

Mr. Garland, sixth hour – 585 pages

Ms. Chalmers, second hour – 543 pages

Ms. Guebert, seventh hour – 521 pages

The SOPHOMORE CLASS finished first semester with 397,554 pages.  They read 209,849 pages of pleasure reading during the second quarter.  That’s an average of 440 pages per sophomore.  These sophomore classes read the most pages per student:

Ms. Schloesser, sixth hour – 1234 pages

Mr. Johnson, fifth hour – 651 pages

Mrs. Lewis, first hour – 569 pages

Ms. Hodson, third hour – 558 pages

Mr. Redielberger, third hour – 551 pages

Mr. Reidelberger, fourth hour – 489 pages

Ms. Chalmers, seventh hour – 436 pages

Mr. Johnson, second hour – 436 pages

Ms. Chalmers, sixth hour – 429 pages

The FRESHMAN CLASS finished first semester with 467,997 pages.  They read 278,138 pages of pleasure reading during the second quarter.  That’s an average of 598 pages per freshman.  These freshman classes read the most pages per student:

Ms. Mims, sixth hour – 1065 pages

Ms. Thurnau, third hour – 1048 pages

Ms. Mims, fifth hour – 978 pages

Mrs. Coyne, second hour – 862 pages

Ms. Schaab, first hour – 858 pages

Ms. Thurnau, first hour – 818 pages

Ms. Guebert, third hour – 748 pages

Ms. Mims, seventh hour – 720 pages

Mrs. Story, fourth hour – 645 pages

Mrs. Coyne, sixth hour – 638 pages

Mrs. Coyne, first hour – 629 pages

Ms. Thurnau, second hour – 600 pages

Mrs. Story, seventh hour – 540 pages

In the second quarter, every class read more pages than during the first quarter!  Compared to the first quarter, the sophomores read over 22,000 pages more.  The seniors read over 30,000 pages more.  The juniors read over 76,000 pages more.  And the freshmen read over 88,000 more!  If the classes keep building their reading pace like this, they can reach one million pages by the end of the year.  Visit the library, find some good books, and keep reading!