SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

March 18, 2016 by Travis Jonker

The Bittersweet Librarian: Full Saturation

March 18, 2016 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

You know, I thought I would be happy to see this day.

Copies of Wonder

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The day when, if a student asked for this book, I could stride over to the shelf, heroically pull it from its place, and make a kid’s day, instead of what I usually have to do: tell them “I think it’s checked out. Let’s look. Yep, checked out.” Then, weakly, “You can put it on hold. Here are some other books you might like.” Repeat.

But I’m not all that happy. When a high-demand book reaches the saturation point, it’s more of a (dramatic pause) bittersweet feeling.

giphy

Look, I know the reason we have copies on the shelf is because it’s already been read by just about everyone at my school. That’s a good thing. But it means there won’t be as many kids experiencing a great book for the first time.

I’m glad they’re there. But a bit sad too.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2022

2022 Books from American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

Ditched Dewey? I Have an Oddly Specific Question for You

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

'This crap really fires me up' FRED GETS DRESSED Gets Challenged

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

2022 Books from APAA Winners

by Travis Jonker

April 2022

Book Vandalism or The Most Deeply Appropriate Thing I've Ever Seen?

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who (#167)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Last Mapmaker by Christine Soontornvat

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Tails of the Super-Pets | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Many May Suggestions: First Quarter Mock Newbery Possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

How I WILL PROTECT YOU Fills a Gap in Holocaust Education, a guest post by Danica Davidson

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

Farewell From The Classroom Bookshelf

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Grant Snider Visits The Yarn!

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

45 Superb Works by Rachel Isadora, Christina Soontornvat, & Candace Fleming | Starred Reviews, May 2022

29 Books that Celebrate All Aspects of Jewish Life | Jewish American Heritage Month

9 High Stakes Survival Stories for Readers of 'Hatchet'

Time to Refresh the Canon: Here Are Our Picks

11 Nonfiction Titles for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eric Carpenter says

    March 18, 2016 at 6:15 am

    Yet another reason to love the Babymouse, Squid, and Lunch Lady books. Even though they’ve been checked out at rates higher than the school’s population, they’re still never on the shelf because of their everyone wants to read them for again for the upteenth time.

  2. Paige Ysteboe says

    March 18, 2016 at 6:19 am

    What’s interesting for me is to look at my shelf of Harry Potter books. I always have several on the shelf and several checked out. I did a poll of my 6th graders this week and discovered that many of them had never read Harry Potter which is the prime reason that it is on NC’s Battle of the Books list for next year. I’m really looking forward to watching kids read it for the first time!

  3. Mary Clark says

    March 19, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    The beauty of a middle school library is the three year turn-over of the student body. It’s also one of the saddest things, when those students who matured so much in three years are leaving you behind. But we do get to introduce incoming sixth graders to a host of new books! I’d expect them to have read Wonder in elementary school, but all 30 copies we own are checked out, all the time! (I bought a class set for check-out with a grant, but also make them available for student check-out, too.)

    You slayed me with the Gregory Peck GIF. I’ve seen the move 20 plus times, and every time, I hope for a different ending!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2022


    COPYRIGHT © 2022