Just to reiterate - AR is NOT our reading program at PJHS. It is ONLY and will always be ONLY a tool for your English teachers and librarian to establish that you have read a particular book of YOUR CHOICE.  We know it seems like it may be counter intuitive to stress AR because so many students and parents have a negative connotation related to the program.  Let me reassure you that the goals you teachers will be setting for you WILL BE REASONABLY attained in the nine week period given.  We hope you will begin to see how this is important to your learning growth and will be inspired to read more this year than ever before - not just because you have to for a grade, but you find THAT one book that you can connect to, you feel like you are in the story with them, or the characters have become some of your best friends.  

One such book for me is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  The guys in this book are some of my oldest friends, I've know them since I was your age and they have continued to grow on me through out the years.  Once I studied the book as an adult and learned all that there is to know about the background of the author, the time period, the music connected to the book and characters, the messages shared through the themes of what makes a good hero?, Are stereotypes necessary?  Are we going to make it out of school unscathed by social injustice? it's something that has grown with me over the years - however simplistic the language--I love this book and I hope you get to meet my friends while you are here in the junior high!