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Akron Public Schools

Reading can transport us to various places, impart new skills, and simply unfold our imaginations. It’s not only educational, but it’s also fun!  The Superintendent's Book Club is for all scholars in Akron Public Schools.  Scholars are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes per day from the Superintendent's suggested list of books or any books a scholar chooses.  Monthly awards will be given to the top reader in each age group and all scholars who complete the required monthly reading goals.

2024-2025 MONTHLY WINNERS

How To Participate

  • Read a book from the Superintendent's suggested list or choose one of your own!
  • After reading the book, complete the Google Form on the right.  

How To Get Rewards

Superintendent's Top Reader Award

Top readers from each group will be recognized at the first board meeting of every month and receive a $25 Acme Fresh Market Gift Card and certificate. Groups include:

  • Kindergarten - Grade 5
  • Grades 6 - 8
  • Grades 9 - 12

Acme Fresh Market Surprise Treats

All students who complete the required monthly reading goals will receive a coupon from their schools for an Acme Fresh Market Surprise Treat.  Reading goals are:

  • Grades K-1 = 20 books
  • Grades 2-3 = 15 books
  • Grades 4-5 = 8 books
  • Grades 6-8 = 4 books
  • Grades 9-12 = 3 books
Acme Fresh Market Logo

Note: Acme Fresh Market Surprise Treat coupons will be distributed at the school level.  Families must have an Acme Fresh Market card to redeem the coupon. If your family doesn't have an Acme Fresh Market card, you can visit any Acme Fresh Market customer service counter or sign up online at acmestores.com/account/register.  

Image of APS Student Reading

Ready, Set, Go!

After each book is read, click the link that has your grade level. Complete the Google Form, and hit submit! Have fun reading!!
 

Google Form K-5

Google Form 6-8

Google Form 9-12

Image of APS Student Reading

Superintendent's Suggested Reading List (January 2025)

Disclaimer: Reading the suggested books listed in the Superintendent’s Book of the Month Club is a choice. Scholars are, however, encouraged to read more books and are not limited to only those listed. There is something for everyone.

Elementary Level

  • The Snowy Nap - Jan Brett
  • The Hat - Jan Brett
  • Sneezy the Snowman - Maureen Wright
  • Bear Snores On - Karma Wilson
  • The Biggest Snowman Ever - Steven Kroll
  • Brave Irene - William Steig
  • The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Anderson
  • Snowflake Bentley - Jacqueline Briggs Martin
  • Penguin and Pinecome - Saline Yoon
  • Winter is Here - Kevin Henkes

Middle School Level

  • Wonder - R.J. Palacio
  • Greenglass House - Kate Milford
  • Winterhouse - Ben Guterson
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
  • Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Nevermoor - Jessica Townsend
  • Princess Academy - Shannon Hale

High School Level

  • The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  • The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
  • All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
  • The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

 

Our Partnership

The Superintendent’s Book of the Month Club is an optional opportunity for scholars K-12. It is encouraged but not mandatory. Schools will adopt the Superintendent’s Book of the Month into their normal school culture promoting reading of 20 minutes per day.

APS has partnered with Akron-Summit County Public Library to ensure the suggested books are available in print or digitally. The books can also be borrowed through SORA on the APS Portal. In addition, schools will incorporate the Superintendent’s One Million Word Initiative, which will be supported by PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies), which is a part of our MTSS (Multi-tiered System of Supports) Model.

Disclaimer: Reading the suggested books listed in the Superintendent’s Book of the Month Club is a choice. Scholars are, however, encouraged to read more books and are not limited to only those listed. There is something for everyone.

The Importance of Reading

Literacy must be the bedrock of all that we do as a system to ensure that our scholars learn to read by the end of second grade. When scholars are exposed to the world around them before Pre-K, it sets them apart in a big world in which they attempt to navigate. By third grade, our scholars must be reading to learn. Literacy will enable our scholars to become owners of their learning, champions for their education, and critical and analytical thinkers equipped to face the many challenges of life.

When scholars cannot read, they are limited to access, equitable opportunities and experiences that will open doors for them. There is no compromise for the ability to read and understand text at high levels. Students, when they learn to read, develop vocabulary that will enable them to conquer the world. Reading more books is not going to create better readers, but one must have a love and appreciation for the art of reading. More importantly, scholars must have the required skills, phonemic awareness, letter recognition and understanding of entomology, which is the study of words to read, write, communicate and master any other areas of academics.

Mastery of academia and the ability to read is the difference between success and defeat. Scholars have a civil right to education, and reading is a significant part of that effort. There IS no substitute.

According to bump.com and Edutopia online resources, the children of parents who read every night to them during the ages from birth to kindergarten enter school with a greater vocabulary and are far ahead of those whose parents didn’t read to them. There is simply no compromise. It’s a must, not a desire.