Outstanding Books for the College Bound

Outstanding Books in School Libraries Curriculum Connections and Reader’s Advisory

Wiest, Stefani

CA-Common Core Assessments, CO-Reading Workshops

Dando, P. (2011). Outstanding books in school libraries curriculum connections and readers' advisory. Young Adult Library Services, 10(1), 31-35.

Summary: This article presents information about the comprehensive list Outstanding Books for the College Bound (OBCB) and Lifelong Learners, published by the American Library Association. The article provides suggestions for librarians to achieve both the literary and instructional roles of the school library, particularly at the high school level. The OBCB list can be utilized for reader’s advisory, to develop summer reading programs, curriculum connections, and supplementary reading. It also reflects multiculture and multigenre suggestions to reach a wide and diverse audience. 

Evaluation: Learning about OBCB through this article has given me an additional resource to refer to when helping high school students find relevant material. Although this article focuses on school libraries at the high school level, the OBCB could also benefit the public librarian when working with teens. The article presents fresh ideas of practical applications including reading recommendations through reader’s advisory, summer reading lists, instructional supplements to assigned classroom reading, student-led book groups for students to study and discuss, and team teaching between teachers and school librarians. Undoubtedly, the more abundant the resources that are available to the high school student, the more opportunities for learning are presented.