By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Student readers at Geneseo Middle School have selected “Property of the Rebel Librarian” by Allison Varnes for the 2023 On the Same Page Community-Wide Read.

The book features June Harper, a seventh grade student who always plays by the rules. When June’s parents take action against one of her favorite books, things snowball out of control. With the help of a Little Free Library and a secret locker, June and her classmates become rebel readers in their fight against censorship at their school.

Jeanne Brucher, Geneseo Middle School and Geneseo High School librarian, said this is the 13th year that GMS readers have selected a book for a community-wide read…”Through grants from groups such as the Geneseo Education Foundation, Kiwanis Club and the MS/HS PTA, we are able to purchase 250 copies to make available for free throughout the community.”

Copies of the books can be found at a dozen partner locations throughout Geneseo and Atkinson for community members to take, read, and pass along. Copies of the book also may be picked up at the Geneseo Middle School office.

The link to this year’s Student Book Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHMjUjtEJE0&t=2s and the link to OSP’s website: https://gcsdstaff.org/onthesamepage.

Brucher said that volunteer sixth; seventh and eighth grade readers select the OSP book each year.

Comments from some of the sixth grade readers:

-Elly George – “I like the book because it shows how brave people can be to protect the things they love.”

-Ellie Jackson – “We picked this book because it shows that you can persevere through hard times for the things you love.”

-Katrina Nerud – “I like the book because it’s about doing what you think is right.”

-Jocelyn Russelburg – “I like this book because it is about a middle school girl who loves books and will do anything to protect them.”

Brucher said, “To complete this year’s reading season, we will host a community book swap before the middle school concert on Tuesday, March 7. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the GHS Concert Hall. Before and after the concert, OSP readers encourage readers to bring a new or gently used book to swap out for a book that would be ‘new’ to them.”