Author, Educator Tackle How to Develop a Love of Reading in Students

MCHENRY, Sept. 24, 2024 — A leading children’s author and an acclaimed local educator will headline “2024 Educator Night,” presented by Follett Content, which will shine a spotlight on how to instill a love of reading in today’s students.

The event, open to educators of all grade levels, is set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at McHenry High School, 4724 W. Crystal Lake Road in McHenry. Illinois educators who attend will receive two hours of professional development.

Rob Harrell, author of Wink (2020, Penguin Random House), will speak about his new book, Popcorn (2024, Penguin Random House), a moving story about coping with anxiety on a day when everything seems to be going wrong.

"I'm so looking forward to the 2024 Educator Night, and the opportunity to talk about Popcorn,” said Harrell, who deftly uses images and graphics to engage young readers with his books. “As a person who has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks, this book is really personal to me — and one I genuinely hope helps make some readers feel not so alone."

All attendees will receive a copy of Popcorn and Harrell will be signing copies of his book after the discussion and question-and-answer session.

Harrell will be joined by Dr. Katie Hoving, a reading intervention and English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at Hampshire High School, Community Unit School District 300 in Kane County. She will share strategies for motivating striving learners and discuss how educators can meet today’s students — bombarded with videos and images — halfway with books designed to spark their interest.

“Each year, it seems as if more and more students are expressing a dislike for reading, yet stakes are high for educators to improve students’ reading scores,” Dr. Hoving said. “Educators need to make reading more appealing while still accounting for rigor. This can be accomplished through a variety of text formats, choice reading, and book clubs. This way students can read books that they find interesting, accessible, and relatable, which will hopefully encourage reading joy while also improving their abilities.”

A limited number of seats remain for the 2024 Educator Night, which is priced at $25 per person and includes a buffet dinner in addition to Harrell’s book and PD hours. To register, visit this link.

About Rob Harrell | robharrell.com

Harrell is the author/illustrator of Wink and the Batpig series, created the Life of Zarf series, the graphic novel Monster on the Hill, and writes and draws the long-running daily comic strip Adam@Home, which appears in more than 140 papers worldwide. He created and drew the internationally syndicated comic strip Big Top until 2007. He lives with his pup in Indiana.

About Dr. Katie Hoving

Dr. Hoving, who earned her Master’s in Literacy from Judson University, has been a high school teacher for 19 years. She taught special education for 10 years with a focus on teaching Reading and English. Nine years ago, she made the switch to teaching general education ELA, which allowed her to continue teaching kids who struggle. She completed her Reading Specialist endorsement in 2018 and graduated with her Doctorate in Literacy four years later. Her research interests include motivating struggling learners, determining strategies for affective literacy, and keeping up with young adult (YA) literature trends. To read a blog from Dr. Hoving, “Making Students Jump Out of Seats for Books,” visit this link.

About Follett Content | follettcontent.com

Follett Content Solutions is the largest provider of educational materials to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett Content distributes textbooks, supplemental books, hands-on learning resources, audiovisual materials and digital resources through Titlewave, the most powerful online collection development and curriculum support tool for school libraries, librarians, and educators. Find Follett on Facebook and Instagram and follow them on X (formerly Twitter) (@FollettContent).

Media Contact | Doug Thompson | Thompson Drake Public Relations | 541.419.4471 | doug@thompsondrake.com