Involving Students — and the Community — in the 'Big Read'

is putting a new school spin on an old-school tactic.

The idea: Ask school and city officials – along with the community at-large – to participate in Lakewood’s first Big Beach Read.

The objective: Collectively celebrate summer reading and “enter into someone else’s mind through storytelling,” Lakewood High School English teacher Karen Ballash said.

The novel: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon.

The background: Every LHS student has been assigned to read this crime and mystery book that opens with the narrator (Christopher Boone) discovering his neighbor’s dog has been pitch-forked to death, PR specialist Christine Gordillo said.

Inspired by Sherlock Holmes tales, the narrator sets out to find the killer, but readers soon realize that Boone has a developmentally challenged mind.

“We borrowed the idea of a community-wide read from colleges, who often assign a book for freshman seminar,” said Ballash. “They establish a community of readers right from the start. The LHS faculty thinks this would be good for the Lakewood High community, as well. Reading is vital to everything we teach.”

The result?

Students will discuss the book in class, and the Lakewood community will have the chance to participate as well in evening discussion groups and other special events that will be held at the in September.