On February 16, 2010, school-age children and their adult companions gathered at The Tang Teaching Museum & Art Gallery at Skidmore College for a hands-on children's art program inspired by the Saratoga Reads junior companion book, Miss Rumphius.  Excerpts from this American Book Award-winning book, which tells the story of a woman who tries to add beauty to the world by planting colorful lupines of blue, purple, and pink were read aloud.   Participants discussed the themes of the book and made their own lupines using some extraordinary materials.

Saratoga Reads invites 4th, 5th and 6th grade students to a special event at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

Skidmore professor Catherine Golden with a team of mentors from Saratoga Springs High School and Skidmore College will lead younger students in a two part discussion series of Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry on February 11 and 25.  The book was chosen as a companion title to this year's Saratoga Reads! selection, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Anne Shaffer.  Both books tell the story of those living under German occupation during WWII.  Number the Stars introduces us to a Danish 10 year old girl, Annemarie Johansen, who acts with courage and bravery to help her friend, Ellen Rosen, who is Jewish.
We host this type of discussion each year because we support Saratoga reading together as a community.  It is rare and special to bring together elementary, middle, high school and college students to share ideas and information.  A shared conversation focused on books is a gift.

If you need more information, please feel free to contact Lauren Cohen at kids@saratogareads.org .  Students can rsvp to this address.