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So, it was Father’s Day last Sunday. Per usual, I’m approximately 4 days behind the rest of the world’s calendar. That’s not to say I didn’t give my dad a hug on Sunday (we had him over for a cookout), but I didn’t exactly get his gift to him that day. I delivered it last night.

What do you give a dad who has everything? Who is retired and financially comfortable enough that he has the time and money to get and do whatever he’d like, when he’d like it*? Well, I’ve been giving him booklists. A few years ago, desperate for a gift, I gave him a bookmark with a list of books that sounded “like him.” He carried it around for a year and when he’d come in to volunteer at my school library (yes, he’s that great of a dad), he’d often have one of the books on the list under his arm. He wondered out loud to me once how I had compiled a list of so many great books that tickled his interest.

Ha! Finding books for readers is kinda what I do for a living, Dad. Probably my favorite part.

So, this year, it was time for a new list. And here it is: The Super-Long Father’s Day List of Books. It IS long, in no particular order, a strange mix of nonfiction, mystery, and science fiction/fantasy, and it includes some series halfway through because that’s where my dad is in them. I don’t know why I’m posting it here, except it’s books and it’s a list and I’m a librarian, so pass it on I must in the hopes that someone else somewhere might find their “just right” book.

Enjoy! (And please, I’m always looking for suggestions for next year’s list. Send them my way!)

* Not that he necessarily does. He’s pretty frugal, my dad. Which only makes gift-giving harder because if you give something too extravagant, it might be construed as, well…extravagant.

* I’ve already waxed on about my dad and reading here.

Last week, a fifth grade girl came into the library after school. She’s one of my “regulars.” I’ve often suspected she comes more for the chats than the books. She’s nice, but needy. A little lost in a big family and a big school. One you wonder about how she’ll fare in middle school. She could go either way.

After a few minutes, she popped her head up from the shelves. “Mrs. Wojahn, did I tell you that I’m an Advanced Reader?” She said it with such pride and authority I could hear the capital letters.

“Why, no. But I’m not surprised. You’re such a big reader.”

She grinned. “Yes, I just found out. My mom told me last night that my teacher said I was at parent/teacher conferences. And now, my mom is so happy, she’s taking me to the bookstore for more books!”

I smiled at her. She was so excited. And, truth be told, I had already heard about her reading test scores. Her beginning of the year evaluation was kind of a surprise to everyone–she’s never scored like that before. And I admit, I have often wondered how much she actually read of all the books she checked out. But watching her there, I thought, does it matter if she really is an Advanced Reader or if she just made lucky guesses on the test? I could see–her expectations for herself had changed. And so had her mom’s. And her teacher’s. And how much would all that affect her as a reader? As a learner?

Thinking about that, made me wonder. What if we could tell every student (all in the strictest confidence, of course ) that they were, each and every one of them, an Advanced Reader. Better than all the rest. Would it make a difference?