Every few months, Briana McEntee and the other fifth-grade teachers at Wellington Elementary School transform their classrooms into “Starbooks” cafés and treat their students to a “book tasting.” Complete with green-apron-wearing baristas, cardboard-sleeved paper cups and green table decorations, students sip hot chocolate while spending a few minutes sampling a book. After a brief period, classmates swap books. By the time the café closes, each student has created a short list of books that have piqued their interest. “Starbooks” is now a tradition for the fifth graders. It is extremely effective at stimulating the students’ appetites for books. Shown here are McEntee’s students enjoying “Starbooks.”
