It seems like books are full of main characters who are just a little bit different – they think a little differently, they act a little differently, they make slightly different choices. This shouldn’t be a big surprise to me, since I think most of us think we are a little bit different than everyone else; we’re all our own special unique person, right?

The first character that came to mind was Marcus from last year’s book Little Brother. With Teen Tech Week having just come to a close last week, it’s no surprise that such a technologically savvy book was at the forefront. Marcus is willing to risk everything, even his freedom, to avoid giving up his rights and betraying the rights of those in his city of San Francisco. He absolutely refuses to conform.

But then literally dozens of characters who forge their own way or follow their own, unconventional dreams sprang to mind. Jo March in Little Women. Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. The whole group of teens in The Outsiders. Frankie in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Ender in Ender’s Game.

I think we like these characters because they make us think that maybe we are brave enough or strong enough to throw off the expectations of our society or our family or our school and do what we really want to be doing.

Many of the celebrities in the READ posters are holding books that contain characters that march to their own beat. For instance, Alan Rickman holding Catcher in the Rye, Jeffrey Dean Morgan holding Watchmen, and Keira Knightley holding Pride and Prejudice.  Who is your favorite character that marches to their own beat? Who are the favorite unique characters of your patrons or students? Their answers could turn into a great READ CD Poster project for this month!

Last week, Marti Fritz at the Kalamazoo Public Library shared her library’s READ posters with me. Their Flickr pool showcases the great variety of not only kids and adults, but local patrons and celebrities, including Kalamazoo’s mayor, Kalamazoo Public Schools’ superintendent and dozens of principals, and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s maestro/musical director. 

This wonderful mix of smiling faces appears on some incredibly well-made posters! I love how the patron is typically posing with their favorite book and one other prop, and then featured against a corresponding READ background for an incredibly cohesive effect.

This Batman in particular brought a smile to my face and seemed to fit in quite well with the profusion of comic books and graphic novels that have been debuting on the big screen of late. In the past year, we’ve seen Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Persepolis and, as of last Friday, Watchmen. (And as someone who is admittedly fairly naive about the genre, there are probably many more I’ve left out!)  

Like the READ CD Box Set, the genre seems to be particularly adaptable– reading well both off the page and off the screen. This led me to wonder what a comic strip of READ posters might look like… I’m going to have to ponder this, play around, and come back with my results later, but I challenge you to give it a try as well! Who says a READ poster has to be contained to just one frame?!

Despite my lack of knowledge on the subject, one thing is clear– once a fan, always a fan. Whether you’re our masked friend above or my winged friends to the right, trying to decide what to make for dinner, there’s always room for your love of superheroes on a READ poster!

The celebration of this month provides many great ways to use your READ CD to build relationships between community members, community leaders and the library. Here are some of our favorites from when we were brainstorming earlier today.

1. Invite notable women community leaders from your local legislatures to come into the library and have their READ poster created. This not only gives them some visibility, but it provides a way for your patrons to know who is representing them in their local government.
2. Reach out to local female personalities like radio hosts, TV anchors and local sports figures. We’ve received many stories from libraries across the US who have been able to get publicity for their library due to having READ posters created with popular celebrities, both local and national.
3. Have your patrons create a READ poster with their favorite female author or character. This gives the patrons a chance to be featured on a READ poster showing their mentors and influencers while promoting your library’s collections.

Have you used your READ CDs for Women’s History Month celebrations or activities? We love to hear your stories, so share them with us in the comments!