Catch the Spirit: Teen Volunteers Tell How They Made a Difference (Single Title: Teen)
Gr 5-9-With so many student groups requiring members to log volunteer hours and with service learning on the rise, this book may come in handy for ideas. Perry features 20 teens, all "remarkable recipients of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award." In first-person accounts, the students relate the stories behind their projects that led to national recognition. Lo Detrich, a teen with a life expectancy of 30 due to cystic fibrosis, has raised $150,000 to find a cure for her disease. David Levitt organized a local Operation Food for Thought program and collected over 55,000 pounds of extra school lunch food for the hungry in one year. Football standout Marcus Houston shovels snow to earn prize money for an essay contest open to local eighth graders on how to be successful. The common denominator for the stories is a young adult with an idea, determination, and heart. The accounts read well, and the appendixes provide excellent sources of information with steps to get started volunteering, over 200 project ideas, and contact information for organizations. Since the stories are personal ones from individual teens, readers will likely choose this book over the "Service Learning" series (Children's) or the "Community Service for Teens" series (Ferguson), which read like report books. The colorful cover, photos of the young people, and an attractive format are a plus.-Leigh Ann Jones, Staley Middle School, Frisco, TXCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.