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In the early 1980’s, the school where I taught decided to have USSR (Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading). The kids called it Russia. Many of them were not readers so I decided on Mondays that I would read to them. I wanted something with short chapters that 7th graders (especially the boys) would love.  A friend suggested McDonald Hall. The kids could not wait until Monday to hear the next chapter. They begged for it. To be honest, it became part of the “incentive plan”. The students always did enough to hear the next chapter. Long after USSR went out of style and high stakes state mandated testing became tied to success, I continued my Mondays with McDonald Hall. I left the classroom in 1998 and became a “Central Office Person”. I recommended my Monday routine to all the teachers I supervised. To the Middle School teachers, I recommended McDonald Hall, of course because it deals with situations with which any 13 year old can identify. I have wanted to thank you for a long time for making part of my job as a teacher so much fun.