Have you ever been to our school library and signed out a book? No matter your answer, we think you should stop by and check it out the next time you pass! Our library staff member was willing to give Veronika Aleksandrova an interview about the life of the library, including some details that many students might not know. Katie Sarginson has been a teacher librarian here at PVHS for 7 years and a teacher for 21 years! She absolutely loves to read, spend time with her family, watch TV, walk in Bidwell Park, practice yoga, and take trips to the beach.
In an interview with Veronika, Mrs. Sarginson said that when asked, “How many students come to read before school and during lunch? How many sign out books?” she responded, “The library gets very crowded before school and during lunch, but students are in here for a variety of reasons, not just to read. There are usually 3-5 students reading physical books in the library at any time throughout the day. Books circulate differently depending on the time of the semester, but we have had 3,586 total circulations from the beginning of the school year until now.” She’s always there to help students find the book they want or answer any other questions they might have.
Another question Veronika asked was, “What books are the most popular among students? Is it different for each grade?” In an interview with Veronika, Mrs. Sarginson said that “There is not an easy way to track the popularity of titles by grade, but I frequently run reports to see what the top circulating books are. In fact, I am working on the Top 25 Books of 2025 right now! I share that in the Library Google Classroom and on our Instagram each December.” If any SAGA readers would like to follow them, their Instagram is @pvhsvikinglibrary and their Google Classroom code is znoqp46. She also listed the five most circulated books in the last year: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Lovely Bones, Girl in Pieces, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and The Lightning Thief (Book 1 of the Percy Jackson series). All of these books are available in the library, so make sure to grab one!
Mia Barron said, “I read and think it’s important for students because it can help them escape from reality, and I think that’s something we all need once in a while.”
Everybody has different tastes in books, but our library definitely has something for everyone. If you’re not sure what book to check out, you can always ask the librarians for suggestions. In an interview with Veronika, Mrs. Sarginson shared her own recommendations for PV students: “Some of my recent favorites are Under the Same Stars, Death in the Jungle, Fake Skating, When We Ride, and If Looks Could Kill. My go-to authors to recommend are Jason Reynolds, John Green, Tiffany Jackson, Jeff Zentner, Patrick Ness, and Angie Thomas. I have loved everything I have read by these authors and I recommend their books a lot!” Our librarians read a lot themselves, always buy new books, and will always have something for every student.
Sophia Hsieh added, “I read books every night before I go to bed. It helps me relax and fall asleep easier instead of using my phone. I think it’s better for students to read instead of scrolling before bed.”
Everybody has heard at least once a teacher or other adult say, “kids don’t read as much these days.” They are not entirely wrong, but they are not entirely right either. Let’s see what Katie Sarginson has to say about this. In an interview with Veronika, she said, “Before becoming a teacher librarian, I was an English teacher for many years. I guess I would say I don’t see a significant downward trend in reading for pleasure. In fact, I think with book content and references becoming more prevalent on TikTok and Instagram, reading books for fun (at least trending titles) has become more common. I also think audiobooks have become more common and accessible, which makes reading more accessible for those who might not have as much time or interest in picking up a physical book! However, I do think phone and device usage leads adults and teens to spend far less uninterrupted time reading, so in that sense I do think people read less.”
