We just introduced our 2008 Teacher Voices and our Student Voices. Now, we’re looking for new Community Voices volunteer columnists. In addition to being the stars of the Thursday Sounding Off feature, Voices columnists also participate in a writing workshop and other special events. They also, of course, write columns — usually one per month. Please help us by spreading the word. Some of our best Voices columnists have come to us through Sounding Off and recommendations from other Voices.

Thanks for your help. Here’s a column I wrote recently about our search and selection process.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/askeditor/stories/asktheeditor_18edi.87809de9.html

And here’s all you need to do to apply:

1. Write a little about yourself and put together a list of current and previous civic involvements. How would others in the community describe you? What is unique about your background and experience? Why should we choose you?

2. Share a previous writing sample or write something new on a current topic. A writing sample should be 600 to 650 words.

3. Jot down three other topics you would like to write about.

4. E-mail the application to voices@dallasnews.com. Please include your address and phone number.

5. Deadline to apply is 4 p.m., Oct. 10.

This is additional information that wouldn't fit onto my voices column regarding today. It provides suggested quality literature for all age groups--one list for each "reading ladder rung" that I mentioned in my column.

 If you would like to read the column, you can find it here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/opinion/stories/DN-east_boor_18edi.ART.East.Edition1.26b66ee.html

Happy reading!

 Suggested Reading List:

First Rung: Easily digested, plot-driven books. Normally best for children ages 5-10, but 
also wonderful for family read-out-loud sessions. You will be (pleasantly)surprised at 
how much different the books are from the movies.

1.Raggedy Ann, by Johnny Gruelle
2. Paddington Bear, by Michael Bond
3.Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
4.The Phantom Toll Booth, by Norton Juster
5.Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, by Lewis Carrol
6. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
8. The Borrowers, by Mary Norton
9. Ramona, by Beverly Cleary
10. Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Second Rung Books: Often factual, most of the time historical fiction.  These blend plots 
and ideas, and are a great transition for readers ages 10-14.

1. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth Speare
3. Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
4. Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
5. The Lord of the Rings (trilogy), by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. The Chronicles of Narnia (series), by C.S. Lewis
7. The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Emmuska Orczy
8. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle
9. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom
10. The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth Speare

Third Rung Books: mostly about ideas.  Great for readers ages 13-15 and up.  Although all 
three rungs provide a god basis for family discussion, this third rung is by far the 
best.

1. Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
2. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
3. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Doestoevsky
4. The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
5. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
6.The Diary of Anne Frank
7. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
8. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
9. A Man For All Seasons, by Robert Bolt
10. Lost Horizon, by James Hilton