The Sprague elementary school teachers have outdone themselves once again in their annual short film encouraging students to push through their summer reading even when the going gets tough. Sprague students are encouraged to read about 30 minutes per day during the summer. (You can check out all Wellesley schools’ suggested summer reading on our Wellesley Summer Reading page.)

The film stars Ms. Fiore as an enthusiastic reader who must overcome a difficult section of her once-beloved, The Book. The film begins with Ms. Fiore having fun with The Book (played by Ms. Bartelloni), but things go sour when Ms. Fiore reaches a difficult part of The Book. After pushing The Book away, the rest of the story follows the path that leads Ms. Fiore to give The Book another chance, and it turns out the hard part can be overcome after all.

Highlights include a fantastic junk food binge scene and some expertly choreographed dancing. The soundtrack was full of hits, from The Turtles to Sinead O’Connor.

This masterpiece was directed by Mr. Craig, and his choices of the film’s various sets will be familiar to Sprague kids and parents. The story features various classrooms, hallways, the cafeteria and, of course, the library.

The inspirational messages at the end had me putting War and Peace and other classics on my summer reading list. I can read them after all!