Lauren Elliott, High School Teacher Librarian, has been working at Seoul Foreign School for 7 years. She has worked internationally for 20 years in Mexico, Qatar, China and now South Korea. As a Librarian she is passionate about diverse library collections, connecting students with books that draw them in, and collaborating with teachers.
1. What’s a book (or 2–3) you’ve been recommending a lot lately?
At the start of the 2026-2027 school year I have been recommending our “Morning Calm” nominees. The Morning Calm is an annual award given by international school students and librarians in South Korea. We vote for the most popular title from each division at the end of each year. Below you will find 3 of the most popular, so far! 2 Korean authors, and an interesting non-fiction title:
Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon. Inspiring story about the owner of a small neighbourhood convenience store in Seoul, who takes in an unhoused man who has lost his memory. (Interest level: Young Adult to Adult).
And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun. Dark and stormy horror book that is inspired by Korean traditional tales (Interest level: Young Adult).
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. Digs into the history and spread of tuberculosis, while following the story of one young patient who the author met in 2019 (Interest level: Grades 7 to Adult).
2. Share a fun little fact about yourself.
I always have 3 books on the go: an audiobook on my phone, an ebook on my Kobo reader, and a print book on my desk!
Spotlight Project
A new program in our Seoul Foreign High School is our independent reading initiative. Beginning in August 2026, each Grade 9 and 10 study period begins, device free, with 15 minutes of independent reading. Our high school students move away from reading for pleasure as they progress through high school. Our circulation statistics drop each grade. We all know the value of reading, and spending time with a book of our own choosing. In a reading survey of all 500 high school students, the data was clear: our students identify as readers, they enjoy reading, but they do not have the time to read for enjoyment. When presented with the data and the independent reading time solution, our Admin was very supportive. Implementing this initiative has required buy in from all study period teachers and our Grade 9 and 10 students.
Making daily visits to read in classes across the high school has been a real bright spot in my day. This is a big initiative that includes 87 study periods over a 12 day cycle. You will now regularly see students, teachers, admin and even our head of school, in classrooms across the school beginning their period with books in hand.
