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Re: Talking Books: Book discussion groups with Kids and Teens
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From: Lynn Rutan <lynnrutan_at_charter.net>
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:22:54 -0400
My friend, Cindy Dobrez, and I have run a bookclub in our school district for the past 8 years that has been very popular and is a bit different. It all began when Cindy was appointed to the Best Books Committee for YALSA. She was interested in a way to get teen input so we decided to run a book club based on having our students read and respond to the the books she was surveying. As a committee member she was receiving boxes of donations from publishers for consideration. We set up a special collection with a BBYA spine label and shared the books between the four libraries. Students from our two large middle schools and high schools were invited to participate. The students selected books from the "BBYA collection," reading whatever attracted them. We developed a form for them to fill out with their reactions to the books. We met (and still meet) every other week and at the meetings the students report back on what they have been reading and what their reactions are. (All the students in the schools are wel come to read from the collection and a large number do regularly even if they don't come to the meetings.)
I followed Cindy on the BBYA committee and although neither of us is currently serving on a committee, we have continued to run the club. The teens adore it and our numbers of attendees grows every year. Cindy and I love it! All those eager enthusiastic readers are a sure-fire balm for even the worst day :-)
We have adapted a bit over the years. We dropped the reporting form several years ago when our BBYA terms ended. We continue to spend time on literary elements in the beginning of each year and to provide guidance on how to discuss books. (I would say that the best instructors are our older members as they model discussion for the younger students.) We meet during the summer too, opening the library every other week for check-out and a discussion meeting - something that is very popular. We frequently have alumni members home from college who stop in which is wonderful.
Our students are very attracted by the idea of reading the galleys and having access to books that aren't published yet. They listen very intently to each other (and to us) and are always extremely eager to read what other students have talked about. Anyone who thinks teens don't read should watch our kids dive across the table to reach a book that someone else has just finished talking about ;-) I'm not sure which is more popular, a book that a student has raved about or one that has just been scathingly reviewed! A really bad review can get as many people eager to read a book as a great one - something that is really fascinating!
Our older students in particular do pay close attention to the real BBYA nominations which we still provide. A lot of our high school students challenged themselves this year to read as many of the nominations as possible. One of our girls had read 86 of the nominated titles by Annual in Chicago this year - far more than either Cindy or I had gotten to. I think our students truly enjoy the feeling of participating at a national level and in having an inside track on the new books. I know that watching their progress from a 6th grader who says, "I really really loved this book," to a high school student with very sophisticated analysis skills is one of the greatest pleasure of my professional life.
We have continued to receive donations from generous publishers and we bring back galleys we pick up at conference. Cindy and I have talked about what we might do if the donations tail off and we know we will find a way to continue the club, even if we have to adapt it to older books. The club has been such a highlight for us. It has been a great pleasure to watch the amazing variety of books that teens pick up and read when they have the opportunity. It has been wonderful to hear their insights and thoughtful reactions to books and it is inspiring to watch their enthusiasm.
It is exciting to report that they read all kinds of books - fiction, nonfiction, and a wide variety of genres. Fantasy is extremely popular. They have become very knowledgeable about publishing and are quick to remind us of publication dates of books they are waiting for - especially series ;-) We have had very few problems over the 8 years - probably the biggest is in keeping they all fed!
Lynn Rutan Librarian Holland, MI lynnrutan_at_charter.net
Received on Mon 19 Oct 2009 10:22:54 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:22:54 -0400
My friend, Cindy Dobrez, and I have run a bookclub in our school district for the past 8 years that has been very popular and is a bit different. It all began when Cindy was appointed to the Best Books Committee for YALSA. She was interested in a way to get teen input so we decided to run a book club based on having our students read and respond to the the books she was surveying. As a committee member she was receiving boxes of donations from publishers for consideration. We set up a special collection with a BBYA spine label and shared the books between the four libraries. Students from our two large middle schools and high schools were invited to participate. The students selected books from the "BBYA collection," reading whatever attracted them. We developed a form for them to fill out with their reactions to the books. We met (and still meet) every other week and at the meetings the students report back on what they have been reading and what their reactions are. (All the students in the schools are wel come to read from the collection and a large number do regularly even if they don't come to the meetings.)
I followed Cindy on the BBYA committee and although neither of us is currently serving on a committee, we have continued to run the club. The teens adore it and our numbers of attendees grows every year. Cindy and I love it! All those eager enthusiastic readers are a sure-fire balm for even the worst day :-)
We have adapted a bit over the years. We dropped the reporting form several years ago when our BBYA terms ended. We continue to spend time on literary elements in the beginning of each year and to provide guidance on how to discuss books. (I would say that the best instructors are our older members as they model discussion for the younger students.) We meet during the summer too, opening the library every other week for check-out and a discussion meeting - something that is very popular. We frequently have alumni members home from college who stop in which is wonderful.
Our students are very attracted by the idea of reading the galleys and having access to books that aren't published yet. They listen very intently to each other (and to us) and are always extremely eager to read what other students have talked about. Anyone who thinks teens don't read should watch our kids dive across the table to reach a book that someone else has just finished talking about ;-) I'm not sure which is more popular, a book that a student has raved about or one that has just been scathingly reviewed! A really bad review can get as many people eager to read a book as a great one - something that is really fascinating!
Our older students in particular do pay close attention to the real BBYA nominations which we still provide. A lot of our high school students challenged themselves this year to read as many of the nominations as possible. One of our girls had read 86 of the nominated titles by Annual in Chicago this year - far more than either Cindy or I had gotten to. I think our students truly enjoy the feeling of participating at a national level and in having an inside track on the new books. I know that watching their progress from a 6th grader who says, "I really really loved this book," to a high school student with very sophisticated analysis skills is one of the greatest pleasure of my professional life.
We have continued to receive donations from generous publishers and we bring back galleys we pick up at conference. Cindy and I have talked about what we might do if the donations tail off and we know we will find a way to continue the club, even if we have to adapt it to older books. The club has been such a highlight for us. It has been a great pleasure to watch the amazing variety of books that teens pick up and read when they have the opportunity. It has been wonderful to hear their insights and thoughtful reactions to books and it is inspiring to watch their enthusiasm.
It is exciting to report that they read all kinds of books - fiction, nonfiction, and a wide variety of genres. Fantasy is extremely popular. They have become very knowledgeable about publishing and are quick to remind us of publication dates of books they are waiting for - especially series ;-) We have had very few problems over the 8 years - probably the biggest is in keeping they all fed!
Lynn Rutan Librarian Holland, MI lynnrutan_at_charter.net
Received on Mon 19 Oct 2009 10:22:54 PM CDT
