[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
In today’s hectic world, most of us have a hard time finding the chance to read full books, never mind a full newspaper article. However, a group of literary-minded 10th graders come together every month to discuss at least one book, and often many more. The Young Adult Book Club at the Walpole Library is a rare thing in today’s world, especially considering the crazy lives of high schoolers, which include extracurriculars, schoolwork, and eventually, college applications.
But it does not deter the core members of the book group from coming back for more.
Youth Services Librarian Kara Dean said, “This book club originally started with kids in the fourth grade. I think Emma is the only one that has been here since fourth grade.”
A few girls chimed in, “We joined in sixth grade!” Not only do these girls meet once a week to discuss what they’ve read, they have been doing it for the past four to six years. Except for the summers, when people can be off doing their own thing, they have met consistently throughout the years.
“There has been kind of a core group that has brought in other kids, so at the moment, we’ve got four regulars. But, I mean, considering how busy you guys are all the time, it’s amazing,” Dean said.
“We generally have very spirited discussion on books in general and various aspects of reading. To be honest, we don’t always finish the books,” Dean admitted. “However, in terms of generating reading itself, I think it works pretty well.”
How exactly does the group choose their monthly book? “We choose them kind of collectively. Usually everybody comes with all the best stuff they’ve read that month and they recommend and we kind of vote on it sort of thing. It’s collective selecting,” Dean explained.
While the selected book might not be read in its entirety, Dean says that it encourages reading in general. “Usually the books that don’t get selected still get read! Everyone is like, ‘Oh, I wanted that one!’ And I notice that when the next day I go through my circulation records, everything that was suggested the day before has been checked out.”
This past week, the group choose “The Night Circus,” a book that perhaps only half of the group had read. However, they all were still joyful, talkative, and enjoying themselves. “We have food, which is always a draw,” Dean added.
While the group may not be the most focused, they certainly have a tremendous amount of fun, and they do it through reading – something that many do not appreciate these days.
This core group of four will definitely go far.
