Christina Vortia
LIS 678: Middle School Program Assignment
Due: 03/31/2015
Chat and Chew Book Club
Book clubs are awesome. And they are even more awesome when they bring young people together to socialize. They are even better when there is delicious food involved! Chat and chew promises to be an inclusive book club where all middle school aged children are invited to engage in book discussions, themed activities, and tasty treats.
Book clubs for young people have a variety of benefits. One of which, is that they foster a love of books that could last the rest of a young person’s life. One could argue that a child must already have a love of books to be interested in joining a book club, but offering a variety of activities could open up the world of books to reluctant readers. Social butterflies tend to think of reading as a solitary activity, but with book clubs it doesn’t have to be! Book clubs allow young readers the window to see the social aspects of reading, and will give them new perspectives on the books they read. Book clubs also offer new learning opportunities. Hearing diverse perspectives, participating in new activities, enjoying new and delectable treats all bring new and interesting learning curves to young readers. Young people can also become empowered by being the decision makers and leaders of their book club. The timeline and itinerary will be just a guide, but the overall goal of the book club is that the members choose the books, the activities, and create the atmosphere they wish to have.
In order to facilitate this book, each month there will be a particular theme. Students are still free to bring and talk about book they are reading regardless of the theme - but providing a theme allows for group members and facilitators to plan food, activities, and reading materials. This could also introduce new genres to a diverse group, and to explore why we like the books we do, and why we don’t. A fun new way for members to choose books could also be a “Literary Death Match” where students can read one or both of the competing books and decide which one was better. Member who haven’t read either book may to after attending a book session! Whether you’ve read the books, or not, members can still discuss within that theme, and current book they are reading. A planned activity and snack will be provided that is based off of themes inside the specific books. Each month will be different, new, and engaging.
Costs for this book club vary significantly. It would be wise of any librarian wishing to host a book club to consider books in his or her own collection to plan. The suggestions here are merely a guide for ideas and could be tweaked to reflect the library holdings of a librarian hosting a group at his or her library. Included in the budget are the costs of the competing books, the snacks, and the products needed for the crafts. It is strongly suggested that the facilitator seek donated, second hand, or items already located with the library for use in activities. Being as creative and resourceful go a long way in any book club activities.
Evaluation for the book club will be strongly quantitative, but will still rely heavily on student and parent responses. The youths will be encouraged to complete surveys….lots of surveys. These surveys will quantify how many children attend meetings, how did they feel about the meeting. How much did they read before joining, and then after. It will also measure how many students come back and how many are regular attendees. At the end of each month, the data will be added to a statistical spreadsheet, and an annual report on the statistics and analysis of the impact of the book club. The report will also conclude real commentary and criticisms of the book club to create a full range depiction of what the book club is doing right, and what it is doing wrong. This report will be used to tailor the book club to increase what it is doing right, and purge what is is doing wrong.
