The Teen-Centered Book Club : Readers into Leaders

Vibrant, dynamic teen book clubs—the kind teens eagerly anticipate and attend session after session—are teen-centered. With innovative, pragmatic ideas that will attract and retain teen readers, this guide provides everything you need to run a successful, teen-centered book club. Covering every step, from planning and promoting to how to prompt discussion and keep it civilized, this is a one-stop source for the teen book club leader. Dozens of reproducibles for teens include book lists, ground rules, and book-based activities. The book even has directions for evaluating your club and lists of resources for more information. Whether you're starting a teen book club, trying to revive a flagging program, or wish to build on past success, if you're involved in a teen book club, this guide is a must. What's the difference between a teen book club and an adult one? Too often, the answer is Not much. Like so many programs for teens, traditional book clubs tend to be scaled-down versions of adult clubs. If book selection, taboo topics, and logistical details are the most important things that set your teen book club apart from an adult one, you could be missing a huge opportunity. Vibrant, dynamic teen book clubs—the kind teens eagerly anticipate and attend session after session—are teen-centered. They're not merely by, for and about teens, but are grounded in the admittedly radical idea that the club is not primarily about library programming or even about books (!) but is all about teens—their interests and needs, their social habits and styles, their initiative. Books are the medium and the club is the method to achieve the ultimate goal of developing teen readers and leaders. Furthermore, the teen-centered book club has huge potential to further a whole range of library goals, from bringing more teen patrons through the door, to building community-wide awareness and support for the library itself. What sets this book apart from the typical book club guide is that it is