We are excited to announce our first ever youth book club selections! Below you will find the dates, times, titles, and recommended age ranges for each event. If you need to do some more digging into the contents of each book, we recommend checking commonsensemedia.org if our descriptions are not in-depth enough. The age ranges are just recommendations. If you are interested in a book that is not in your age range, you are welcome to join anyway-just double check those descriptions!
These will take place on password protected Zoom calls. You can join with a computer, smartphone, or by calling in.
Once you register for the book clubs you’d like to join, we will approve the registration and you’ll get an email confirmation with all the details.
February 7, 2023 (Tuesday)= YA Book Club. Recommended for 9th grade and older
6:00-6:45 pm on Zoom
LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB by Melinda Lo
DB 104015; BR 24064
Length: 12 hours 36 minutes listening time
1954. McCarthyism and the Red Scare are genuine threats to Lily’s family; her father is already at risk of deportation despite his valid citizenship. Lily, who is Chinese American, could lose everything just for dating anyone white–let alone another girl–but she could lose herself if she isn’t true to her feelings. Includes supplemental material. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.
Why we picked it:
This book has won so many awards that the print cover is barely visible! Includes the National Book Award, Stonewall Award, and Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEud-ugpzksEtwCp7oI96sgEiBfL2PZYoun
April 6, 2023 (Thursday)= Middle Grade Book Club. Recommended for 4th– 8th graders
4:30- 5:00 pm on Zoom
GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Regan Barnhill
DB 85739; BR 21836; LB 09158
Length: 8 hours 30 minutes listening time
Every year a community leaves a baby as an offering to a powerful, yet misunderstood witch named Xan. One infant–now a young girl–is being raised by the witch and must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. For grades 4-7. 2016. Rated: no sex, profanity, or violence.
Why we picked it:
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal!
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdeqpqT0jH9b9kB6rGI5-Zu8fVeIKpCnx
June 13, 20203 (Tuesday)= Summer Reading Program Book Club (all youth participants)
5:00- 5:45 pm on Zoom
TOO BRIGHT TO SEE by Kyle Lukoff
DB 105462
Length: 4 hours 30 minutes listening time
In the summer before middle school, eleven-year-old Bug must contend with best friend Moira suddenly caring about clothes, makeup, and boys; a ghostly haunting; and the truth about Bug’s gender identity. Rated commercial audiobook. For grades 4-7. 2021. Rated: no sex, profanity, or violence.
Why we picked it:
Summer reading theme is friendship! National Book Award Finalist 2021, Stonewall Book Award 2021, Newbery Honor Book 2021.
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvc-GhqTwuG9ctNY3qR1ihWMiLlQEhWvZE
August 8, 2023 (Tuesday)= YA Book Club. Recommended for 9th grade and older
6:00-6:45 pm on Zoom
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green
DB 89542; BR 22186; LB 11298
Length: 7 hours 15 minutes listening time
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake, and her best and most fearless friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. Meanwhile, Aza obsesses about everything. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2017.
Why we picked it:
New York Times Bestseller, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kdumqqDssEtH-8fTxaEgoQgfcNl-He0dl
October 10, 2023 (Tuesday)= YA Book Club. Recommended for 9th grade and older
6:00-6:45 pm on Zoom
SO MANY BEGINNINGS by Bethany Morrow
DB 105273
Length: 8 hours 16 minutes listening time
At the Freedpeople Colony at Roanoke, a haven for the recently emancipated, the four March sisters–Meg, Joanna, Bethlehem, and Amethyst–come into their own as independent young Black women, together facing love, sickness, heartbreak, and new horizons. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2021.
Why we picked it:
A Little Women remix. Part of Remixed Classics series. American Library Association Rise Top 10 Selection in 2022.
Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdeGrrD8qEtJRbseIyWsFDcqJP26jOHgY
December 7, 2023 (Thursday)= Middle Grade Book Club. Recommended for 4th-8th graders
4:30- 5:00 pm on Zoom
INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS by Dusti Bowling
DB 89430; BR 22120
Length: 5 hours 26 minutes listening time
Born without arms, spunky thirteen-year-old Aven worries about making friends at her new school after her family moves to Arizona to manage the run-down Stagecoach Pass theme park. Aven bonds with classmate Connor, and the two soon find themselves immersed in a mystery at the park. For grades 5-8. 2017. Rated: no sex, profanity, or violence.
Why we picked it:
Library of Congress’s 52 Great Reads List 2017 and Reading the West Award Winner.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwocO6uqjwiEtVvgiydPS8boXB5PBRbSS6r