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Canfield library book club attracts tweens
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Neighbors | Alisa Manna.Katie Dysert looks for books to add to the book club's reading list. She is one of two member of the book club held at the Canfield Library once a month.
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Neighbors | Alisa Manna.Katie Dysert and Children's Librarian Jane Adams read together and discuss books at the T'ween book club meeting at the Canfield Library.
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Neighbors | Alisa Manna.Katie Dysert, a fifth grader who suggested the book club to Canfield's Children Librarian Jane Adams, poses for photograph at the T'ween book club meeting with the book she's currently reading, Goddess Girls: Athena the Wise.
By ALISA MANNA
The Just B’Tween Us book club offers middle school children an opportunity to get involved with other kids and to focus on reading material relevant to their age group.
This is the first summer the Canfield library included a book club for middle school children. It started last month after Katie Dysert, a fifth-grade student at Canfield Middle School, suggested the idea to Children’s Librarian Jane Adams.
“I like to read a lot and I thought a club at the library would be fun,” Dysert said.
As of now, there’s only Dysert and another girl her age in the group. Dysert and Adams agreed that they hope more people get involved before school starts in the fall.
“We’re trying to reach older kids, those who are not in the teens yet but are too old for the little kids’ programs,” Adams said.
The kids in the book club get to choose their own reading material and then talk about what they read at each meeting.
“We look around and see what we both want to read and then try to find enough copies for the two of us,” Dysert said.
The girls are currently reading “Goddess Girls,” a series Dysert read before and thought was suitable for the club. They are now on the fifth book in the series, which focuses on the goddess Athena.
“Each book is primarily based on a god or goddess and then after a while the main characters are repeated,” Dysert said.
The series is a modern children’s version of Greek mythological stories with the same gods and goddesses, such as Aphrodite, Persephone and Artemis.
“They learn a lot of the names of the gods and a little bit about the Greek stories,” Adams said.
Dysert said she doesn’t know what the club is going to read next, but she has a few things in mind.
At each meeting, Adams gives the children suggestions on what to read next, but she said Dysert has a mind of her own and knows what she likes already.
“I still show the girls some books just in case they missed them,” Adams said. “They know their mind.”
Adams showed Dysert some of her favorite graphic novels, like “Treasure Island” and “Baby Mouse.”
“I think the art is what’s beautiful,” Adams said. “Maybe if kids read graphic novels like “Treasure Island,” the art will interest them and they’ll pick up the original.”
Both Adams and Dysert agreed that during the school year most kids are busy with other activities so they hope to draw their attention throughout the summer. However, Dysert said if kids aren’t available to attend the summer book club, Canfield Middle School has its own once a month after school hours.
The next Just B’Tween Us Book Club meeting is Aug. 9 at 11 a.m.