Young Critics Book Club
2025
Monthly, on the third Thursday
Young Critics Book Club is a monthly book discussion for ages 8-12. We will share ideas for other great reads while enjoying fun activities and snacks. Even if you have not finished the book, join us anyway. A parent or guardian must be present for this event.
Be sure to RSVP via the events calendar.
Your family will discover the benefits of reading!
Joining our Young Critics Book Club will cultivate a love of reading in your child in the best environment and help improve their academic performance. Book clubs are a great way to develop the habit of critical thinking. Children will read and analyze the story to find deeper meanings in the literature. The selected book’s literary analysis will aid your child’s development of conversational skills and expand their ability to express ideas. Our activities are related to literature in one way or another. By being in the club, your children will be in the best environment to develop a love for literature.
A Note About Library Book Clubs for 2025
For questions, contact Youth Services via email.
Reading lists will be available in our events calendar under each Book Club entry.
September Author Event with Rob Buyea
After a couple of minor Zoom glitches (all caused by user error), we finally got to connect with author Rob Buyea! As a former middle-grade teacher, he was absolutely fantastic with the kids and genuinely made connections as they asked their questions. We had 12 people in person and one joining virtually. Rob was kind enough to participate in a fun Mad Lib, and cleverly, he even included hints about his next book in his answers. We’re all now eagerly looking forward to his upcoming book, Because of Our Student Teacher, coming out next year! He gave us a little teaser, but shhh—none of us will spill the beans!
April 2025
Seven Young Critics attend April’s Book Club discussing a favorite author, Rob Buyea’s “Because of Mr. Terupt.” This coming-of-age story follows a unique group of students who find common ground after tragedy strikes their beloved teacher. The story emphasizes themes of unity, forgiveness, and the impact of a caring teacher. The critics could relate to the characters in the story, and we had a good discussion comparing their school experiences with those in the story. We made pom pom “snowballs” for our craft, then snacked on white powdered donuts!
January 2025 Session
Happy New Year to our Young Critics!
The snow didn’t keep these five critics away from the library!
We hunkered down and talked about The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea. It’s a story about five kids under pressure in their home lives who eventually discover that you can’t honestly know someone until you understand their struggles. The kids eventually have to make a difficult choice that will affect them individually, and each considers the others in their decision.
We created collages that helped us share a little bit about ourselves, and then we feasted on vanilla and chocolate cupcakes—a favorite snack of one of our book characters.
Next month’s book: Auggie & Me by RJ Palacio
All programming is sponsored by The Friends of the Parkland Community Library.
Learn more about The Friends on their webpage.
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