First Meeting of the Book Club

Today marked the first official meeting of the book club my eighth graders wanted to start this year.  I have to say that while the entire time was not focused on the book, there was already some great conversation and questions raised.  Mostly though I am proud of them for taking the initiative to ask and then follow through with starting the club. These students also know that I want the club to fit their needs so they need to direct where it goes.  I will be here to be a guide, but they must be the leaders.   I supplied them with a list of books that were suggested to me through twitter to get them started, and they chose Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  A few then set up meeting times, dates and even a snack schedule (a very important part of any meeting). 

I myself had not read the book prior to them choosing it, but I did finish it before they started because I wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the content before letting eighth graders read a book centered around suicide and the character's reasons for committing it.  I was/am still a little hesitant because it is such a difficult subject, but I could not say no when I saw the enthusiasm that they had about starting the club and reading this particular book BECAUSE of its subject matter.  They have not gotten very far into the book, but most of them are already hooked and wanting to read through it faster so the schedule has been adjusted. I will be interested to hear their thoughts as readers that are not too far removed from the ages of the characters.  The lens that they each will have reading through the book will be insightful for each of them, as well as me, as we progress through the story.

If you haven't had a chance to read it, I highly recommend it.  The book serves as a great reminder to keep in mind how we treat and view those around us.

 

Thirteen Reasons Why

 

www.thirteenreasonswhy.com