Book Lookers Club Takes Off At Reed

By Laurie Borst

Wednesday afternoons in the Reed Library/Media Center, a small group of students can be found sitting around a table, enthusiastically discussing books they have read and planning ways to share their love of reading with other Reed students. The recently formed club has been dubbed Book Lookers.

Newtown High School senior Bethany Morin, who is planning to become a librarian, is the leader of the group. This book group was formed as part of her senior project. She talked to Peg Ragaini, who runs the Career Center at the high school. Mrs Ragaini helped her with the book club idea, as did Margaret Brown, the Young Adult librarian at Booth Library.

On October 31, the group met for the third time. Their first two meetings were brainstorming sessions on what the club would accomplish and how the group would advertise the fact that the club exists.

A core group of students created posters that were hung all around the school. Two Book Lookers, Kenna Bassett and Callie Furphy, appeared in a video commercial that the club produced, which ran on the Reed Intranet, accessible only to Reed students at school.

Library/Media Specialist Ginny Snowden showed the video to her classes. Other teachers heard about it and showed the video in class also.

The video opens with strains of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The music grabs one’s attention. It is fun and upbeat. The girls talk about Book Lookers and encourage others to join them. More music closes the video.

“My mom found Book Lookers on the Reed website and told me about it,” said Kenna. “I wanted to join right away.”

Callie added, “Kenna invited me to join her in the club. I like talking about what I’ve read. Maybe this will get other people into reading.”

“I like reading,” said Book Looker Ryan Szalag. “When I saw the commercial, I wanted to do it.”

The club is scheduled to meet for nine weeks. In that time, members are expected to read two books, and members can select any book they want to read. After finishing the book, the reader fills out a review form, answering questions about why the book was selected, the story line, what the reader liked about the book, etc.

These reviews are kept in a binder in the library for “book browsers” to peruse to help them select a book. In December, Bethany plans to have the club members videotape their reviews, providing another avenue for browsers to learn about books they may want to read.

“I thought it’d be cool to review the books,” Danielle Agugliaro said. “I really like reading.”

As of Halloween, four students were attending meetings. A few more have signed up and a number of permission forms have been picked up. The club will be accepting new members for another week or so.

Bethany stressed that students who join the club do not have to read what everyone else is reading, although she is considering having them read one of the old classics as a group.

When asked what her favorite young adult book is, she replied, “The Diane Mott Davidson series about a caterer in Colorado who solves mysteries.”

Other recommendations she makes to youngsters include Peak, about traveling up Mount Everest; and the Korman series about survival, e.g kids stranded on an island and mountain climbing.

“Down the Rabbit Hole is good page turner,” she said, “a mystery that one of the kids is reading now.”

Bethany hopes this is just the beginning for the Book Lookers Club, and that it will continue after this semester. She has always loved reading and when asked if she credits any particular teacher with promoting her love of the written word, she replied, “Almost every teacher I’ve had has pushed my reading. So many have impacted my life by recommending titles and loaning me books.”

Bethany’s top choices for college include Keene State College, the University of Rhode Island, and Ursinus College, where her sister attends school.

“I work at the town library, as my mom and sisters did, and it just clicked,” she explained. “I love working there, especially with the kids. And, working with Mrs Snowden, I realized how much I want to do it.”