Article Contributed on: 3/18/2008 7:58:43 AM
Every month,
Erin Matheson eagerly listened as her mother,
Carla, talked about the latest book club gathering - who liked the book, who didn't, and who brought the best food.
An avid reader and user of the Jefferson County Public Library, Erin decided to take matters into her own hands. Inspired by her mother's sharing of good books, she formed her own neighborhood book club, called the Applewood Bookmarks.
Erin recruited five friends -
Maureen Lincke,
Emily Maruyama,
Becca Downs,
Micah Parrish, and
Jayme Ciaccio - all 5th graders at Maple Grove Elementary in Golden.
The girls have met just about every month since their first book club in April 2007, and according to Erin, has no plans for stopping any time soon.
Like an adult group, members take turns selecting books to read and hosting the book club. Selections have included
Lois Lowry's The Giver,
The Penderwicks by
Jeanne Birdsall, and
Tim Bowler's Storm Catchers.
The club discusses the merits of each book, and each member shares her opinion - thumbs up or down! The girls enjoy each book club meeting, and always look forward to finding out what title the next person has picked.
For Erin, that is one of the best part of the book club. "We learn about books from each other that we would never have read or looked at," says Erin. "And our teachers and librarian at Maple Grove think it's really cool that we formed our own book club!"
Erin's mother, Carla, is particularly proud of the Bookmarks for sticking with the reading schedule.
"They are in sixth grade now, and have many book reports and reading assignments through the year. Still, they are all finding the time to read just for the pleasure of it, and for the chance to share their experience with friends."
Wondering what their latest pick is?
Don't Tell Anyone, by
Peg Kehret, which tells the story of a girl that gets mixed up with feral cats, real estate developers, and a con man!