Third Meeting Laredo Public Library Hosts Teen Book Club
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Jul 1, 2010, 0 Comments
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Books explore relevant topics for today’s teenagers
In an effort to promote reading and share an interest in books; provide high school students an opportunity to openly discuss difficult topics in a safe environment; help students feel connected to the Laredo Public Library; and promote and enhance critical thinking skills, the Laredo Public Library has created a book club specifically for teenagers, called the iBook It Teen Reading Club.
Meetings for the iBook It Teen Reading Club take place once a month in the Laredo Public Library HEB Multi-Purpose Room. The book club already concluded its May and July meetings. The next book will be Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Participation in the book club is voluntary and not required, but students can receive community service hours for participating.
Books may contain adult content and/or themes, adult language, violence, and other issues so teenagers are required to have a permission slip, signed by their parent or guardian, to participate in the Laredo Public Library iBook It Teen Reading Club. Students are encouraged to preview the books with parents/guardians and select books that he or she is comfortable with.
The third meeting, discussing Thirteen Reasons Why, will be held on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the Laredo Public Library HEB Multi-Purpose Room.
Thirteen Reasons Why is the story of Clay Jensen, an average, if somewhat shy, high school student, who returns home from school one day to find a box sitting on his doorstep. Upon opening it, he discovers that it is a shoebox containing seven cassette tapes recorded by the late Hannah Baker—his classmate and emotional crush who recently committed suicide. The tapes were initially mailed to one classmate with instructions to pass them from one student to another, in the style of a chain letter. On the tapes, Hannah explains to thirteen people how they played a role in her death, by giving thirteen reasons to explain why she took her life. Curiosity and fear of exposure keep the people on the list listening to the tapes, and through the audio narrative Hannah reveals her pain, and her slide into depression that ultimately leads to her suicide.
