All About the Newport Branch’s Tween Book Club
If you’re in search of a laidback club to connect with fellow bookworms, you’re in luck!
The Newport Branch’s Tween Book Club (for ages 8-14) meets on the second Friday of every month at 4 pm, making it the perfect afterschool activity for young readers.
Instead of specific titles, Tween Book Club operates on themes. Members choose books based on different topics and then come together to discuss what they read!
The rest of 2025’s themes are as follows:
- Feb. 14: Cats
- March 14: Graphic Novels
- April 11: Secret Places
- May 9: Emotional
- June 13: Travel
The library’s Public Relations Coordinator Mackenzie Manley asked Jessi Holloway, the Newport Branch’s children’s services programmer, all about Tween Book Club. Here’s what she had to say!
This book club operates on themes rather than assigned book titles. What can attendees expect from the discussion?
Jessi: My hope is that we will have a good mix of familiar and unfamiliar titles. Everyone will have a chance to tell the group about their book.
The floor will be open for them to share what it was about, if they had a favorite part or character, if they would recommend it to us and anything else they may want to share.
What is the value of having a space to talk about books with fellow young bookworms?
Jessi: Community and friendship are what I see. The current group of regular kids that come live all across the county, from just down the street to further out by Pendleton. They would have never had the chance to meet in traditional ways such as through school or sports.
What starts as discussions about books turns into discussions about life and interests and more. They’ve made things and gifted things to each other without any nudging on my end.
When they’re given a space to feel like themselves and share that with others, amazing things come out of it! I’m there to facilitate and keep the space safe and even though I also join in on the conversations, I really like to give them the space to form these friendships without much interference.
If someone isn’t sure what book to pick for a theme, who can they reach out to?
Jessi: I’m always more than happy to help but I’m certainly not the only one! I encourage attendees to ask our Information Services and Patron Services staff at any of the branches, or to reach out to other librarians.
Members also get to pick out a free themed book! What are some examples of titles they might get to choose from?
Jessi: January’s theme of Cats saw a really wide range of book titles from obscure to obvious. I offered a manga about a cat titled Chi’s Sweet Home, as well as Sabriel by Garth Nix (Mogget representation!) and Catwad by Jim Benton. Future themes may see titles such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Garlic and the Vampire, along with so many more.
On the event listing, you also list the book you choose! How do you go about selecting your read?
Jessi: It’s really hard! Themes offer so many choices that it really comes down a variety of factors. First, I make sure it’s something we have available in our collection in case the kids are interested. Sometimes the choice is made because it feels like a classic I’ve missed in my life (the Warrior Cats series) or because both the premise and the reviews interested me (Anya and the Dragon). And sometimes they’re picked because of recommendations through others, such as book awards or kids from my after-school programs.
Do you think that the themes might help members find books they otherwise wouldn’t have run across?
Jessi: I really do. I already see it in the way that they talk about books they’re reading outside of the club and what they want to read in the future. I’m excited to see what titles they will present for themes and the connections they make with theme to book.
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Carla Oetinger is a perfect example of what Library Lovers Month is all about; a regular at Fort Thomas's Must Read Romance book club, Carla created a painting inspired by each theme they covered last year. 💗 We're smitten with the results! Carla is pictured here with Morgan Lockard-Ellis, Fort Thomas branch manager and the club's discussion leader. Interested in joining? The next date is Thursday, March 6 at 7 pm. All are welcome!
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