Mysteries, Thrillers, Fantasy, and more! This fall, students and employees came together to discuss the summer reading books Hackley community members chose at the end of last school year. Books of all different genres were chosen, and the summer reading book circles were given a chance to connect and discuss their books in a fun and open way.
While most years the students only have one summer reading book for their English classes, the new book groups that have been added give the students a chance to read a book that they chose for themselves and is more drawn to their interests and likes. It fosters spaces for students to discuss pieces of literature and non-fiction books in an environment away from the English classroom, solely with people who picked the same book as you.
“I wasn’t that thrilled about it at first,” said senior Ava Maughan, “I thought it was going to be just another book to read over the summer, but I actually enjoyed it, and the reading groups were really fun and interesting.”
The reading book circles came to be after Upper School Librarian Jennifer Swan thought it would be a great way to bring the community together and encourage students to start reading more for fun. She originally started the groups while she was working at her old school and brought them to Hackley in order to benefit the library and open more students’ minds to reading books simply for pleasure rather than as schoolwork.
“We didn’t want to make it a super big requirement,” Ms. Swan said. “To be fair, a lot of people came to the book group with only part of it read but still were able to have a fun discussion and meet new people.”
After the book group meetings ended, students were asked to start another book and continue the small meetings with one another. One of the books read in Upper School English teacher Brigid Moriarty’s group was an exciting mystery called “I Have Some Questions for You” by Rebecca Makkai. The students enjoyed reading this book so much that they have moved on to another mystery, where they will soon discuss it in a group setting again.
“I’ve always loved reading mysteries,” senior Megan Hopkins said, “I knew immediately that I was going to enjoy reading the book, and I was so happy that we got to choose our own interests and be with people who liked reading it as much as me.”
With so much success in the groups, the book circles will definitely continue going forward and help to spread the love of reading to students throughout the school.