From classic novels to cheesy love stories, the Loy Norrix Book Club is creating a community of readers who share a passion for literature.
The club, run by Librarian Michele Coash, meets in the library on the third Tuesday of every month. At these meetings, club members dive deep into discussions about previously-read books and receive a new book supplied through the partnership developed with the Kalamazoo Public Library (KPL).
Although the club predates her arrival at Norrix, Coash has built a strong foundation in community reading by advising the book club here. Its relaxed and inclusive atmosphere encourages genuine discussion.
“We’re very fortunate that the Kalamazoo Public Library is helping us out with this and sponsoring us,” Coash said. “They provide the books for us. It’s free books!”
Every month, the Teen Lead Librarian from KPL, Natalie Isham, chooses a fun theme for the next month’s book. Naturally, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, February’s book is a love story.
“Sometimes we’ll do a vote,” senior Samantha Heyart said. “They’ll give us two different options on the book for the next month, and whichever is the most popular, we get to read. Other times, they’ll just give us a book. I think it depends on what the library has in stock.”
Throughout the partnership, the Kalamazoo Public Library has given book club members at Norrix over 200 books for free. While this can be costly, KPL is committed to providing the community with equitable access to books and sparking a life-long love for reading.
Book club was founded in 2022 by John Kreider, who was the librarian at Norrix at the time. Since the beginning, the club has had low commitment. While students are highly encouraged to attend the meetings, it is not required. Reading the book before the monthly meeting is also not mandatory for attendance.
This month, the club is excited to dive into the graphic novel “The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich” by Deya Muniz. With its quirky title and a heartfelt storyline, the book promises a blend of humor, romance, and thought-provoking themes that spark lively debate among club members.
As well as reading a common book, the club takes on other adventures outside of school. Last year, club members competed in a book battle against Kalamazoo Central and Portage schools. Each member of the battle team was assigned a book in which they had to become an expert. During the competition, each member would be asked questions about the book they read, and they would have to enter the right answer the fastest to earn points for their team. There were prizes for the winners, as well as a raffle team members could enter for a bonus prize.
“We did a competition, kind of like a quiz about all the books we read,” said sophomore Malia Meibeyer-Folkema. “We each specialized in one book, and then went and did the quiz. We competed with people from other schools. That was really fun. I won a raffle and got a squishmallow.”
Participating in such competitions and meeting every month has helped build a strong sense of community within the club. Members get to share their ideas and discuss aspects of books that stand out to them in a positive or negative light.
“Just being able to talk about books with people has an impact,” Heyart said. “I feel like reading is something that, unfortunately, is not as common anymore, especially among teenagers. Our time is spent on so many other things: we’re at school, we’re at work, and when we finally have downtime from our busy lives, we just want to scroll on our phones. I think it’s nice to have an incentive to keep reading and have people to talk to about what you’re reading.”
Meibeyer-Folkema shares a similar opinion, mentioning that it’s nice to be able to share conversations about a book that everyone’s read.
“I get to talk to people about books, which I really like,” Meilbeyer-Folkema said. “When I’m just reading a book by myself, I can’t talk to anyone about it unless they happen to have read it. It’s really nice to be able to do that.”
For Coash, one of the most impactful parts of the club is its role in pushing students, and herself, out of their reading comfort zones. By having different genres selected for them each month, students get to dive into books they wouldn’t have picked up on their own.
“I love that it’s a space for us all to come together, and we don’t have to like the books,” Coash said. “There’s a particular book club member who pulls no punches about her distaste for whatever book we’re reading. That’s one of the beautiful things about book club in general, is that you get to read something that you wouldn’t normally read. It gets you to read outside of your favorite genres, and you don’t have to like it, but it’s an enriching experience nonetheless. You get to see something you wouldn’t normally get to. It’s great to be able to come together and share our love for something, or just tear it apart.”
The book club invites all young readers to attend their meeting and see what it’s all about. Come connect with fellow book lovers, discover new stories, and share your thoughts in a fun and engaging environment.
“Book club is a space for people who love to read, to come together and share in that. It’s a space for us to sit down and talk about our love of reading,” Coash said. “Just come to your friendly neighborhood librarian, and we’ll get you set up with it!”
