If you thought book clubs were only for adults, you’d be wrong. A new initiative at Macquarie Regional Library Dubbo aims to introduce the city’s younger residents to the delightful and sometimes intriguing world of book clubs.

Dubbo Library has kickstarted the new year by launching three new book clubs specifically for children and young people.

The first of these was held on Tuesday, January 13, with the Story Seekers Book Club welcoming young readers aged nine to 11 years.

MRL Children’s and Young People’s Services Officer Suzie Samson sat down with Dubbo Photo News to discuss the new initiative.

While adult book clubs tend to focus on nominated books that members read during the month and then discuss, Suzie said the new book clubs will be centred on what the young participants are reading or interested in.

“They’ll be talking about the books that they choose,” Suzie explained.

“We're trying to leverage on what they're currently reading and what they're really excited to read, so that it's not as prescriptive as what we may envisage an adult book club to be.”

Suzie said that in establishing the new book clubs for younger residents, Dubbo Library was looking to create a similar opportunity for children and young people to come together in a casual setting and share their books with others.

“Children will select their own book to read each month for the book club and then come together to share what they enjoyed about the book.

“It’s a great opportunity for children to discover other books their peers recommend and explore new authors and titles,” she added.

“Each month we will talk about our favourite books, spark our imaginations with some creative challenges, and eat snacks.”

The new book clubs are very flexible and no formal booking is required to attend. As with other programs and activities at Dubbo Library, the new monthly book clubs are free to join and target particular age groups, as follows:

• Story Seekers Book Club (ages 9-11), second Tuesday of each month, 4-5pm

• Page Turners Book Club (ages 12-14), third Tuesday of each month, 4-5pm

• Next Chapter Book Club (ages 15-18), fourth Tuesday of each month, 4-5pm.

The social aspect of the book clubs in connecting young people is also important, Suzie added.

“Young people coming in and talking about the books that they’ve read, that they have enjoyed, and then passing on those recommendations to their peers [is important],” she said.

“It gives them a chance to connect with one another again and give recommendations to one another.”

Suzie indicated that “reading” today doesn’t just involve perusing physical materials. Audio books and electronic books (e-books) are gaining in popularity among young people, she said.

“Having access to reading and literacy in different shapes and forms, including audio books, is really important because then we're meeting the children where they're at,” she explained.

“Some children prefer to listen to an audio book, but then they might also be reading along with it. They might prefer an e-book because they're traveling a lot, or they may have a bus trip to and from school each day.

“It's kind of hard to carry several books around, but if you've got a mobile device, they're all stored right there,” she added.

Dubbo Photo News asked Suzie if book clubs are proposed for other branches in the MRL network, which includes the communities of Baradine, Coolah, Coonabarabran, Dunedoo, Narromine, Trangie and Wellington.

“That would be something for the respective branch officers to consider for their community, because each community is different,” she said.

For further information about the three new book clubs for children and young people at Dubbo Library, contact the library on 02 6801 4501 and chat to the friendly team.