After a successful 2022 to 2023 year, It’s Lit, the Oakdale High School book club, has returned for another year. With the first meeting already passed, the club has begun their first book of the year and is ready to continue onto their first set of discussions this October.
The club meets on one Wednesday a month after school, from 2:30 to 3:30. It is run by school librarians, Renate Owen and Amy Murdoch.
Each month, club members choose between a small selection of books to read and discuss. While all the books read are for a young adult audience, they are found within a multitude of genres. Many students gain the opportunity to read books that they otherwise would not have chosen. This month, students are able to pick between Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith, Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti, and If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. A choice of fantasy, mystery, or romance. The club will meet after school on October 11th to discuss the three books.
Discussions on the books are entirely student led and allow members to passionately break down each book. The discussions are often viewed as one of the most exciting parts of the meetings, and the club is a perfect space for members to uncover and understand other opinions, and share ideas on different topics and situations. Owen describes, “It’s so much fun to see what people’s takes are on the different books. And I’m a different age than you all, [so] hearing your viewpoints is cool because it brings me back to my youth.”
Discussions often lead to students breaking off into tangents about a wide variety of topics, relating to the book. Owen views this phenomenon as part of the fun of a typical meeting.
Furthermore, the club has a very relaxed environment. Sophomore Gavin Gonzales claims, “It’s a very welcoming and safe space in the community [where] everyone there has a passion for reading. [The club] creates a positive space to be able to discuss something that you’re interested in.”The afternoon session of the club provides ample time to dig into deep discussions, without having to try and squeeze it into a typical club block.
Of course, even with the relaxed environment, members are still required to read the book for the meeting and participate in discussions.
While the club size for the first meeting was larger, Owen describes, “We always start out with a really big group of people, [then we] kind of weed down to about twelve [to] fifteen people who are actually reading.” Although the club has a history of a smaller number of students, the club has still had tons of student contribution already within a multitude of areas.
Overall, Oakdale’s book club is the perfect spot for book lovers to relax and dig deep into passionate discussions. With so much excitement already surrounding the club, there’s no doubt that they will have another great year.
