Herrick’s Lunch Bunch is back in session, and about 85 students – split evenly between seventh and eighth grade – are participating in the popular lunchtime book club, now in its sixth year.
Lunch Bunch members have the opportunity to read from 25 new book releases that have been selected by Anderson's Bookshops as possibilities for the 2012 Newbery Book Award, which will be announced Jan. 24. These new releases are available only to the Lunch Bunch until January 3, when the club will hold its own mock Newbery election.
Lunch Bunch participants bring their lunch to the LRC; while they eat, students volunteer to get up in front of the group and talk about a book they recently read. They discuss the plot and characters and let their classmates know whether it was a book they would recommend, even assigning a rating of one to four stars.
That honest opinion is one reason seventh-grader Olivia Morrow signed up for Lunch Bunch. Olivia recommended Hunger Games to her classmates on Oct. 18 – and she encouraged them to read it sooner rather than later, since the movie premieres in March.
The chance to get a “sneak peek” at certain books is also appealing to participants.
“I really like reading, and I thought it would be fun to read books before everyone else gets to,” said Victoria Iacovetti. “You can also share some really good parts with classmates and make them want to read it, too.”
Hearing recommendations from their peers can make a big difference, said LRC Director Sue Robinson.
“A teacher can promote a book, but when the kids promote it to each other, there’s even more appeal,” she said.
And for students who love to read, what could be better than a program like the Lunch Bunch?
“I just thought it would be fun to eat lunch in the library and talk about books,” said seventh-grader Jack Scacco. “It’s also a nice experience to talk about books that I enjoy.”
The club will meet again on Nov. 1, Nov. 15, Dec. 13 and Jan. 3.
