With a few starts and sputters, we got it off the ground with 22 students who were given the book (to keep)– Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios and a donut– and the job to read the book plus eat the donut, and we’d have a discussion and session in February.

The other day one of the boys came in and was ready to return the book saying that he had finished it already and was handing it back in. I reminded him that it’s his book to keep to which he was excited and I said “What did you think? Ready for the discussion in February?” His response was “It’s not my usual kind of reading, but I really liked it and yes, there’s a lot to talk about.” Maybe he’s discovered a new category of book to read or maybe it’s the social aspect of the reading that appealed to him, either way, I’d call that a win. I’m counting the days to February to make it a special and informative event for the students (with the added bonus that we might be able to Zoom-in Demetrios for an extra special experience).