The Senior School library is delighted to host not one but two book clubs at Trinity College School this year!

Last spring’s transition to online learning through the TCS Connect e-community provided an opportunity for online book discussions and proved so popular that it ran through the summer. Interest remains high, so students meet weekly for informal chats about books and reading, and once a month to discuss a shared text (Scythe is our November title).

Weekly chats run the gamut, from recommended books to specific genres. A recent discussion focused on “books that are really important but we think the adults in our life would worry about us reading”: the list included The Perks of Being a Wallflower, A List of Cages, Speak, Where the Crawdads Sing and Flowers for Algernon. Students shared how the tough issues in these books allow them to learn and develop empathy. And students deeply related to the characters; one commented that “it’s so important to see yourself represented in a book, so every kind of person needs to be represented.” Another line of questioning explored whether a book with tough, important issues needs to be sad, with students weighing in with wonderful examples from their reading lives.

Book club discussions have become the highlight of my week; I am so fortunate to hold this space for them to meet and share (even though I wish everyone could hear how insightful they are, and how supportive of each other). Day, boarding, Grades 9-12, on-campus and beaming in through TCS Connect – this is a diverse, curious and caring group of readers.

- By Ms. Shelagh Straughan, librarian