Stacy Brown, "Revolutionize Youth Book Clubs: Strategies for Meaningful and Fun Reading Experiences" (Bloomsbury, 2024)

May 7, 2025

Stacy Brown, a librarian and the Director of Innovation at The Davis Academy, shares her extensive experience in creating vibrant youth book clubs. She discusses strategies to engage reluctant readers and foster love for literature, even amidst digital distractions. From her journey transitioning to a librarian to the impact of book clubs on community building, she provides practical insights. Brown emphasizes the importance of inclusivity, hands-on activities, and empowering youth in decision-making to create meaningful reading experiences.

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ANECDOTE

Personal Book Club Journey

Stacy Brown shares how her own longstanding adult book club inspired her to start youth book clubs at her school.
Her first book club started as a fifth grade boys group, rapidly growing to multiple clubs including girls, parents, and faculty.

ADVICE

Know Your Community First

Ask how well you know your community before launching a book club to tailor engagement effectively.
Use targeted marketing mix, reaching stakeholders where they are via social media, email, and incentives.

ADVICE

Engage Leadership Directly

Get leadership buy-in by involving them directly in book club activities, including choosing or discussing books.
Showcase impacts like alumni engagement and test score benefits to connect with leadership priorities.

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Learn to facilitate modern book clubs devoted to elevating the reading experience through active engagement, resulting in long-term commitment to book club events. How do you get the kids in your library to read? The benefits of reading are plentiful, especially for youth – it improves vocabulary, helps them become more empathetic and inclusive, and expands exposure to academic opportunities. In an age of digital distractions, book clubs can be a catalyst for encouraging youth to prioritize reading. These tried and tested strategies help even reluctant readers develop a love of reading through book club participation.

In Revolutionize Youth Book Clubs: Strategies for Meaningful and Fun Reading Experiences (Bloomsbury, 2025) Stacy Brown, who has facilitated book clubs for more than twenty years, shows you how to build active engagement through hands-on activities, reflective discussions, and theme-related tips and tricks, even in the face of time and budget constraints. Learn how to attract participants, brand and market your book clubs, and keep attendees returning for more. You'll be changing the world – one book club at a time.

Stacy Brown is a librarian and the Director of Innovation and Professional Learning at The Davis Academy, an independent school in Atlanta, Georgia. Stacy is a long-serving board member for the Atlanta Area Technology Educators organization and the advisory board for Savvy Cyber Kids, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to educating and empower digital citizens. Additionally, Stacy serves on the Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited School and Public Libraries advisory board.

Stacy’s expertise extends to academia, where she has taught as a visiting professor at The University of Washington’s iSchool, offering a course on marketing in information organizations. She is also a past chair of the AASL Collaborative School Library Award committee and served on AASL’s School Library Event Promotion Committee.

Stacy has written a new book Revolutionize Youth Book Clubs: Strategies for Meaningful and Fun Reading Experiencesand is the author of The School Librarian's Technology Playbook published in 2020. She is also a contributor to other Libraries Unlimited publications, such as School Library Makerspaces in Action, and has created several online courses focused on collection development and leadership in libraries.

Dr. Michael LaMagna is the Information Literacy Program & Library Services Coordinator and Professor of Library Services at Delaware County Community College.

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