Wild Readers Club a big success at Troy 30-C school

Forty fifth and sixth grade students have joined a club new to William B. Orenic Intermediate School this year, and they are loving it.

The Wild Readers Club has book-lovers and some who have not always been the biggest fans of reading, and they all gather together every week with W.B.O. 6th grade ELA teacher and basketball coach Lilyanna Plascencia to read and discuss a diverse selection of books.

“It’s a way to get books in kids’ hands,” avid reader Plascencia said.

Plascencia began the club last year for her own students and found it rewarding for her and her students. Her principal asked if she would open it up to the whole school this year.

The club met in December to go through reading options, where they set their monthly genres, and now they meet every week.

Their January book was the novel, “Maniac Magee,” by American author Jerry Spinelli.

They chose an historical fiction book for February; a survival story for March; and a fantasy novel for their last book in April.

Each week, members read their selection out loud or to themselves and discuss it in small groups. They circle together for an open dialogue Socratic seminar on the last day of the month.

They recently read, “A Night Divided,” by Jennifer Nielsen, an historical fiction novel about a girl fighting to escape to the other side of the Berlin Wall, which has divided her family.

Several students gave presentations to the group, including Kay’Lani Kirkwood, who made a shadow box of a scene featuring the Berlin Wall. The students discussed which character they most related to.

Mya said the character Fritz.

“He is very cautious about everything,” she said, “and you could see how he misses his dad.”

When asked in what way the main character Gerta evolved, Norah said she developed a brave personality over the four-year span of the novel.

The students said they have enjoyed being in the club. Madison said she joined the club because she enjoys reading. Her favorite books are the, “I Survived,” series. She enjoys historical books, she said, because she’s interested in what happened in the past.

Symone said she’s enjoyed getting to meet new people in the Wild Readers Club.

“We choose different people for different groups,” she said.

Sydney said the club is really fun, and no one judges anyone’s reading ability. They all read at their own pace, and there’s no rushing.

Last year, the reads were digital books, as classes were held remotely due to the pandemic. This year, they are paper books.

“It’s a refreshing change for them,” Plascencia said, “because they spend so much time sitting in front of screens. Having these paperbacks is almost like an ancient foreign language to them.”