Check it out

Of all the abilities that distinguish people from other mammals, the

capacity to read is perhaps the most elevating. Beyond imparting

knowledge, the written word can provide pleasure and escape while

expanding our understanding of others and the world.

While reading is typically a solitary pleasure, its joys can be

multiplied through sharing with those we love -- which is just the point

of the Newport Beach Public Library’s Mother-Daughter and Parent-Son Book

Clubs.

Launched three years ago, the Mother-Daughter Book Club is open to fifth-

and sixth-grade girls and their moms, grandmas or favorite female

grown-ups. At evening meetings, the pairs meet monthly to discuss the

themes, plots and characters of popular children’s fiction.

“It’s not just about reading,” reports librarian Linda Kline, who

moderates the lively discussions. “It’s about how reading and talking can

deepen relationships and provide launch points for sharing.”

The concept proved so popular that a second Mother-Daughter Book Club was

added this year. While membership in the first club is closed, openings

exist in the new session, meeting at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the

month at the Central Library.

When they gather Tuesday, Mother-Daughter Book Club members will discuss

“Baby Island,” a classic tale of courage from Newbery Award-winning

author Carol Ryrie Brink. The story about two sisters who survive a

shipwreck and make it to a deserted island with four babies provides

ample fuel for discussions about resourcefulness and taking charge in the

face of disaster.

On the club’s member-selected reading list for February are Phyllis

Naylor’s “Alice” books, a series of laugh-out-loud novels about

adolescent anxieties and the struggle to grow up.

In March, the discussion will focus on Margaret Haddix’s “Running Out of

Time,” a clever yarn about a girl who lives in a reconstructed village

that serves as an historic tourist site who is shocked when she learns

she’s actually living in 1996 rather than 1840.

Also new this year is the Parent-Son Book Club, open to fifth- and

sixth-grade boys and a parent, grandparent or favorite grown-up. Of the

group that meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the

Central Library, librarian Lin Look says, “It’s an interesting mix of

boys, fathers, mothers, a grandparent and a tutor.”

On Jan. 20, the group will discuss “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of

Azkaban.” In this third offering in J.K. Rowling’s popular series, Harry

continues at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and does

battle with the traitor behind his parents’ deaths.

On tap for February is “The Lost Years of Merlin,” an action-filled

fantasy about the mythical wizard’s early years, sure to inspire

questions about identity and destiny.

For more information about joining any of the adult-child book clubs,

call (949) 717-3801.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams.