2024 Forest of Reading® Kid and Teen Committees: Applications now being accepted

 

Do you love books?

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Do you know Canadian books and authors?

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Are you in Grade 3-12?

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Would you like to talk about books with your peers?

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Would you like to contribute recommendations to a summer reading list?

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If you answered "Yes" to these questions, 

then have I got an activity for you!

Applications are now being accepted for the Forest of Reading®'s Forest Kid and Teen Committees. These committees bring young readers together for one morning to talk Canadian books and prepare summer reading lists for their peers. 

 

 

Who can apply?

There are three committees, based on grade level, who will meet on Zoom on different days in May. They are:

• Silver Birch Kid Committee (for Grades 3-6)
• Red Maple Kid Committee (for Grades 7-8)
• White Pine Teen Committee (for Grades 9-12)

 

When will they meet?

• Silver Birch Kid Committee: May 7, 2024 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)
• Red Maple Kid Committee: May 8, 2024 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)
• White Pine Teen Committee: May 4, 2024 (9 AM- 12:30 PM EST)

(n.b. times may be amended if there are members who do not reside in the Eastern Time Zone) 

 

 

What happens during these meetings?

Young readers will meet on Zoom and share their opinions about Canadian books which they have read and enjoyed. 

 

These books must be:

• written by Canadian authors (Canadian by birth or residency)
• published in the last two years
• appropriate for their age groups 
• not already included on Forest of Reading nominated lists of titles
• not already on previously published Forest Kid or Teen Committee Summer Reading Lists

Under the guidance of Meredith Tutching, Director of the Forest of Reading®, and a facilitator, readers will recommend titles, discuss the stories and the writing, and then vote on which titles, usually between 10 and 20 books, to include on the 2024 summer reading list. (Here's a pdf of a sample, the Silver Birch reading list from 2023.)

In addition to talking books, there are always special guests that drop in to speak to the committee and share their own recommendations. Past guests have included Angela Ahn,
S. K. Ali, Kelley Armstrong, Paul Coccia, Zetta Elliott, Melanie Florence, Natasha Deen, Kathy Kacer, Gordon Korman, Colleen Nelson, Kenneth Oppel, David A. Robertson, Kevin Sylvester, Vikki VanSickle and Eric Walters.

How to apply?

Submit your application via Google form here.

Deadline for applying is April 1, 2024.

Readers will be asked to provide contact information, and information about favourite Canadian books and recently read Canadian books. (The key here is that the books must be Canadian, written by Canadian citizens or residents.)

Full details are available at the Forest of Reading® website here.