A young reader in the Lone Star College–CyFair Branch Library Teen Book Club was recently named a 2007 Texas State Finalist in the Letters About Literature Essay Contest.
Eleven-year-old Seunghyun Angela Yeo’s letter was chosen from more than 2,500 entries in this essay contest which the Library of Congress, the Texas Center for the Book, and the Texas Association of School Librarians sponsored.
“I was very surprised to win, but I’m glad,” said Yeo, who attends the Teen Book Club with her sister Michaelle. “In the book clubs I like to hear everyone’s input and opinions about the books and sometimes I change my own opinion.”
Yeo submitted a letter on Kevin Henkes’ book “Olive’s Ocean,” which was one of the book discussion titles in the 2006 Teen Summer Reading Program, said Teen Librarian Elise Sheppard. In her letter Yeo wrote: “When I first picked up your book, ‘Olive’s Ocean,’ it wasn’t because of curiosity or nagging. I read it because I had to, simple as that. I now re-read it over and over again out of pure free will.”
Yeo and her sister joined the Teen Book Club three years ago when they were 8 and 11 respectively. Yeo’s mother Cecilia convinced Sheppard that while her daughters were not yet teens, they were very advanced for their ages and wanted to join the club.
“ I told her that if they could read the books and join the discussions, they were welcome. Even at such young ages, Michaelle and Angela participated fully in all discussions, offering thoughtful, salient observations,” said Sheppard. “Both Angela and Michaelle have already taken college credit courses at Lone Star College–CyFair. The summer each turned 10, they enrolled in and passed a course with flying colors. Michaelle took English 1301, Composition & Rhetoric, and Angela took Beginning French 1411. Lone Star College–CyFair is truly a community college, offering educational opportunities for all ages.”
The Lone Star College–CyFair Branch Library draws bookworms of all ages to participate in a variety of book clubs. For information, go to http://cfclibrary.lonestar.edu