Middle-school teacher, Elena Aguilar (2010), outlines the potential of literature circles to motivate reluctant readers. Through a literature circle Aguilar’s six-year-old son cultivated a passion for reading. Literature circles work because they put children in charge of their learning, making them active participants. Members of each circle vote on the books chosen, and play a major role in interpreting each text. Librarians or teachers do need to be able to offer guidance to the circle, however, the onus of each literary circle is on the participants, not the teacher or librarian. Decision-making primarily rests with child members. While an adult figure can interject or change topic when members grow argumentative and the discussion runs its course, it is good policy to allow the discussion to run with minimal adult involvement. The ability to decide which books are read and how to interpret these books throws children into active roles, significantly increasing the chances that they will fall in love with reading. Moreover, literary circles work because they make the learning process fun. Viewing learning as a game instead of a chore is a major part of the battle towards making learning a life-long pursuit. Every child should be given an opportunity to participate in a literary circle.
School and public libraries can offer literature circles for children and adults. Groups can range from those structured to satisfy highly-specified interests to general topics. For example, a group of tweens girls passionate about Anne of Green Gables might decide to read not only L.M. Montgomery’s oeuvre but also comparable works of fiction by Montgomery’s contemporaries, as well as historical and biographical texts that describe late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century life. A range of genres should be included in every group. Aguilar notes that reluctant readers and boys often prefer nonfiction, so it is imperative that circles encourage members to think outside the fiction box.
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