REGISTER your child for the book club here (tinyurl.com/promisedprotagonistsbookclub)

Objective: To expose kids to different life experiences, cultures, and forms of writing through short stories. We will discuss our weekly readings together and make a craft or snack representing the story. Each session will be led by a Promised Protagonists team member.

Learn more about the importance of diverse literature by watching author Grace Lin’s TED Talk

Who: Anyone aged 9-12! Parents/guardians can join together with their child

Time and Location: 5-6PM EST each Saturday, on Zoom. You are free to attend whatever sessions you’re available for if you can’t make all of them. You can also choose to do the program asynchronously when registering.

Want to bring our model in-person to your local community? Start a local Promised Protagonists chapter by emailing us at promisedprotagonists@gmail.com

Volunteering: Get involved! Sign up to lead a book club session to get community service hours here. We will provide you with the presentation, but you have creative freedom!

Readings (subject to change):

**Please read each story before the date listed so we can discuss it during the meeting!

Week 1 (9/14): One Small Thing by Denise Lewis Patrick. Read here

Discussion questions (Just a preview! We will answer these DURING our meeting):

• Kayla’s mom says there are “large and small ways to help people.” Do you think one large time helping someone is better than many small times helping them? What’s an example of a small way to help someone, and is there a way to make the impact larger?
• Have you ever been new to a place where everyone seemed to know each other (even if it’s not school)? Did people greet you in the way Kayla did to Graciel?
• If you were Kayla, how would you react when seeing Graciel sitting at your lunch table?
• The name of the fundraiser is “A House Is a Home, Too.” What do you think this phrase means? At what point does a house become a home (is it the people, decorations, memories)?
• What are some ways you could help people in need like Kayla did? (fundraisers, clothing/food drives, etc.)
• The main characters of stories are usually dynamic – they change over the course of the story. How do you think Kayla changed?
• Do you speak more than one language? If you had to speak the language you are less fluent in, how do you think communicating in an emergency situation would be harder?

SCHEDULE:

• Introductions (10 min)
• Set up for house drawing craft + instructions (10 min)
• Questions and drawing (20 min)
• Finish drawing, wrap things up (20 min)

Week 2 (9/21): The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu. Read here

Week 3 (9/28): The Scholarship Jacket by Marta Salinas

Week 4 (10/5) and after: Coming soon! When You Trap a Tiger

About Us:

Promised Protagonists, founded in 2023, is a youth-led organization based in Boston. We aim to promote diverse children’s literature through publishing original work, as well as hosting workshops and programs.

Questions? Email us at promisedprotagonists@gmail.com

Website: promisedprotagonists.org

Instagram: @promisedprotagonists