Book Groups

Tackle your To-Be-Read list together or find a new favorite with new friends.

Johnson County Library hosts book groups year-round, for all ages, and all topics and genres -- and we have online book clubs, too! Whether we're reading the classics or the latest smash hits, we provide copies, a cozy space for all, and lively discussions and activities -- all we need is your RSVP.

Kid Book Club Reads

Calling all first, second and third graders! If you love reading, join us for a fun book exploration. Each session, we’ll dive into a new book with a staff-led talk and activity inspired by the story.

Space is limited so registration for each discussion is required. Copies of the books are available for participants while supplies last. Staff will contact participants to distribute books.

September: The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

Rats are eating the MOON! There's only ONE hero that can save us: a cat who will be blasted into SPACE! Will our hero save the moon in time?

October: The Haunted Library

Ghost boy Kaz and real girl Claire team up to solve the mystery of the ghost that's haunting the library: could they be Kaz's lost family?

November: Superstars of the Sea Collection by Nat Geo Kids

Enjoy fun facts and up-close photos with this collection of five books about your favorite sea creatures!

December: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo

Aspiring cowboy Leroy Ninker has a hat, a lasso, and boots. What he doesn't have is a horse -- until he meets Maybelline.

Tween Book Club Titles

Tweens ages 9-13: Let’s get together to read new books, discuss ideas and characters and meet other book lovers! Each session features a new book, a staff-led group discussion and a related activity.

Space is limited so registration for each discussion is required. Copies of the books are available for participants while supplies last. Staff will contact participants to distribute books. Can't make it in-person? We have an online book club, too!

September: Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Shenice Lockwood dreams of going to the softball regional championships...but she might have to clear her great-grandpa's name first.

October: Mexikid by Pedro Martín

This graphic novel-memoir tells the story of an adventure-filled summer road trip and a young boy meeting and connecting with his abuelito.

November: The Fort by Gordon Korman

Five middle schoolers find a fully-stocked bomb shelter constructed decades ago in the woods. How long can they keep their hideout a secret?

December: The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum

An elite group of underdogs trained to fight crime must save their school from shutting down by pulling off the heist of the century.

American Girl Book Club Stories

Explore key moments in American history through the eyes of relatable characters in this engaging book club. American Girl books offer unique historical insights from a girl’s point of view. Join us to read, participate in an activity and make new friends. Best for ages 8-12.

Space is limited so registration for each discussion is required. Copies of the books are available for participants while supplies last. Staff will contact participants to distribute books.

September: Luciana

Meet Luciana as she goes to Space Camp for the first time and learns to be someone her crewmates can rely on, no matter what.

October: Nanea: Hula for the Home Front

Travel back to Hawaii in 1941 with Nanea as she deals with the changes World War II has brought to her community, school, and family.

November: Josefina: Sunlight and Shadows

Meet Josefina, a young girl in 1824, as she finds her courage and deals with the new changes to her family's ranch and her Tía's new ideas.

December: Molly: A Winning Spirit

Travel back to 1944 with Molly, who brings her friends together to win a school contest and make a memorable Christmas for her family.

Online Teen Book Club Picks

Join our online Teen Book Club and connect with other community readers. Each month, we’ll explore a new title ranging from bestselling teen books to graphic novels. Come together on Monday evenings to share thoughts, ask questions and dive into a thrilling story. A staff member will lead the group in a Zoom discussion. Participants who live in Johnson County will receive a copy of the book about a month before the meeting. Registration is required.

October: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hazel has accepted her terminal diagnosis, until a chance meeting at a cancer support group forces her to rethink her perspective.

November: The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

When a mysterious evil threatens his cousins, Aster's fascination with forbidden-to-him witchery and magic may be the family's only hope.

December: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell & adapted by Sam Maggs

Cath's got her online fandom and a great twin sister. She's set! But when college shakes up all she's ever known, can she find her own way?

Run Your Own Book Club

Are you involved in a book group and looking for more titles to try? The Library can help! We have Book Group Kits available at the Central Resource Library with 10-15 copies of one title that can be checked out for up to six weeks.

reserve a book club kit

Reserve a Kit Today!

Adults Book Discussions

Explore a wide-ranging selection of books and build community with fellow readers at Johnson County Library’s Book Discussions. Book choices include patron suggestions, titles connected to other Library programs and books selected for their unique perspectives, rich storytelling and varied characters. Whether you’re a casual reader or a dedicated book lover, there’s always something new to discover. Space is limited so registration for each discussion is required. Copies are available to borrow for all participants.

Can't make it in person? We host online book discussions too!

Book Discussion: Long Division

Blackness, language, and love frame a sharply-humorous, complex, metafictional time-traveling story about the legacy of racism.

Book Discussion: Warrior Girl Unearthed

When faced with historical injustices and modern crimes to her Anishinaabe tribe, one young woman takes matters into her own hands.

Book Discussion: James

Patron pick! A bold and brilliant reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” James shifts the narrative to Jim’s perspective.

Book Discussion: Yellowface

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences. In this chilling novel, bestselling literary sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is.

Book Discussion: Violeta

Spanning a century, "Violeta" is a sweeping, deeply personal novel about one woman’s extraordinary life shaped by history, family and fate.

Book Discussion: Everything is Tuberculosis

Patron Pick! This nonfiction work weaves the personal story of a tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone with the global history of disease.

Book Discussion: The Serviceberry

Author Kimmerer presents how an ethic of reciprocity, like that of the serviceberry tree, gives us a true wealth: community & relationships.

Book Discussion: The Anxious Generation

Patron Pick! Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness and re-examines childhood.

Book Discussion: Project Hail Mary

The sun is dying. One ordinary man, fresh out of a coma, is both humanity and the earth's only hope.

Book Discussion: All That She Carried

Follow the poignant story of an enslaved mother’s gift to her daughter that weaves together generations of resilience, love and survival.
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