Meet Jenna Weingarten, a senior at Biotechnology High School in Freehold, NJ. Jenna has loved books for as long as she can remember – in fact, she often jokes that she’s probably the only kid in America whose mom has to convince her to “stop reading” because she always has a book in her hands.

Two years ago, Jenna decided to spread her love of books to younger children. She created “Jenna’s book club” with the slogan “To Learn - To Love - To Read” geared toward local children in 3rd through 5th grade. With the help of the club’s elementary school members, she selected twelve books (many of which were her childhood favorites) and then created lessons centered around each book.

The club meets every other week at the JEI Learning Center in Marlboro, and the children have been delighted to get together to discuss and analyze the current book, complete a craft relating to the story, and explore the characters in depth.

Jenna’s book club runs from October through May. Students interested in joining next year’s club should contact the Marlboro JEI at (732) 866-9099.