Carnegie YA Book Club Reads I, Q

By: Rebecca Mann

Trine University’s Humanities and Communication students pride themselves on their involvement both on campus and in the community. Below, senior Finance major and Humanities minor Rebecca Mann reflects upon her involvement as a YA Book Club leader at the Carnegie Public Library.

“Everything you need to know can be found in a book.”

~ I, Q: Independence Hall, by Roland Smith

Every time a book is read new knowledge is gained, be it the knowledge of spies or magicians, or even something less practical. Recently my YA book club and I discussed the book I, Q: Independence Hall by Roland Smith. It’s a book containing spies, young magicians, rock band roadies, and so much more. But is I, Q: Independence Hall truly worth the time and effort?

On April 10th my book club and I met to discuss. The book follows new stepsiblings, Q (Quest) and Angela, as they work to survive their newly-wedded parent’s rock band tour, working with the SOS team, and their online homework. Now, during our meeting, we unanimously agreed that the book was slow to action, even with the involvement of spies. In fact, one book club member, in particular, had a difficult time completing the book.

“It took forever to get to the action. And no one died!” my member stated in frustration.

My member’s statement was quickly backed up by a young boy within the group. When backing up the other member’s statement he brought to our attention the exact page number in which the book finally started to pick up and the action increased.

“Page 82, the action finally started on page 82,” the young boy stated seriously.

Knowledge of the exact page number brought a great deal of laughter to our meeting. Our laughter only grew when one of our members stated that her favorite character was the tour bus. Still, don’t let the book’s slow start to action stop you from trying the book. I personally found the main characters, Q and Angela entertaining. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Q is a skilled magician. You’ll be amazed by what Q can do with a deck of cards. But if you do decide to skip this book, try out our next one, Stormbreaker, by Anthony Horowitz. Horowitz’s spy adventure promises plenty of action — plenty of action that can also be found in the form of a movie and a graphic novel.

So, join us next month on May 15th at 4:30 pm to discuss Stormbreaker. I look forward to discussing if the book’s quote “you’re never too young to die,” is true. Also if you have any questions or comments pertaining to I, Q: Independence Hall feel free to bring them up at our next meeting. So, I hope to see you next month, and remember, free refreshments will be provided.