Young Adult Book Club

The Young Adult Book Club runs on the first Thursday of every month at Newcastle City Library, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. It's for fans of YA fiction, and the whole point is to read, discuss and get creative with the titles you're into. It's open to teens and adults of all ages, so you'll find a mix of younger readers and older ones who never really stopped reading for pleasure.

What sets this one apart from a standard book club is how it handles the reading. There are no reading lists here, and you're not expected to have finished a specific book by a certain date. It's billed as a book chat with a difference: no homework, just conversation about the books you love. You'll get introduced to some of the biggest titles that have defined the genre, and you'll spend the session talking through them with other people who get why they work.

And it doesn't stop at the talking. The club encourages you to expand that written universe with your own creative projects. That can look like writing fan fiction, drawing character art, 3D printing models, or even cosplay. If a story sticks with you, there's a space here to do something with it rather than just closing the cover and moving on. It's as much a makerspace for readers as it is a discussion group.

It's free to attend, and there's no booking required—you just drop in. The sessions run from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on the first Thursday of every month, except January, at Newcastle City Library, 15 Laman Street, Newcastle 2300.