The Edmond Sun | Chat 'n' Chew put books on third-graders' menu

The Edmond Sun |Chat 'n' Chew put books on third-graders' menu:

"For the most part, Chat ‘n’ Chew is a typical book club. The members read the book, get some lunch and sit around a table to discuss what they’ve read. There’s a person with a list of questions in case discussion slows down, but the members tend to take over so the list isn’t usually needed.

What isn’t typical is the book club members are all third-grade students at Chisholm Elementary School.

Chat ‘n’ Chew met four times this year with third-grade students, and will expand to five meetings for next year. In addition, a similar club will be set up for second-grade students at Chisholm Elementary.

“We had several moms who said the kids loved this program because it wasn’t something they were being tested on,” said Karen Byrne, one of the program’s organizers. “It made reading fun.”

Gina Noise, a parent of one of the students, had been part of a Chat ‘n’ Chew program in Lenexa, Kan. When she moved to Edmond last year, she decided to start a similar program. Since she and Byrnes both had children in third grade, starting there seemed an obvious choice."