Planned Books for Junior Groups for 2020

Here is a list of the books read by the Junior Groups since 2009, followed by descriptions for the books selected for the Junior Group in 2020.

The 2019 Junior Great Books Groups did not meet in 2019 because of Covid and the decision was made to postpone the readings till 2020.

Unfortunately 2020 was also postponed because of Covid and the original shipment of books had been distributed to the registered participants of the Junior Program for 2019.

• Junior_Great_Books_by_Year
  2009-2020
• Planned Books for Junior Groups for 2020

Questions parents or grandparents might have regarding Colby Kids Camp

How are books Selected for the Kids program?

The Books are chosen based on:

1. Overall quality of the book, many are Newbery Award Winners
2. If a book is likely to have been taught already in most children's home community schools, it is less likely to be selected
3. The story keeps the reader's attention
4. Content of the books may suggest activities to be offered to the children, while at camp, e.g., a book's content reflecting the value of playing chess, while the opportunity to learn the game of chess as a challenging and joyous activity is simultaneously offered.

How are groups organized for the Kids program?

The groups are organized based on:

1. Age of participant as of September of the year in which the discussion takes place.
2. Grade of participant as of September of the year in which the discussion takes place.
3. The child's preference if there is a choice between two likely groups at the time of registration.
4. The parent/grandparent input as to the choice at the time of registration.

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Junior Great Books at Colby College - 2025 - is currently exploring possibilities for an active Colby College experience

To discuss individual arrangements for Junior Great Books older children, please contact John Dalton Email: John Dalton directly at jd5258875@aol.com or Email: Lulah Fort at ( fortlulah@gmail.com )
on before February 15th.

Nota Bene: This year we have the opportunity to revive Junior Great Books. Lulah Fort and Donna Crane have graciously offered to do so, if there is sufficient interest.

They write, “For a dozen or more years before Covid, Great Books at Colby offered a program for young people (ages 5-16) alongside the one for adults. Parents and grandparents were able to bring along children and grandchildren who enjoyed supervised structured activities in the morning, while their adults were having book discussions, and then afternoon book groups of their own, interactively discussing books with their peers.

To restart the program, we need to gauge interest of participants and their age to determine appropriate books.”

If you have any interest in bringing one or more young people to a revived Junior Great Books program, please contact: Email: John Dalton or Email: Lulah Fort before February 15th.

Based on interest, we will decide the
viability of restarting for the coming year.

The Junior Program - Notes from the Past

How is the Great Books camp for kids at Colby different from other camps?

The way it integrates fun with learning.

Camps are places where kids go to have fun and enjoy a change of scenery. But learning or honing skills is also a focus of most camps. Some camps are devoted to learning such as music camps, or art or athletic camps and more.

The Great Books Camp for Kids helps children improve their ability to think critically, teaches them how to frame and ask questions, and exposes them to a higher level of interaction with their peers. The kids have fun in the process because the lessons are in the context of their group’s discussion of the stories they are reading.

In every sense that's exactly what Great Books at Colby is about for adults.

The key to that part of their experience is called "Shared Inquiry", a process as old as Socrates and as new as the most up to date learning environments today. You can read how that process works elsewhere on this site.

In short, it's an activity that facilitates an exchange of ideas and different perspectives. Within the discussions of a book and the assessments of the stories, an individual of any age will learn from peers and their own shared experiences. And that's just plain fun because of the way it's done.

The end of all this—just like the experiences of their parents, the children’s brains somehow feel expanded, ways of thinking are honed, and lifetime friendships may be created.

Great Books Camp for Kids at Colby affords unique moments of personal growth that can be recreated year after year on the campus of a lovely college in Maine.

Come join us. And bring the kids.