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The Week Junior U.S. has launched a book club to add to its book-related franchises that also include the annual Summer of Reading program. The book club launch (U.S. only) has been accompanied by a U.S. tour which has seen considerable turnout in venues with a 500-1,000 capacity.
The Week Junior U.S., the Future plc-owned weekly news title aimed at 8-14-year-olds, has launched “The Week Junior Book Club” as part of its audience engagement strategy.
The initiative aims to strengthen the brand’s mission to ‘spark a lifelong love of reading and learning’ as well as inspire a community of middle-grade readers.
Each month, The Week Junior’s editorial staff will select one book for children and families to read, as well as publish a review of the book, a Q&A with the author, and discussion questions with readers. Additional content will be made available for free, online, and via email newsletter.
The inaugural book choice is Diper Överlöde, book 17 in the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by bestselling author Jeff Kinney.
The Book Club is a natural evolution for The Week Junior brand, which is already a recognized authority on middle-grade books and readers. There is a shortage of book-related resources for middle schoolers. We look forward to filling that gap.
Andrea Barbalich, Editor-in-Chief, The Week Junior U.S.
The new Book Club joins The Week Junior’s existing book-related franchises that have celebrated more than 300 books and authors since the brand’s 2020 launch, including its annual Summer of Reading program and weekly columns “Book of the Week,” “Ask the Author,” and “Reader Recommends.”
Our hope is that kids and parents alike will discover new authors and genres of books through our Book Club and other book-related features. We want to provide kids with opportunities for individual learning and exploration, as well as the chance for friends and families to connect over book discussions.
Andrea Barbalich, Editor-in-Chief, The Week Junior U.S.
American Book Tour
As part of the Book Club launch, The Week Junior U.S. has teamed up with ABRAMS — publisher of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series — on a multi-city U.S. tour to promote Diper Överlöde. The ‘Diper Överlöde Show‘ kicked off last week in Cleveland, Ohio and has already taken in Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, and New Orleans. Forthcoming scheduled city stops include Lafayette, Houston, Austin, and Dallas.
The Diper Overlode Show venues are between 500-1000 and have already seen a huge turnout.
The Week Junior U.S. spokeswoman
Event attendees all receive copies of The Week Junior magazine and experience an in-person concert-style event, in which Kinney is the host. At one of the events, one of The Week Junior’s journalists will interview Kinney and write up the feature for an upcoming issue of the magazine.
It comes at a time of sustained success for The Week Junior U.S. which launched in 2020 to become the first newsweekly print magazine in the United States since 2001.
When we launched The Week Junior in the UK in 2015, everyone told us that children don’t read the news; we proved them wrong. Children are smarter and more eager to know what is going on than they are given credit for. Our mission is to inspire children with inspired reading.
Kerin O’Connor, (previous) Chief Executive of The Week and The Week Junior (speaking in 2019)
