Good Books Young Troublemakers is a book club where middle school-aged kids read great books and practice speaking up.

Why practice speaking up? Because it’s hard work! Each of us has experienced that moment – probably many times – when we failed to intervene when someone is being targeted because of their identity or experiences. Sometimes a classmate is being picked on in the school halls because of their gender expression. Or a friend makes a racist joke.

Stories allow us to peer through another person’s eyes and better understand how our identities and experiences shape how we navigate the world. In short, books foster empathy! But they do something else, too: when examined thoughtfully, they can serve as handy tools to help us consider how we might respond in situations like those we encounter in the stories we read. They can help us turn empathy into action.

In GBYT, we create a space for participants to reflect on identity, privilege, and power, and offer tools and practice opportunities to help prepare them to use their voices to respond to moments of injustice, both small and large. In short, we help them learn how to make “good trouble”!

Each month, GBYT participants read a middle grade title that focuses on marginalized, underrepresented identities and experiences and which includes moments of injustice that readers are likely to encounter in their own lives.

Using these conflicts that occur in the books we read, readers engage in a series of allyship practice scenarios, such as:

What would you say to someone who has misgendered another person? What would you do if you heard a classmate taunting a girl for wearing a hijab? Or telling another student to "go back to where you come from"?

Through guided conversation, participants brainstorm and practice safe, effective intervention techniques and, over time, sharpen the skills and vocabulary needed to put those techniques into practice in the moments that matter.

Middle grade students are at a prime age to begin developing a social consciousness – that is, an awareness of social issues and injustice, how these impact specific groups of people in different ways, and how we can each play a role in addressing those issues and creating meaningful change.

Young adulthood can also be fraught with anxiety and conflict. Self-consciousness, body changes, peer pressure, shifting relationships, and academic stress can make life feel tricky to navigate. Even when they are sensitive to others’ needs, it can be tough for kids to feel confident standing up for themselves or their peers. This is where adults can help nurture not only the development of empathy, but also the confidence and skills necessary to actively practice it.