A year ago, I was a little nervous when Dodie Ownes, the editor of SLJTeen, asked me if our book group, the Sneak Peek Reviewers Club, would like to contribute regular monthly reviews to the newsletter. But I knew it would be a great opportunity for my teens and our library. At the time, I said to myself, we’re talking hard-and-fast deadlines here, and my Sneak Peekers are a busy group. Now, as we publish our last reviews, I can say I shouldn’t have been nervous. It’s been a great experience.

Our 25 teen members submitted more than 125 reviews during the past year. I couldn’t be more proud of their dedication to the project. I know it has helped their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, and given them published pieces that they can include with their college and scholarship applications. On April 26, our library hosted a celebration to show how much we admired our teens’ efforts.

So, what was the best thing about being in a book review group? we asked our teens. “I really liked getting to read all these new books,” said Charlene.

“Before anyone else,” added Leilani.

“I’m glad I got the chance to voice my opinions about books and influence other readers,” Leyla said.

Besides getting an early look at some great YA titles, the Sneak Peekers were also able to meet with an editor from Zest books who have them the inside scoop on book publishing. And since two of our kids reviewed Gabrielle Zevin’s latest novel, All These Things I’ve Done, she happily agreed to meet with our group via Skype from her home in New York. These opportunities have helped cement the teens’ interest in young adult books and publishing.

The extra cash we received for contributing to SLJTeen enabled me to host three additional teen events, including our recent “Hunger Games” party. And, at the kids’ request, I really raised the bar on our book club’s snacks—hello, fancy cupcakes!

The Sneak Peek Reviewers Club lives on, but I’ll miss working on these reviews with Dodie and our kids. I’ve enjoyed having an opportunity to contribute to School Library Journal.

Watch for the debut of SLJTeen’s new review group, Bookmarked, in our June 6 issue.

This article originally appeared in School Library Journal‘s enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.