Book club expanded

Redkite’s Book Club has been expanded to cater for young people with cancer.
 

The Book Club ensures young people and families can access information which will support them through cancer. It makes titles available to them for loan in hospitals across Australia.
 

Louise McCorley, a Redkite Social Worker, researches the most appropriate titles for the Book Club. “Families can experience a range of emotions when a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer. The Redkite Book Club includes titles on many themes to help normalise and validate these feelings. It also includes books with information families tell us they want,” explains Louise.

“The books we select cover subjects ranging from losing a child to cancer to books on specific types of cancer such as Leukaemia.”
 

The Book Club has recently been expanded to cater for teenagers and young adults with cancer and titles are now also available for loan in hospitals where young people are treated. 
 

“The titles we’ve added suit young people and the unique challenges they may face,” says Louise. “They can also help young people find and develop their own strengths.”
 

Some of the themes covered include fear, hope, feelings of isolation, empowerment, dealing with grief and books for siblings on how to deal with the diagnosis of a brother or sister.
 

Since Redkite Book Club’s inception, Redkite has provided thousands of books to hospitals.
 

“Moving forward, Redkite’s goal is to have the Redkite Book Club catalogued online to make it easier for families to access books,” says Louise. “Parents and young people will be able to leave their reviews and feedback too."