Since 2015, English department chair and AP Literature teacher Remy Garard has hosted the “AP Book Buddies,” a program that gets AP students as well as Normal West staff together to read and discuss a book that is hand-selected by Garard and fellow AP Literature teacher, Amy Reiman.

Since the inception of the “Book Buddies” activity, it has grown to become a Normal West favorite, and a way to read and discuss books that students and staff may not otherwise have read.

“I felt like assigning it as a part of the class was just shoving one more thing in, so I wanted to find a way to make it more interesting,” Garard shared.

The club, which had Thursday morning meetings for a few weeks at the beginning of the semester, brought students enrolled in AP Lit and teachers from any department together to read and talk about the selected book.

“I think that having students see adults read, particularly adults who aren’t English teachers, is kind of inspiring,” Garard added.

For the 2025-26 school year, the selected book for the club was Even as we Live and Breathe by Annette Clapsaddle.

Clapsaddle happens to be a “friend of a friend” of Garard, which, provided a unique opportunity for the group to actually have a Zoom interview/discussion at the final book club meeting.

Garard reached out to Clapsaddle’s agent and was initially disregarded.

“When Annette heard that we were a high school group asking for her, and since she was a former high school teacher, she emailed me personally and said she would like to come,” Garard stated.

With the visit, students had the opportunity to prepare questions about the book to ask Clapsaddle during their Zoom call with her.

“I feel like I can appreciate the book more now that I’ve heard the author talk about it,” senior Sophie Wethington, an AP student, shared.

The students got to talk with Clapsaddle about any questions or clarification they needed after reading her novel.

“I think it was particularly impactful because she was an AP Lit teacher just a few years ago, and she has teenagers that she’s raising … she’s really relatable,” Garard said.

Students then used their newfound insight to engage in meaningful discussions in the classroom.

“ I think it helped a lot of other students as far as working with the text in class. After the call, I noticed more students in our class were able to point out specific points, symbols, and imagery in the book,” Wethington added.

In the end, the unique opportunity proved to be yet another successful “Book Buddies” experience.