Tielt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tielt is looking for its youngest readers to participate in forming a new chapter of De Leesjury, the largest youth book jury in Flanders, through an initiative designed to develop reading habits and empower children with the power to choose the best literary piece of work. The Openbare Bibliotheek Tielt seeks “young book lovers” from about 4 years old to 18 years old to form a new reading club which will be meeting once per month during September 2026 to April 2027.
What is De Leesjury and how does it work?
De Leesjury (“The Reading Jury”) is a national programme for the promotion of reading organised by Iedereen Leest vzw, the Flemish literacy NGO active through campaigns and projects for libraries, schools and pre-school institutions. It is aimed at children and teenagers aged from 4 to 18 with age groups divided in such a way that jurors read books suitable for their age and discuss them. In recent years, some libraries experimented with the “Leesjury-start” branch of the programme for children aged 2.5 to 4 years.
The reading period takes place from September to April. Six-eight chosen books are read by jurors who have monthly meetings in the form of reading clubs run either in a library or a school. They discuss books, compare them and give their opinions. In April, all participants make a choice of their favourite book and the votes decide the winner of the Leesjury of each age group that is officially announced in spring and greatly exploited in the promotion of youth literature.
Why is Tielt starting a new reading club now?
The creation of a new group in Tielt represents a larger trend observed throughout Flanders in 2026, when cities like Hemiksem, Niel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and Lendelede have introduced new groups of De Leesjury or revived old ones for the 2026-2027 reading year. The reason for choosing this particular programme for local libraries is to encourage youth membership, introduce a regular, free-of-charge activity and coordinate efforts with other Flemish reading campaigns, such as Jeugdboekenmaand (Youth Book Month).
The introduction of this programme also demonstrates a distinct position adopted by both Iedereen Leest and local libraries who promote reading as an interactive and social activity. Thus, the programme allows children and teenagers to read, talk and vote on which book they consider worthy of their attention. According to Iedereen Leest,
“the purpose of De Leesjury is to make reading more visible and develop programmes for libraries, schools, child-care centres and other organisations to share methods and ideas to enhance reading”.
Organisers of the programme in Tielt are expected to say the same, highlighting the idea that children come here to
“gather and read, share their experiences and help choose the winners”.
Who can join the Tielt De Leesjury group?
This call is directed toward children and teens ranging from 4 to 18 years old. Typically, many libraries divide the participants into age brackets such as 4–8, 9–12, and 13–18 so that the discussion becomes age-appropriate and the lists of books correspond to the reading level of each bracket. According to the conventional De Leesjury framework, the Tielt organization should have a similar pattern where the discussions will be held separately in each bracket.
The participation in these reading clubs will not be charged, but the number of slots for participation in each group is limited, hence the need for libraries to register interested participants as early as possible through their websites or personally at the counter. The venue of the event in the case of Tielt should be the Openbare Bibliotheek at Lakenmarkt 9 as it conducts reading programs and participates in regional events.
What will participants read and do each month?
Participants in Tielt will read the official De Leesjury 2026–2027 lists, which are selected nationally by a team of “selectielezers” (selection readers) to ensure variety in genre, style and difficulty. In recent years each age group has received around six to eight titles, adding up to roughly 50 books across all categories. These lists are announced in late spring, ahead of the September start, so that libraries and schools can prepare.
Each month, the group will meet to discuss one or more of the books on the list. Sessions are facilitated by library staff or trained volunteers, who guide the conversation without imposing adult judgements. The emphasis is on personal response: what readers liked or disliked, which characters felt real, and how the stories relate to their own lives. At the end of the reading year, all jurors vote for their favourite title, and those votes feed into the national Leesjury results.
When did De Leesjury start and how has it evolved?
De Leesjury can be traced back to the establishment of the Kinder- en Jeugdjury voor het boek in Vlaanderen (KJJ) in 1981, organized by Ghentian teacher and book advocate Jos Brabants. At that time, it was a small-scale program where volunteers gathered children to discuss books and exchange opinions. In 1998, the regional juries were consolidated into one organization called the Kinder- en Jeugdjury Vlaanderen (KJV). Limburg had been running its jury temporarily until joining the network under the Iedereen Leest brand.
At the time of the 40th-anniversary celebration of the program around 2021, De Leesjury received a makeover through branding and launching a new website. Ever since then, the program has kept on growing by adding more age groups, piloting special tracks for pre-school kids, and setting up more reading clubs locally in towns and villages throughout Flanders. In such a way, Tielt’s new book jury is just another example of a 45-year tradition of such clubs in the region.
