The conference room at the DeKalb Public Library opened last Thursday to host its most raucous crowd.

Nine boys and nine girls attended the “Heroes @ Your Library” book club. The graphic novel club, founded by Teen Librarian Steve Roman, was created to encourage older teens to read outside of school.

Manga, or Japanese comics, is what attracted all the teens, but it was the company that kept them coming back.

“My favorite part is the people,” said Tarah Davis, 14.

Davis said she can discuss the comics at the library because her school friends “aren’t that into manga.”

Katie Barton, 12, likes that the people are themselves.

“Popularity is not an issue here, not like with the kids at school,” she said.

Davis said she could relate to the manga because “there’s no need to have extra descriptors; you can see the images.”

Shaun Tan’s “The Arrival” was this month’s selection.

As in any classroom when discussion begins, some students raised their hands, politely waiting to be called on, while others simply blurted out their response.

“Though they might shout over each other, they’re not hostile toward one another,” Roman said. “I never have to tell them to respect each other.”

All 18 students willingly participated in the discussion. Roman credits this enthusiasm to asking the teens not simply to describe what they read, but to understand and analyze it.

By examining the novel’s theme of immigration, a discussion begins concerning the current state of immigration in America. Several teens expressed their opinions about the topic and paralleled it to the novel.

For Roman, this type of discussion means the teens have challenged themselves by connecting the novel to their lives.

He deliberately tried to create an atmosphere where teens would not be afraid to express their opinions.

“I wanted it to be a safe place for teens,” Roman said. “Some place where they matter.”

Thursday’s meeting was the last for the book club. The Library Services and Technology Act Grant, which allowed Roman to create the book club in 2003, expired. Roman invited all those present to attend the Teen Advisory Group, the library’s new teen program, in June.

Roman wants the teens to “step up to the plate” and take the initiative in regard to the direction of the library’s teen program.

“I would like to become more of a moderator and less of a leader,” Roman said.

He would also like future educators to know of the invaluable experience that can be gained by leading a group discussion with up to two-dozen teenagers.

“Giving teens something they want to read,” Roman said, is the key to encouraging them to think critically.