Edina High's 'Breakfast Book Club' Skypes with Author Robin Sloan

In the 13 years since its founding, Edina High School's "Breakfast Book Club" has introduced teens to the work of more than 50 contemporary writers, including Richard Ford, Ann Patchett, Dave Eggers and Colum McCann.

Last week, students in the book club chatted on Skype with Robin Sloan, author of “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore,” a novel about a 500-year-old secret society.

The students "had many questions for the author, including his inspiration for the book and characters and his knowledge of technology," the school district wrote in a Facebook post. "EHS students thanked him for the early morning Skype by hoisting up their bagels, which was funny for the author because of the role that bagels play in the book."

More than 100 students enroll in the book club each quarter, with each student getting to keep copies of the books they read.

"Our experiences and surveys have shown that the power of actually giving a student a book [and] a place to talk about their ideas improves student engagement in reading and their sense of belonging at EHS," the school district wrote on its website.