Our lucky 13th episode of Season 2 takes us to Oak Bay.

At the confluence of school district land and municipal land, lies a section of daylighted and restored Bowker Creek. It’s here that we met Sidney Hurst, proud builder of the 600th Little Free Library in the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network.

While talking about the 600th little library - named "Bowker Creek Books" - was our initial reason for reaching out to her, it was refreshing to sit down with a such a knowledgeable, eager, and community-minded young person.

To say that Sidney is passionate about books and literacy is a bit of an understatement - she’s been writing a book review blog since she was 10yrs old! We haven’t heard of many 10 year old bloggers, and especially about books. She also has a goodreads page.

By the time she reached 15, she apparently didn’t have enough of books, so she made her first little library in her front yard. She has diverse tastes in reading, so while her favourites may change, her go-to book is "The Lie Tree" by Frances Hardinge.

As part of the BC Grade 12 curriculum, students are required to have a Capstone Project. It's an opportunity for students to demonstrate their cumulative learning in a particular topic they're interested in, and Sidney wanted something that reflected literacy and sustainability. She followed those interests and decided on a little library close to her school, Oak Bay High. After researching and learning the process involved, she worked with her school principal to install one in a tranquil spot next to Bowker Creek, between Oak Bay High, Oak Bay Recreation, and Oak Bay Public Works Yard. Tranquil yet busy, with connecting pathways and nearby sports: playing fields, tennis bubble, basketball court, skate park, running track, and rec centre!

A Grade 12 student at Oak Bay High, Sidney is also taking UVIC classes, and volunteering in the community, with additional interests in literacy, sustainability, PoliSci, and law. Despite her interest in politics, she’s not interested in running for political office herself at this time; “Never say never”. She is however, involved federally by volunteering, and encouraging young people to get involved in politics and the political system.

What else is ahead for this bright young teen? She’s looking forward to more placemaking that engages the community and the school.

If you can’t get enough of books, we highly recommend you check out Sidney's Instagram for books beautifully presented and descriptively reviewed.

(Apologies for the uneven audio in a couple of places - we’re still working on perfecting the lavalier mic.)