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Frances Evangelista takes her job seriously. As the librarian at Scott Montgomery Elementary School in Shaw, she has turned the school library into a cheerful, welcoming place. But in an ongoing effort to inspire a love of reading in her students, Evangelista recently took an unorthodox tack and established a monthly book group for adults instead.

“We want to serve as a better example for the kids, to catch adults reading,” said Evangelista, describing her motives for forming the group. “We’re also turning our focus outward, because our kids’ lives are out there, really.”

The Last Fridays Community Book Group held its inaugural meeting Sept. 25 at 7:15 a.m., before first period. Seated around a table and munching on donuts were about 12 members, a mixture of neighborhood residents, teachers and school staff. Each had a book, “Stand the Storm,” by Breena Clark, before them, and after introductions, the group launched into a discussion about the book’s characters and sudden ending. Then Evangelista called Clark, a District resident whose story is about freed slaves living in Georgetown in the late 1800s, and the gathered members asked questions.

Dot Williams, a Fifth Street resident and library volunteer, later explained why she joined the group. “Ms. Evangelista mentioned it, and I decided to give it a try. I’m not really a reader, but I scanned [the book] and it seemed interesting. Then I started reading, and I couldn’t put it down,” she said. “I wasn’t sure about coming today, but it was very interesting to be part of the discussion. And to hear the author’s views made things crystal clear.”