Because this series has become popular on Pinterest, I’ve decided to run it again.
Read the entire series here:
Running a Book Club for Kids
Running a Meeting
It’s a good idea not to have a book discussion that first meeting. Instead, talk about ground rules and what you hope your book club will become. Here are some things to think through beforehand:
- Will members be allowed to drop in when they feel like participating or will they be expected to attend regularly?
- What happens if a member hasn’t finished the book?
- How can members prepare before the meeting?
- And a key question: What’s the point of a book club?
Here’s a handout I gave my students our first week together:
Welcome to Book Club!
Here are some things you should know:
- In order to attend a meeting, you need to read the book. That’s it!
- Sometimes we’ll read a book about a boy. Sometimes we’ll read about a girl. If you are a boy, you CAN read about a girl and survive. I promise. Girls, same for you.
- To make Book Club as interesting as possible, it is good, though not required, to jot down things as you read. Here are some ideas:
- How does this book compare to others I’ve read?
- Three words to describe this book would be…
- If I were the main character, I would have…
- I was suprised/annoyed/happy etc. when __________ happened.
- I like this book because…
- I didn’t like this book because…
- My favorite character is _________ because…
- If I could change a part of the story, it would be ___________
- And important sentence in this story was _________ because…
- Any of your own ideas!
- You can get yourself a notebook to write notes in. You can write ideas on a scrap of paper. Where you write doesn’t matter.
- Come to the meeting with something to say! The more you say, the more fun the discussion. If you have a copy of the book, bring it along, too.
- Come as often as you like.
- Invite your friends!
- Challenge yourself to read a type of book you might not pick up on your own.
- Have fun!
I’m looking forward to our year together.
What a great post! I always wanted to start a book club when I was teaching, but now that I’m not going back to the classroom next year…
I’m really enjoying your book club posts! They’re making me want to start one of my own. 🙂
Katie, maybe a few years from now you could start a group with your son and his friends! The first time I started a book club was right after leaving the classroom. It was an adult group and completely self-serving (I needed people to talk books with, plain and simple!). Since then I’ve been a part of various groups in various communities.
Anna, I hope you do (and come back to share)!
Great list! My one experience with a book club didn’t go too well. Despite my best attempts to keep it going, it fizzled in less than a year. It was fun while it lasted though. It’s always instructive, as an author, to see how other readers react to stories.
These are great guidelines for a book club. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks for the tip to share via Pinterest. Which I just did!
Thanks, you!
I’ve used this list multiple times since I discovered it 3 years ago! Still great advice!
So glad to hear this!
Caroline – What great tips! My 7 year old has been begging me for a year to start a book club (I’m not in one and I’m not ever sure of where she heard of the concept!). Not knowing where to start, I emailed our local children’s library in Bellingham, WA for suggestions. They were very eager to help. In addition to recommending your blog and a PBS blog, they also came up with a list of books in their system with multiple copies, audiobook versions, varied interest, and the appropriate reading level. Our first meeting is in two weeks and I’ll be sending parents a link to your blog to help them understand the concept. Thank you again for all the great suggestions you have here!
So glad this was helpful! Please let me know how it goes.
EN VERDAD ESTOY TRATANDO DE INICIARME Y EN MOMENTOS ME PIERDO, PERO PONGO TEZON, ESPERO PRONTO ESTAR RELAMENTE LISTO, TODO ESTO SIRVE PARA QUE UNO VAYA INTERIORISANDOSEA Favor o En contra: 2 0
It’s funny when people find music so inspiring that they can’t seem to get our there and write their own songs.Great post, man. People seem to think that image is something other than what you’ve accomplished. In the end, the record never lies.
I m one of a few adult members of a predominantly kids book club. We ve had only 2 meetings but the kids involved seem to really enjoy and want to be there, which makes all the difference in the world. Thanks for the tips! I ll forward this along to the other adults in the group!
I’m so happy to hear it! I hope the year is a success.