Young People's Book Club

Not long after a few friends and I started a book club, my son, then eight, wanted a book club of his own. Being a literature lover, I jumped at the idea.

A book club for little kids can be tricky. You can't just sit around a table draped in a lovely embroidered cloth and discuss words in some sort of highbrow way--when you are eight. I wanted it to be a fun experience where we proved that reading and then talking about books is delightful and even looked forward to. Mine are the only regular attendees who are home schooled (though we've had a few others come and go). All of the others go to public school. This provides a good mix of children, ideas and book exposure. We had been inviting the younger friends as they began reading better, but recently concluded that the age range was too broad. After a great deal of experimenting, we've discovered the following:

• Eight is generally the youngest they are able to participate in a discussion with any kind of flow. Before that age, we get lots of stories about their lost tooth, a Sponge Bob episode, and what they ate for lunch.
  
• By the time they are eleven, they are ready for the next level--less parental involvement, more serious discussion.


• We always discuss the book for at least fifteen minutes, but have gone as long as forty. The idea is to get them wanting more from a book than just turning pages and filling time. Think a little deeper, wonder a little more.


• Since we meet after school, a snack is required. I've always made our food mesh in some way with the book. It has made for a great variety and the kids like to speculate about what food I'll come up with.


• A game is the third leg of our formula. Actually, it's often several games, but they too, like the refreshment, relate to the book. Considering their ages, it's usually a moving game.


• One hour and fifteen minutes is the magic time allotted. It's almost always when we're wrapping up--and my sanity begins to unravel.

Here is our list:

• Caddie Woodlawn

• The Hobbit (We ate bacon, biscuits with honey butter and drank herbal tea.)

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Tasted both cabbage soup and chocolates.)

• Harry Potter (Had fun naming regular candies Potterish names. We also learned some magic.)

• Island of the Blue Dolphin

• Where the Red Fern Grows

• My Side of the Mountain (We continued our meeting a few days after book club when we went to visit a man who raised hunting falcons.)

• Holes

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

• Among the Hidden (Most of our kids come from large families, so we had some good discussion about what a limit of two children per family would personally change our lives.)

• Johnny Tremain

• The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler (Since they were hiding out in the museum and part of the plot included a statue, we carved our own out of soap.)

• Fablehaven (Our best, and longest, discussion by far.)

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

• All of the Nate the Great Books (Pancakes, obviously.)

• Whittington (Worst discussion, best games.)

• Sarah, Plain and Tall

After three years, my son, now eleven, has started his own book club. He doesn't want me to be in charge or even in the room. He wants it to be their book club, their insights, their questions. I am delighted. Give it a try and have fun broadening the reading experience for those you educate.