We are somewhat modeled after The Mother - Daughter Bookclub by Shireen Dodson. Also I recommend reading Jim Trealease, Read-Aloud Handbook and look at Once Upon a Heroine for a good collection of a little less well-known reading selections if you need ideas.

Our club started when our girls were 7 years old, second graders. I invited about 10 pairs but we now have a steady group of 8 moms and 9 girls. Initially some of the kids were reading with their mothers but now I think they are all reading independently. The moms are expected to read the book also. We just had our 24th meeting.

We meet one Sunday afternoon a month at my house. Ideally though I think it’s a good idea to change homes each month so it isn’t all one person’s responsibility (whoever’s house it is could plan the snack and activities for that month). I do a fair amount of planning but that’s really not necessary; we rarely get through all the material I have available. I have a passion for (and great collection of) children’s literature and I feel a need to enrich the girls’ education. In addition to talking about the books, I feel they must get some lesson (i.e. geography, elements of story, culture) but this is NOT necessary and as the books get longer I’m sure I will stop that supplemental part.

I always have an outline for myself of planned activities and discussion questions. In case there is a lull...

We start with a craft, puzzle or game at the dining room table, usually just the girls though mothers are welcome to participate, while waiting for the whole group to arrive. We made egg carton spiders for Charlotte’s Web, we did origami when we read Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes, we made a collage of items brought by the girls to represent something important to Sarah when we read Sarah Plain and Tall, we practiced our names in cursive when we read Muggie Maggie, we wrote a news article when we read The Landry News, we made quilt squares when we read Steal Away Home.

We usually have a snack related to the book - i.e. we tried sushi when we read about Japan, we decorated cookies that looked like girls when we read The 100 Dresses, we had a cake that looked like the main character of Muggie Maggie, and we had a horse cake when we read Riding Freedom, we ate devil's food cupcakes and angel food cake when we read Angela and Diabola...

After about 20 minutes we move to the living room and discussion in a circle . We decided to keep journals at our first meeting and often start by sharing these. Everyone expects this but no one has to share, and they can write anything they want. Often they write about why they did or didn’t like the book, favorite part, and often have some illustration. No one has to speak but we’re very supportive and by now most everyone is comfortable participating. After about a year of this the girls decided to have the moms do the journals so now we all take turns.

We often have a "share" time when someone may bring something relevant and/or we usually have discussion about historical and cultural information about the state or country in the story.

One of my goals is to get them to think critically. I try to make up "open ended" questions - no right answers just trying to get them to defend their positions. I try to get them to go just a little farther by asking for explanations and/or examples of any position they take on any part of the book or theme. Once we even had a debate over an issue and often they try to change each other’s opinions if it seems useful we let them run with it.

I mostly make up the questions but there a are lots of literature guides on the web and in education stores. Check out our links to other sites on our links page. Some of the books even have their own websites.

We always try to talk about the author. We ask each other what we’d want to know and review whatever information I can find on line and sometimes I’ve even had their biographies...Some Writer by E.B. White, Yamhill by Beverly Cleary. Pam Munoz Ryan has a web site and sent us signed postcards. I often have a booklist on the subject or by the author or on related themes.

We usually talk about location with a map. We travel the world and tour our country and talk about how we would be able to make these trips at the time that the novel takes place, and what these places are like then and now.

We end discussion after 1-1/2 hours as they get restless and we need time to plan the next meeting. I direct the parents to some of the books or themes I’m interested in exploring and we often have a little discussion time to ourselves and then with the girls we pick our next book ( we give them limited/directed choices about this) and schedule the next meeting. The girls are getting more interested in making the choices lately.

I often send home some handouts about the author and/or puzzles and/or art projects. Often we have a vocabulary list and we’re trying to pick one new word to use during the next month. We have discussed haiku poetry and oriental art, we have donated used dresses to a shelter, we went on a "field trip" to little Tokyo, we had a pj party to watch the movie version of Sarah, Plain and Tall, we had a pot luck supper and most recently (thanks to a helpful friend) we've started a web page!!

I try to direct to books with strong female characters of their age or who are struggling with something they can relate to. We routinely discuss genre and try to cover all kinds of books (though I personally think historical fictions are our best discussions). I try to pick books that I don’t think they’ll read in class and maybe a little less well known by authors I like.

Let me know if you need help picking books - I have tons of reading lists... You are welcome to examine our "Monthly Reading" list posted on this site.