Reading is so important to our family and my daughter has an especially deep love for books. That led us to start a high school book club for her.
It was just a little idea that I had in the back of my mind. We had recently moved to a new home and I wanted to connect her with some girls that had similar interests. Since her love for books run deep, we decided to start a high school book club. And we want to share how we did that in hopes it will inspire you to start one too!
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HOW TO START A HIGH SCHOOL BOOK CLUB
1. FIND MEMBERS
The first thing you’ll need to decide is how many girls you would like to attend. From our experience, 4-6 is ideal.
Finding members could be as easy as asking other high school friends if they are interested. You can take this one step further and ask around at her extra-curricular activities and functions. Think church, youth group, 4H, dance studios, sports fields, etc.
If this does not garner enough interest, you can take a little leap of faith {like I did!}. Join a few local homeschooling or mom Facebook groups and post your idea. We threw the idea out there and ended up with some sweet girls who have now all become good friends.
2. SET A LOCATION
The best location is one where the girls all feel comfortable to relax and talk. Since the book club was our idea, I set the location as our home. But you may decide to rotate the location or meet somewhere in public, like a coffee shop.
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3. SET A MONTHLY DATE AND TIME
After getting a commitments from some new members, we set a specific monthly date and time. This is so much easier than changing the date each month to accommodate schedules. Instead, simply say something like: we are meeting on the first Thursday of every month from 2:00-4:00PM.
This specific monthly date can be decided upon by the group or you can even advertise it from the beginning with a set date and time. It depends upon your preference and how flexible your schedule is.
For our high school book club, we received a commitment from the girls and then tossed out a few days and times of the week. We were able to easily settle on one that would work for all who were attending.
4. DETERMINE THE FIRST BOOK
My daughter and I decided upon the book they would discuss at their first meeting. We wanted them to have input on further books, but felt it was necessary to make an executive decision to get things started. {By the way, the first book was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott…one can never go wrong with that classic.}
5. PROVIDE SNACKS
Every gathering is better with food. We ended up preparing food each month based upon the theme of the book, but tea and biscotti was a staple at each book club meeting.
Another option is to take turns providing some snacks. It’s completely up to your preference…just as long as there is food.
6. DECIDE ON A READING LIST
Have each girl bring a list of book suggestions to the first meeting. They can discuss the various books and narrow it down to the amount needed for your meetings.
Our book club met monthly from September through May and since the first month was already chosen, the reading list needed to have at least 8 books.
After the meeting, I emailed the girl’s book list to each of the moms to get their quick approval. This part is optional, but I wanted to respect their preferences. If a book raises any concern, just replace it with a book on the back-up list.
Once the book list is decided, set one book per month. We opted to do something different for December. The girls brought simple Christmas stories or poems to read and share with each other. We also chose a simple and quick book for January since the holidays can be full of activities.
That’s it! Quite a simple activity that has amazing rewards: lots of book reading, critical thinking, discourse/dialogue, and friendship! I just know that when we look back at her high school years, this book club is going to be a highlight for my daughter.
BOOK CLUB GUIDES
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Love, love, love this idea! Thanks for sharing how you pulled it together! My college age daughter is an avid reader, a little less now that she is in college, but she recently participated in a short term book club for a Christian book through the church she goes to. I think this is especially important in these times when kids are way too immersed in the internet and social media; to get back to the basics of actually reading books and discussing them and learning to respect others ideas and also not just accept everything out there as truth. Way to go!
You are so right, Vicki! And I love the discussion skills the girls are learning from this club. Thank you for sharing this story of your daughter. I hope she has an opportunity to participate in another one.