Mother - Daughter Book Club
photo credit: Zepfanman.com
Each Wednesday I will highlight something new, interesting, or helpful in the world of books…
This week I am very happy to present an interview I recently had the pleasure of conducting with Julie P., the moderator of the very popular Booking Mama blog. Julie reviews a wide variety of books, including books for kids.
Today she describes her experience creating a Mother-Daughter Book Club. Please be sure to stop by her blog! Thank you, Julie…
- Could you describe when/why you began your mother-daughter book club (who is involved? Age of the daughter (s)?)
I tried to start our Mother Daughter book club last year when my daughter was in second grade by asking some of the moms in my grown-up book club if they were interested. Much to my dismay, I didn’t get much of a response. So many of the moms thought their daughters were too young or involved in too many other activities.
I tried again this year and was much more successful! Right now, we have about 7 mother daughter groups, and the girls are 8 and 9 year olds (now 3rd and 4th graders.) Our book club is still growing — every month we seem to get one more group joining us.
- What have you read so far? Which titles were most / least effective for generating discussion?
We’re a relatively new group, but so far we’ve read: Sarah, Plain and Tall , Anne Frank: Life in Hiding , Sounder , and Pippi Longstocking . Our next book is Meet Kit — we thought we could do a movie tie-in!
The first three books that we read came with a Mother Daughter Book Club kit for 8 year olds that I purchased from Costco. The group didn’t feel like some of the books were age-appropriate (and the girls weren’t loving the depressing nature of Anne Frank and Sounder) so we let the girls choose the next book. They unaminously voted for Pippi!
As far as good discussions, I have to say that all the books generated around 1/2 hour of talking among the girls. For their age range, we thought that was a long time for them to focus on the book. I would have to say that the Anne Frank: Life in Hiding generated a lot of discussion. We ended up talking about the horrors of the Holocaust especially as they related to Anne and her family. We also discussed what each of the girls would be willing to do to help those in need.
The girls would probably tell you that Pippi Longstocking was the best book for discussion. They actually started their own discussion when the moms were chatting in another room. (The girls wanted to “run” the meeting on their own, so we were kind of brushed aside!)
- How is the discussion moderated? Do you use premade questions? If so, where do you find them?
Usually, I try to come up with some discussion questions as a starting point for our discussion; however, a few of the girls come up with their own questions to ask each other (they write them on index cards.) I haven’t had much luck coming up with premade questions, although I did find a few for Sounder and Sarah, Plain and Tall.
Each month I look for questions on the Internet, usually starting with a Google search. I think having the adults ask a few questions along with having the girls ask their questions works really well for our group.
- What are some unique challenges inherent in discussing books with your kids?
Well….sometimes we have to talk about really difficult issues, as was the case with the Anne Frank book. I wasn’t sure that I was ready to explain, or that I could even find the right words to describe, the Holocaust to my eight year old daughter.
Another challenge that I have personally faced is allowing the girls to select the books that they want to read. I initially thought the book club would be a great way for us to read all of the children’s books that I remembered as a child. Once I get past my selfishness, I see that it’s more important for the girls to want to read and talk about books that they enjoy.
- What have you found to be the best aspects of your club?
I’m not even sure where to start on this question! One of the best things about our Mother Daughter Book Club is actually spending the time with my daughter doing something we both love — reading.
Another huge benefit is the friendships that we are making with the other mother and daughter groups. I’d have to say that my favorite thing is seeing the girls’ confidence grow every month as they read more difficult books and begin writing their own questions. At our last meeting, every one of the girls was providing input into the discussion – even those who were shy just the prior month.
- Anything else you can tell someone hoping to start a club of their own?
I can say this because I have to constantly reminding myself: it’s all about the girls — developing their love of reading, gaining more confidence, learning to voice their opinions, spending time together, etc! It’s just been a wonderful experience and I hope we continue to do this even when my daughter is in her own “grown-up” book club.
Thanks, Julie!
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Comments
Great interview and what a neat book club! I’m so impressed with the moms to share this with their daughters!
[...] tomorrow, but in the meantime check out the interview with Julie P. from Booking Mama about her Mother-Daughter Book Club. Lots of great ideas — thanks again, [...]
Sounds like a great club. We used to do a Little House club that was focused only on reading books in the Little House series. It was great fun.
Thanks for this great interview! I read Julie’s blog every day and it’s nice to learn more about the way her Mother/Daughter book club works.