Go Clubbing!​ Granddaughter/Grandmother Club

People who like to read are not necessarily people who like to join clubs, but book clubs are not all the same. They are a way for people to explore books, share their perspectives, and enjoy the company of others. However, the details can change radically from group to group. You might already be in a club, but just in case you would like to consider joining yet another group or changing to another format, keep reading.
Section I - Children can be in a book club too.


The Granddaughter/Grandmother Club.


Hannah, now age 13, and her grandmother Carol have been reading books together since Hannah was 8. They live far apart most of the year, but they make it work. Here’s their story.


Carol: I live in Tucson, AZ, where it’s scorching hot during the summers, so my husband and I escape to Maine for July and August. That gives us the chance to live near Hannah and her family. In 2015, Hannah’s second-grade teacher told her students to read 15 minutes a day during the summer so they wouldn’t experience a “summer slide” in reading ability. Hannah really objected to the idea of daily required reading, even though she liked books. So I asked if she’d like to be in a book club with me. She knew I was in a book club in Tucson, and she was excited about the idea.


Hannah: We went to a local bookstore, and I got to choose a book to start us off. It was Imagination According to Humphrey by Betty Birney, about a hamster that lives in a third-grade classroom. We each got a copy of the book and a book club journal so we could record the titles and authors of the books we read and any comments or questions we had.


Carol: We started out by meeting together, taking turns reading out loud. We’d stop to discuss what was happening in the story, to make predictions, to ask questions, and to clarify anything that was confusing. Then Hannah and I would figure out how much we would read independently and when we would meet again. At the next book club meeting, we’d review what we had read and continue on.


Hannah: After we read the Humphrey book, we read a bunch of “Who Was” and “Where Is” books (e.g., Who Was Rosa Parks? Who Is Malala Yousafzai? Where Is Mount Everest?) Then we read The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley Brubaker, and we both loved it! We couldn’t wait for the sequel to come out (The War I Finally Won). Those books got me interested in reading more about World War II and the Holocaust, so we started reading a lot of books like that. Now I’m kind of obsessed with World War II books!


Carol: This year I put my foot down and said I wanted to read other kinds of books too. So we’ve branched out. But Hannah is still most interested in books about marginalized or oppressed people, teens with disabilities, or girls facing enormous challenges. Most recently, we read the books in the Hunger Games trilogy. At first I thought they would be a real departure for us, but then I realized they’re also about girls (and boys) facing challenges and marginalized, oppressed people! It’s actually been interesting comparing the Hunger Games books to the books we read about Nazi Germany, life in East Germany right after the war, and the way Native American children were taken from their communities and sent to missionary schools.


Hannah: We’re able to continue our book club all year since we can FaceTime, although it’s not as good as being together, and during school, it’s harder for me to find time to read book club books. Sometimes my class is reading a book together, and I’m reading one on my own. Reading multiple books at the same time is confusing. But I still love doing book club.


Carol: This started out as a way to get Hannah more engaged in reading, but it’s had unanticipated benefits for us both. I’ve been exposed to a lot of young adult literature I never knew about. In fact, I’ve suggested several of our books to my women’s book club at home! And reading and enjoying wonderful stories together has brought us closer and helped to forge a strong bond despite the geographical distance.


Hannah: We’ve also learned a lot from the books we’ve read, like how to face challenges and the importance of friendship, especially in hard situations. Here are some of the books we’ve enjoyed most.

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley:
The War that Saved My Life
The War I Finally Won
Jefferson’s Sons


Refugee by Alan Gratz
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl
Obsessed by Allison Britz
Runs with Courage by Joan Wolf
Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott

By Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Making Bombs for Hitler
Stolen Girl
The War Below

By Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

We hope you enjoyed reading about this Book Club. It might be a perfect fit for you and someone you care about. Also, you may not have known before that it only takes two people to make a group and a club is a group that shares a common interest.


Submitted by Carol Weinstein, Ed.D.
Educator, Author, and MOTAL supporter


Illustration by Hannah