Valerie and I have been friends ever since we sat on the floor in a little local library reading and whispering about Betsy Tasy books, when we were ten years old.
On "Book TV" last weekend, I saw convicts who looked like they should have been playing in the Super Bowl reading and discussing a book in a Washington, D.C. prison.
At any age, getting together to read and compare thoughts about books has the same kind of bonding effect and opportunity for open communication as old time quilting bees and barn raisings.
Inviting one or more friends to bring the same book over for a discussion is just the thing when it's too cold or too hot to play outdoors. Besides stimulating discussion, books might also inspire children to write their own rhymes, draw illustrations, or make up stories. Many kids probably already have Doctor Seuss, Whimpy Kid, and Harry Potter books. One of my favorites, Madeline, might introduce a foreign culture and invite comparisons with school life at home and abroad. A "keyword" internet entry, like "new children's books," could suggest another selection book club members would like to buy.
Today on the internet, I found Everybody Is Somebody by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver and Come Find Me by Megan Miranda. At their book club, the Washington, D.C. convicts began their meetings by reading a short passage selected by a moderator who also asked a question to begin the discussion. An adult could open a children's book club the same way. In the case of Everybody Is Somebody, I'd be curious to know what young book club members would do if authors were going to visit their schools, and the day they were coming, the book club members were asked to host and introduce the authors at an assembly, but they never had read the authors' books and didn't know anything about the authors or their books.
Come Find Me is described as a thriller about a teen brother and sister. With trafficking and the case of Jamie Closs in the news, it would be interesting to discuss what students would do if a classmate suddenly disappeared. What would they assume happened to their classmate? What would they do differently, if they made different assumptions?
Not only friendships, but critical thinking, also can begin with a book.
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