Book groups are certainly en vogue. With summer reading time just around the corner, parents may be anticipating trips to the library and bookstore. Maybe now is a good time to consider forming, or joining, a book group with your child.

My daughter and I belonged to a mother-daughter book group for five years.   To be honest, I think I was flattered when we were asked. The moms forming the group were, in my eyes, much groovier and interesting than I was. Am. I also recall being a little intimidated – not about my own daughter, a voracious reader, but my own ability to bring enthralling insight to the books we read. Those fears, at least, were unfounded (we were mothers of nine and ten-year-olds). A theme was selected for our monthly choices: strong girls who were good role models. We limited the group to six, and we were off. 

Our local independent bookstore was encouraging, offering us a discount on our book choices, and ordering in bulk. For some selections we were able to use the library or used bookstores. This kept the cost down.
We met monthly, in each others’ homes, on Sunday afternoons.  I have really fond memories of our meetings . On rainy days, we sat by fireplaces. In the nice weather, we sat on decks or in flower gardens. The mother-daughter hostesses planned refreshments ranging from tea and cucumber sandwiches to pizza or cheese and crackers. That was part of the fun.
In the beginning, frankly, the girls were more interested in snacks and playing with each others’ toys. We managed to (barely) make it around the circle, encouraging them to describe their likes/dislikes and general impressions about the story and main character.   By the sixth grade, things were firmly entrenched.   At this point, we knew the genre each girl would pick. Some leaned toward science-fiction, some loved the classics, and one really liked what I’d describe as “girly” material. Also, although they had to be prodded to talk when they were nine, by fourteen they were all fighting for air time.
The remarkable thing was that the foundation we had laid worked. As new Junior-High students, the girls were now assigned reading and oral reports. This came easily to them, having practiced quite a bit. I think they also enjoyed being able to say, “We already read this in book group” (probably with a little air of superiority). Further, when you have a group which requires an invitation to join, I suppose there will be a little dynamic of jealousy, and I didn’t much like that aspect of it.  
Reading, presenting a report, and defending her opinion comes fairly easily to my daughter in college courses.  She has also learned to listen and to be tolerant of others’ opinions. I credit the book group experience with a lot of that.
We read a lot of wonderful books over five years. I think we also enjoyed the challenge of finding the positive female role model themes. Most of all, we enjoyed getting to know each other, and formed some great friendships. The benefits of joining, or forming, a book group with your child makes it an activity worth your effort and consideration.