Help Your Daughter Start a Girls' Book Club

A girls& book club is the perfect way for your daughter to bond with her friends over books about inspiring women throughout history.

By Jodie Rodriguez
Mar 09, 2017

Ages

7-13


Mar 09, 2017

Has your daughter ever been a part of a book club? It’s a great time for her to get together with her friends, enjoy snacks, and talk about the books they’re reading. These gatherings often turn into treasured memories, all the more so if it's a history book club that will allow the girls to learn more about women who have influenced their lives.

Here's a step-by-step guide to get your daughter and friends started. And in the spirit of Women's History Month this March, below it is a suggested book list to kick off the first meeting.

1. Create the group by gathering together local girls who would like to participate. Aim for 3-6 girls that are similar in age. The girls could be from school, after-school activities, or the neighborhood.

2. Decide on a monthly day and time to meet. Your child and the rest of the book club members might choose the third Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. Consistency helps everyone keep to a schedule.

3. Pick a place to meet. A library is a great public location to hold club meetings though not great for loud conversations! Alternatively, try having each girl’s family host the club on a rotating basis. Whoever is hosting will be responsible for providing snacks. Bonus points if the snacks are tied to the book of the month in some way.

4. Select the first title that everyone will read. Alternating between picture books and chapter books allows children of varying reading abilities to participate in different ways. Allow a few weeks for the girls to get the book and read it.    

5. To get the conversation rolling each session, try these questions:

What can we learn from _________?
How did ___________ contribute to society?
What was the most interesting part of the book?
What questions did you have after reading this book?

6. Before ending the meeting, have the members choose the next book they want to read. Then set a date and location for the next month’s book club meeting.

Try one of these books for the first book club meeting with the girls. All the titles celebrate women in history.

Picture Books (for ages 4-7)


Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull


Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words by Karen Leggett Abouraya


Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss

Chapter Books (for ages 7-13)


Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks With Jim Haskins


What Milly Did: The Remarkable Pioneer of Plastic Recycling by Elise Moser


Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life by Candace Fleming

Imagine the lifelong friends that will be created through a girls' history book club. More importantly, think of the great conversations and learning experiences your daughter will experience by discussing women who have come before her.

Featured Photo Credit: © Hero/Media Bakery

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