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November-December 2009 Selected Content
Homeschool Boys Book Club - Deb Adamson
Just after lunch, one Monday each month, there is an audible buzz in the children's room of our local library. The hubbub begins at the door as a group of five enthusiastic homeschooled boys race one another into a much anticipated book club meeting. They are an eclectic group, but the chattering is nonstop and oftentimes cacophonous; they talk about everything from the newest computer games, Pokemon (TM) card collections, Boy Scout meetings, chess clubs, tree houses, and a myriad of sports. They each select a colorful carpet square and lounge on the floor around me, relaxing in a semi-circle. Now it's time to talk books. And yes, they are all more than willing to switch gears and share a conversation about a common title and most importantly about reading, a common interest.
Anyone who has ever reviewed all the stereotypical statistics about boys' reading apathy, would, if able to observe this group, shun all the numbers. This is a get-together that requires no prodding. For these boys, book titles penned by authors desperate to lure the conventionally-reluctant boy reader into the pages of a book are disregarded. No gore, gruesomeness or overtly gross narration necessary. For this gathering, the reading interest is genuine and lacks the need for any excessive descriptive measures.
As facilitator for the club, I have the responsibility to oversee what the boys collectively choose to read. But believe me, they come with a long list of suggestions and recreational reads of their own; their suggestions leave me overwhelmingly overjoyed at the task of weeding through and ultimately choosing only one monthly title. So far the reading list has run the genre gamut; classics, adventure, historical fiction, science fiction, coming-of-age and nonfiction. This group of five has readily consumed abridged classics including Tom Sawyer, War of the Worlds, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Moreover, they are open to books that are sometimes a stretch for their varied reading levels. However, at risk of sounding highbrow here, I'll admit I know their tastes vary at home, including everything from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, to Garfield, Spiderman comics, all things dragon, a friend's hand-me-down American Girl series and even airplane manuals.
The original plan didn't include creating an exclusively boys' book club. Through the power of attrition, it just turned out that way. What began as a mixed gender club, evolved within a year into a boys-only group of diehard young readers and active participants who enthusiastically gobble up assigned books, returning monthly with fervor for discussion that any adult book club could hope to emulate.
Each month we meet in the Children's Room at our local library. Our seasoned children's librarian offers up the space, access to the craft closet, her invaluable skills at steering us toward age- and level-appropriate reading recommendations, as well as her ability to track down multiple copies through library loan. She continues to be my sounding board for upcoming book club titles and is ever-ready to offer guidance for keeping the momentum in swing.
In fact, she was instrumental in helping me launch the book club from the start. Her initial recommendations included four invaluable book club reference titles, which are now a part of my personal library: Book Crush: Recommended Reading For Every Mood, Moment and Interest by Nancy Pearl, The Kids' Book Club Book: Reading Ideas, Recipes, Activities and Smart Tips For Organizing Terrific Kids' Book Clubs, by Judy Gelman and Vikki Levy Krupp, The Kids' Book Club: Lively Reading and Activities for Grades 1-3 and Some of my Best Friends Are Books; Guiding Gifted Readers From Preschool To High School by Judith Wynn Halstead. Each title offers something different, from reading suggestions to summaries to complete book club lesson plans. Although I refer to these reference books frequently, I also occasionally purchase Scholastic Literature Circle Guides for specific titles. These complete guides include reproducible materials, comprehension strategies and group project ideas. Of course, the Internet is invaluable. The web offers numerous sites which help me draft preparatory questions to prompt and guide each group meeting.
For a recent gathering, we read My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. One boy arrived sporting his own, over-the-shoulder hand-crafted bow and arrow, resourcefully shaped from fallen maple wood gathered around his yard. Inspired by the main character Sam's prowess of living off the land, this same boy conducted his own backyard and online research on safe edible plants, plucked a few lush green samples, boiled them up with his mom over a small patio-campfire and brought a bitter and grassy taste to share with friends. This of course elicited some colorfully dramatic throat clutching reactions and expostulations. After a rousing discussion about survival techniques, including foraging for food and of course a themed-snack of granola bars, the boys enjoyed building their own mini-shelters out of pipe cleaners, some of them complete with campfire and fishing rod.
With these gatherings, one thing leads to another. Often times my own eight-year-old, one of the original participants, is inspired to go one step further, and he leaves the book club meeting eager to scour the library bookshelves in search of a title to compliment the discussion. That day he found a nonfiction "how-to" on knot tying and another book on survival strategies. Upon our arrival at home, I noticed him searching under his bed for his stashed treasure box, which houses, among other things, his Swiss Army pocket knife, a past treasure tossed aside and seemingly forgotten.
Early on I developed a list of book club rules of etiquette including a rule that allows for all opinions to be equally respected. That means no ridicule. Responses must be brief, allowing others the opportunity to share a story, judgment or answer. No longwinded excurses. And although we started the group with a raise-your-hand mentality, it's been fortuitous that the guideline has long since been eradicated. Inclusion is key. At times we systematically scrutinize a book chapter by chapter. But more often the discussion just flourishes, the questions are aborted and we serendipitously fill up the hour with a stimulating discussion minus my planned structure. Even the shyest and somewhat reluctant reader in the group feels a camaraderie and fellowship which allows for safe, even if contradictory, sharing.
Occasionally I ponder whether this group's momentum will falter. After all, we are moving into our third year. Will this assemblage of voracious boy readers eventually dissolve, each moving on to other pursuits and time commitments? To avert what could be an inevitable end, I recently put out a call for new members, no gender requirements. Three new takers, all boys, enthusiastically signed on. Our newly infused group of eight is currently reading Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.
With a field trip planned to our state's own Mark Twain house in Hartford, Connecticut, and some rousing discussion along the way, we are off on another adventure. We hope it's an adventure that will plant permanent reading seeds and a love of literature that will grow and flourish as our boys grow into manhood.
© 2009, Deb Adamson
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