Signing up 15 boys ages 7 to 11, Spanjer and Oceanak ask the boys to bring book suggestions to the first meeting and the pair brings their own. After brainstorming, the boys vote on the books they will read during June and July (one book a week for eight weeks) and the club continues to meet weekly to discuss each book, along with a snack, play time and physical activity (a must, Oceanak learned in her research). Last summer, in addition to the group of younger readers, Oceanak and Spanjer hosted an 11-14-year-old group as well.
“The club is a tool to get boys to read,” explains Oceanak. “Casual conversation about the book is the goal.”
“The meetings are hilarious,” says Spanjer, who adds that the boys’ comments are also insightful and surprisingly touching at times. In fact, the book club has become so successful that she and Oceanak hope to connect with the local library next summer and expand into a larger space to include more readers.
“One mother signed her son up last year saying ‘I don’t think he’s really going to like this,” remembers Oceanak. “But toward August, when they were about to leave on a vacation, her son pitched a fit. He said, ‘I don’t want to miss book club!’”
Here are Oceanak’s tips for a successful Boys-Only Book club:
1. Let the boys pick the books.
At the first meeting, the boys bring ideas and we bring ideas. Lots of book-talking takes place and we keep a running list on a flipchart. Then when all the ideas are on paper, the boys vote. Just the boys. Grown-ups are disenfranchised.
2. Incorporate movement.
After about half an hour of discussion, the boys get squirrely. So we get up and get moving for 15 minutes or so, often with an activity that ties to the book. For example, when we read Hank the Cowdog, we played pin-the-dog-tail-on-Texas. (We also practiced speaking Texan, which was a blast.)
3. Serve snacks.
Grown-up book club meetings feature edibles. Shouldn’t kids’ book club meetings too? We usually have themed snacks. For example, when we read Which Witch, we had a make-your-own Knickerbocker Glory bar. (This British dessert is also mentioned in Harry Potter!) For Hatchet we served trail mix.
4. Rate secretly.
When book discussion wanes and it seems like we’ve all said everything we have to say about the week’s book, we pass out blank slips of paper and pencils and each boy privately jots down a rating between zero and five, five being best. Grown-ups don’t rate. The anonymous rating method allows shyer boys to express their true feelings for a book without fear of peer pressure from the more boisterous members. The unit of measure is selected at the first book discussion meeting and usually pays homage to that book. For example, this summer’s unit was chicken heads, which the boys gleaned from Hank the Cowdog.
5. Keep it fun.
In our minds, the whole point of Boys-Only Book Club is to immerse these boys in the idea that reading can and should be fun. Boys who don’t read or finish the week’s book are still welcome to come. No judgment or punishment.