Who says book clubs have to be an adults-only activity? Not Deidre Sonner, founder of the Thoughtful Literacy Book Club, a program designed to encourage kids to read more and get more out of their reading experiences.
A public school teacher also working on her Master’s in Literacy at John Hopkins, Sonner believes that children have unlocked potential waiting to be discovered and wants to help them learn to communicate it. Sonner organizes book club classes, where children have the opportunity to use their skills obtained in one-on-one tutoring and school by discussing and challenging themselves and peers to thought provoking questions. Students learn not only to communicate their own ideas effectively, but to appreciate and internalize others’ opinions as well. From the most advanced to struggling reader, there is a place in each book club for children to grow and thrive.
Classes meet weekly at local libraries or community centers centrally located to students; once a book club is formed Sonner seeks out an appropriate location. Students are grouped by grade level (2nd – 6th grades), with five to eight kids in each class to create an ideal setting for discussion. Book clubs are $20 per class, which includes books and all other materials needed, and run in six-week sessions. If a parents forms their own book club by bringing together five or more students, their child participates free for the session.
For more information about the program and to register, visit the Thoughtful Literacy Book Club website.
