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How to Hold a Virtual Book Club for Teens

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My daughter and her friends decided to start a virtual book club last year. They belong to an online school (before it was cool!) and are scattered all over the country. They are passionate students, a bit geeky, and had a great time. As I overheard their discussions, I was so grateful for beautiful books and good friends.

With Covid-19 and quarantines in effect right now, I thought I would share how they did this, so you could suggest it to your teens. Not only can they extend their education and try something new, but it also gives them a chance to connect with friends, when they otherwise can’t.

This idea is great not just for friend groups, but also for extended families or any other group you’d like to connect with. This could be a beautiful time for your children to be mentored by loved ones, who might also be lonely.

1. Decide what platform to use

If it’s just two of you, Apples’s Facetime app on iphones will work well. If your book club will have more than two, I suggest using Zoom. My kids have been using Zoom in their online school for years. Professionals use it all the time, and it is free if for meetings of 40 minutes or less. (If you need more time than that, you can start another meeting immediately after the first one ends, or upgrade to a paid plan.) Marco Polo, another cellphone app, works as well if you don’t necessarily want to meet in real-time.

2. Decide on a booklist

Below, I will list what books my daughter’s group used. Many of them can be pretty intense either because of their reading level or subject matter. If you are in quarantine and emotions are running a little high, you might want to add in some lighter books. I’ll post a list of those below, too.

Be sure to check out this post for ways to get free or cheap books.

3. Decide on a reading schedule and meeting schedule

Do you want to read the whole book through first, before you talk about it? Read a couple chapters a day and then discuss each day? Do whatever feels doable and make it something to look forward to!

Thought-Provoking books

Funny Books

What books would YOU recommend?

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