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Most of us know that bright children frequently read books written for adults, but it’s less commonly recognized that bright adults frequently read books written for children.  (Harry Potter, anyone?)  No matter how old or how young we are, what unites us as readers is that deep feeling of satisfaction that comes with turning the last page and thinking “Now that was a good book.”  

T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, A Wrinkle in Time, Harriet the Spy, and  The Lord of the Rings  are only a few of the books that have been read by adults and children with equal delight, and have been claimed by both groups as favorites.  The element that these books all share are the magic created by a writer who placed highly original characters in a world that was constructed by considering the story, not the age of its readers, nor any underlying didacticism. 

The people we hope to have in our new book group are readers who can sink into a children’s book with pleasure and want to talk about it in a community of like-minded bibliophiles, whether they be eight or eighty, whether they live in Peoria or Phnom Penh.  Our goal is to host an ongoing conversation in which people from all over the world, adults and children, can unite over books that they all love and want to discuss online. 

The books that are featured will fall into the range of readers between the ages of eight and twelve and will be set in countries all around the world.  We hope  that the magic of literature will help to bring together the inhabitants of far-flung continents, in the same way that the book discussions will bring together people of different generations and different cultures. 

This is a book group that exists in whatever timeframe you choose—send your responses  while you’re still in your pajamas,  while you’re eating lunch, or when you should be doing your homework.  Send your comments and respond to other readers whenever you like—it’s that easy.  If you don’t like the book that’s been chosen, let us know.  If it reminds you of others that you’ve read, tell us.  If you don’t like the questions that have been posed about the book, write about the points that are meaningful to you.  Suggest titles for future discussion. Argue, discover a new point of view, chat about books—for many of us there’s nothing better than that.  Opening a book opens a new world to explore, and a good book makes that world a part of its reader forever.  Let’s discover new worlds together through the magic of books.   

Long ago, back in the Dark Ages of bookselling when life was more leisurely and bookstores had enough time to provide a plethora of programs for readers, I worked in a bookstore that had a monthly Story Hour for little children. It was successful and a good time was had by all, but then some of our audience outgrew the stories and asked for something more substantial than picture books.

That request grew into a read-aloud hour for school-age listeners, a club for young writers, and a  book group for young readers, ranging in age from eight to twelve years old. This cluster of programs became popular with our book store staff as well as with our young customers, and booksellers vied for the chance to facilitate these monthly meetings, with the book group becoming the most popular offering for both the presenters and the participants.

We were lucky. The members of our book group came to us as an off shoot of another well-established program. They were already devoted readers by the time we launched a book group, they were accustomed to coming to our events, and they felt comfortable in the store and with the staff. It was the ideal climate for a flourishing book group.

Ten years later, that climate has changed for everyone. Families maintain much more rigorous schedules than in the past, bookstores have been forced to become more competitive, and more and more children are abandoning the printed word. And yet book groups are more popular than ever in the adult reading world. Certainly they could be for children as well.

Do you belong to a book group? Do your children? Have you begun a book group for children? Do you wish you could but are unsure of how to go about it? Let us know. In addition to providing an online book group where children and adults can discuss books that they love, PaperTigers also would love to provide a spot where experienced book group participants give pointers to those who are beginning to explore the pleasures of reading and chatting with others of like mind.

How did your group begin? What do you read? How do you keep your discussions lively and your meetings well-attended? What advice do you have for people who are beginning their own groups? Please let us know and help us spread the joy of reading

Now that I have a book group guide together, I'm working on having setting up more book groups. I put an online one up on belief.net but considering how hard it is to find on the site, I can't imagine that I'll get the requisite 12 people to sign up.

The group that has the most potential to happen is the local one I'll set up through the Novel Experience. So that's my next job: to make a sign for the checkout there.

I joined a book group this fall. I worry sometimes that I am not reading "grown-up" books very much anymore. The theme of the reading list is "Faith in Literature." Overall I have enjoyed the selections. It was terrific to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. I might have never read The Kite Runner (actually, I listened to it- excellent!) without this motivation. I thought two of the selections perfectly mediocre (The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Blessings) but I thought Pope Joan was a terrific piece of historical fiction.

Last fall I was fortunate to meet author Phil Bildner while subbing at a school library. Talking to him about "good books" he commented that The Kite Runner works as a YA books in many ways. His comment has made me reflect on this list and having just finished Pope Joan, it occurred to me that it has YA aspects too. Of course, To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic on all levels but is also on high school reading lists. I don't think it is a coincidence that the reads I have found the most rewarding from the list also work in the YA category.

It is a real pleasure to discuss books. It has been a great experience to meet new people who, like my childlitosphere friends, share a love of reading. Like most book lists, I find my mind has been stretched and strengthened by trying new titles I would not ordinarily read. Even the books that did not hit a homerun with me have made me reflect on what I think a good book is.

So I have to say I am looking forward to the book discussion group being formed by Michele at Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone. The discussion of Susan Cooper's King of Shadows will commence February 6.