5 Tips on Running a High School Book Club

This coming September I will be once again launching the Library's book club. This will be the fifth year the book club has been in place at Glenthorne and every year gets more and more fun and interesting.


Over the past few years I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to book clubs. Nothing is every perfect and I'm still learning every day. Here are the some things I've learned that has made running a high school book club fun and exciting.


1. Food

This might seem like an obvious choice but it works every time. When I started the book club, I had a "Brownies & Books" day in the library that was open to both students and staff.


Along with the homemade brownies, I had book displays up featuring several different genres and authors. Students didn't have to sign up for the book club to take part but it was a good way to get them into the library, introduce myself and pitch the book club and what it was all about.


Having snacks at our weekly book club has also been popular, if the students know there is going to be snacks they are more likely to come and take part. It's a universal truth of libraries and teens.


2. Give Students Control

This can be tough one, especially if you're just starting out and don't know the students all that well. My approach was to start a Student Library Assistant program before launching the book club so I was able to bring in reliable, mature students who were great at helping to run a book club. Students respond amazingly to trust and responsibility.

One example is letting students choose a name for their club. In the first year I ran our book club, one student shouted out that they should be called The Booklings. I loved it, the students loved it and the name stuck. In fact, I still call the club The Booklings because I think it's such a cool name.

Another example is to put a student in charge of coming up with book related activities, fun things that are literary related that you can do before, after or during the club. Of course, letting students choose the books they read is a must.

3. Use Technology



Again, this might not be possible for everyone. Some schools don't allow social media use and some don't have the ability to use it because of budgetary reasons. When I started the book club, I Skyped with author Marcus Sedgwick for a small fee and never looked back. Most of the Skypes I do with authors are free and are an amazing way to connect students with the authors they love.


When an author's Skype melted down and she couldn't connect, one of the students suggested we talk to them through Twitter. In that accident, #booklingschat was born. You can find out more about #booklingschat here.


I also use programs like Canva to let the students create bookmarks, book posters, book business cards and all kinds of things. You can see an example of the bookmarks here.


4. Mix it Up

In my experience, students often come to events like book club for the social aspect. They might not be completely there just to rave about their love of literature, and that's fine. This is why I often allow students to read their own books and report back on them rather than reading the exact same book.


That said, I do run a tutor-time (homeroom) book club where thirty students are all reading the same book (that they voted on) every week before school starts. I then run the regular Booklings book club during lunch on Tuesdays where we try different things.


I have our book club members, always known as The Booklings, run events like Pop-Up Library, Poem in Your Pocket Day and our Comic-Con. This is definitely not standard book club activities but they give your students a chance to try new things, take control over the library space in a positive way and have fun.


5. Reach Out

I talked before about inviting both students and staff to book club related events. I can't stress enough how important this has been to creating a successful book club. Whenever The Booklings run a program like Comic-Con, Poem in Your Pocket Day or the Pop-Up Library, I always invite staff to the events. We have two staff briefings a week and a weekly staff bulletin which are great ways to reach staff. Students love seeing their teachers taking part in activities outside of the classroom, having them in the library engaging in positive, literary events is an amazing way to shed a different light on the teachers they look up to.


I also promote the book club like crazy. I attend whole school assemblies, year group assemblies, tutor time visits, library lessons with the English department, displays and signage around the school. I also use the power of The Booklings to promote the book club to their fellow students.

Lastly, I was very happy to have partnered with a book club from a nearby school. At the end of the last school year, we took a trip together to the local public library for the unveiling of the Carnegie Book Award. We followed that with a trip to Waterstones book shop for a great time browsing the shelves. In the coming year we're going to connect online to share our love of literature and visit each other's schools to bring the two book clubs together.