FeedManiac Monday: Cindy Hudson blog tour: Book by Book (Comment Contest)
April 26, 2010 in Book Club Possibility, Maniac Mondays Tags: Book by book, Book Giveaway Contest, Cindy Hudson, mother-daughter book clubs, WOW! blog tour
I am so honored to be a part of WOW! Women On Writing‘s blog tour for Cindy Hudson, who is the author of a wonderful book for parents titled Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs. Cindy has been in a mother-daughter book club with her own children for several years, and she has written a book that draws on her experiences as well as other parents around the country. This is a guide book for any parent who wants to start a group with her child, or for parents who are already involved in book clubs and want new ideas!
Cindy is here with us today to answer some questions about her book. Best of all, we are giving away a FREE copy to one lucky winner who comments on this post by Thursday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. CST. You can tell us about your parent-child book club, ask Cindy a question, make a comment about her interview, or simply say, “I would love to win this book.” Please make sure to have included your e-mail address with your comment, so we know how to contact you!
Okay, on to Cindy:
Margo: Welcome, Cindy, to Read These Books and Use Them. I am so in love with your book about mother-daughter book clubs because you are doing exactly what I preach–using books! What do you think is the most important chapter in your book for mothers to read who are just starting out in the mother-daughter book club world?
Cindy: Book by Book is organized in three sections: one to help moms set up their groups, one with ideas for enriching meetings so clubs can thrive for years, and one for troubleshooting issues. The first ten chapters are a step-by-step process that leads moms through the whole process of getting started, and I think each helps them determine a crucial piece of putting together a reading group. With that said, if moms were going to read just one of those first ten chapters, I would recommend the chapter on deciding who to invite. You’ll see the moms and daughters in your group on a regular basis, possibly for years. It’s worth it to spend some time thinking about who you want those people to be.
Margo: That’s something I never really thought about before, but you are so right. It is important to have a good dynamic in your group to keep it thriving! What are two or three books that stand out in your mind that mothers and daughters particularly liked in your mother-daughter book clubs?
Cindy: Before I answer, I’ll say when everyone likes the book it doesn’t always mean you’ll have a great discussion. Often the best discussions come when the feelings are mixed. That’s when you’ll get diverse opinions that may help the moms and daughters in your group see things from a different perspective, which can be a really great function of book club.
It’s wonderful when you find books that are well-liked and give you a lot to talk about. Here are some I can recommend based on my experience:
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen—As the story flips from Bryce’s point of view to Juli’s, readers see how the same events can be seen in totally different ways by different people experiencing them.
Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce—When some of the greatest art in history comes to the dying town of Manod in England, it helps the citizens find new hope and discover a way to save what they love about their town and their own way of life.
The Hermit Thrush Sings by Susan Butler—This science fiction book about a world that tries to control its citizens and keep them from discovering life outside the city walls is a great entrée to discuss freedom and all it entails.
Margo: Those sound like awesome suggestions. You make a great point about discussions. In my own book club (which is just adults) when one person doesn’t like the book, we always have a heated (and fun!) discussion. What are some literacy or comprehension skills you think girls are working on in these book clubs (and maybe they don’t even realize they are learning!:)?
Cindy: So much of what kids read is required for school, and it’s sometimes difficult for them to make time to read for pleasure. This is especially true as they continue on through high school. Yet reading for fun has been found to be crucial in the continued development of literacy skills. Mother-daughter book clubs help girls continue to read for fun. They may also be more relaxed, talking about books that they won’t have to take a test on.
When moms and daughters read together, or talk about what they read before their group gets together, they can also discuss concepts that the daughter may not have understood in a book. For instance, when my daughter and I read Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, we talked a lot about World War I and discrimination against German immigrants experienced at the time. We also talked about why people may have acted the way they did, and the book helped her see this period in history from different angles. She learned new words and phrases, like “proving up” on a land claim; and she even learned how to make a spice cake from a recipe in the book.
Margo: What an awesome experience for you and your daughter! Thank you, Cindy, for stopping by and telling us about your book. Readers, don’t forget if you want the chance to win a copy of Book by Book, leave a comment below.
April 26th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Life is so crazy between school, sports, activities…did you find it difficult to find a time everyone could agree on to meet? Also do you ever stop meeting, maybe for the month of December or the summer months?
April 26th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Yes, finding a time to schedule in book club can be a challenge. In both of my clubs, we usually don’t meet during December, and we try to pick once to get together during the summer.
For regular meetings, it helps if you have a certain night always set aside, like the first Monday of the month or the third Thursday. That way everyone can put it on their schedules well in advance and schedule around book club.
Of course, there are always unforeseen events, so you have to decide how many people can have a conflict before you reschedule a meeting. That depends a lot on how big your group is. Small groups may need everyone there every time, and then work to reschedule when someone can’t make it. Large groups may be able to accommodate one or two or more mother-daughter pairs dropping out of a single meeting.
The key is being flexible. Usually, when people want to work together, they can make it happen.
April 26th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Beautiful Book!! I have a 7 Year Old daughter and this would truly help us create a special bonding experience!! We’d LOVE to win this book; it would truly make our days special!!
Thank you,
Rita
April 26th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Jodi, what a great question–I never thought to ask that. Cindy–thanks for your quick response. Rita, this is an AWESOME resource for children and their parents. Good luck!
April 26th, 2010 at 9:04 am
As a mother, I often don’t think about the need for pleasure reading. My daughter loves to read and her enthusiasm for books is infectious. I’d love to go along for the ride with her as she embarks on a lifetime of reading.
Thanks for sharing your creative solution. I look forward to reading your book and trying some of the suggestions. (Especially how to pick the group!)
Elizabeth
April 26th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Hi Margo! Your blog is looking great. Sorry I don’t stop by more often, but this post really caught my eye. Thank goodness for FB.
And Cindy, Wow! What a fantastic idea. My daughter (10–Margo, I know, hard to believe, right?) has not latched on to reading for pleasure the way I would have hoped. She likes math, and I say, more power to her! ‘Cause, well, I’m a writer, and I can’t do math.
Anyway, she hates AR in school. She quickly saw the flaw by observing her peers reading lots of easy books just to accumulate the points needed to meet their goal. It was not fun for her at all. So, this last quarter, I said, okay, you can skip it. Within a month, she told me that reading was now her favorite subject! Couple that with a lucky find at the book fair (The Magic Half by Annie Barrows), and we seem to have turned a corner.
We are looking forward to spending this summer discovering new voices at the library. I’ve been thinking of starting a book club in my area (very rural and spread out, so a little challenging), and I am very intrigued by this idea at this time. If I don’t win your book, I will find it!
Thanks for your time.
Margo, miss you!!!
Candace
April 26th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Hi Margo! Your blog is looking great. Sorry I don’t stop by more often, but this post really caught my eye. Thank goodness for FB.
And Cindy, Wow! What a fantastic idea. My daughter (10–Margo, I know, hard to believe, right?) has not latched on to reading for pleasure the way I would have hoped. She likes math, and I say, more power to her! ‘Cause, well, I’m a writer, and I can’t do math.
Anyway, she hates AR in school. She quickly saw the flaw by observing her peers reading lots of easy books just to accumulate the points needed to meet their goal. It was not fun for her at all. So, this last quarter, I said, okay, you can skip it. Within a month, she told me that reading was now her favorite subject! Couple that with a lucky find at the book fair (The Magic Half by Annie Barrows), and we seem to have turned a corner.
We are looking forward to spending this summer discovering new voices at the library. I’ve been thinking of starting a book club in my area (rural and spread out, so a little challenging), but I love this idea even more. If I don’t win your book, I will find it!
Thanks for your time.
Margo, miss you!!!
Candace
April 26th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Thanks Margo, for hosting this blog tour! What a great interview. I’d like to win the book because it sounds like it would have helpful ideas even for my adult book club. Cindy what a wonderful idea you had for a book. Write on!
April 26th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Cindy:
Obviously, each case varies, but is there a certain age minimum you’d suggest for children when starting a club? How young is too young to get quality interaction and fun?
Thanks!
Sean
April 26th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Great idea for a book. Interested in starting a book club. Thanks! Love your blog, Margo.
Karen
April 26th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Thanks to everyone for your comments and questions. Cindy will be answering, so check back tomorrow for answers to your burning questions.
April 26th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Sean -
You’re right, age can vary on when to get started. If there’s an ideal age it’s nine, when girls are able to read independently and formulate their thoughts for discussion more easily. But you can start earlier. The advantage is you can teach girls how to talk about something they read or was read to them. You may also want to include other activities in meetings, like making a bookmark or some other book-related craft. And be sure to keep the meeting active.
As for starting later, as long as your daughter and others want to get going, it’s never too late to start reading together. Even adult mothers and daughters can benefit from being in a reading group with each other.
April 26th, 2010 at 11:32 am
I’m curious your thoughts about families with a boy and a girl. Would you do a book club just for your daughter or would you do one for both kids? I’d love to read a copy of Book By Book!
Thanks for sharing a great interview!
ltivey@embarqmail.com
lara@growupwithbooks.com
April 26th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Cindy, the book sounds fabulous! The love of reading is a wonderful bond which my 15-year-old daughter and I happen to share. For years, I would “pre-read” books to help shield her from material she might not be ready for but could definitely read. We had many discussions about books this way. Then, she got faster and faster, and I could not keep up. Now, she can read me under the table (so to speak), and she has given me several suggestions that I have read and then discussed with her. She will also (occasionally) take my suggestions. (The really wonderful part is that she shields herself from books that might still be too “adult” for her. In fact, sometimes she tries to shield me! Recently, after finishing a YA novel recently, she said, “Mom, I’m not sure if you will like the way sex is talked about in this book, but you still might like the story.”)
A mother-daughter book club could be a fascinating experience for any age group. It must be very interesting to see how perspectives change as people mature and grow–and I’m not just talking about the girls!
April 26th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
You’re right on with your thoughts about perspectives changing Jamie. My experience with my daughters is similar to yours. I’m glad we read things together that cover mature subjects, because they ask me questions about what they read. Then we can talk about the choices a character makes and the consequences of those choices.
I don’t want my girls to be blind to situations they may face, because it seems they may be more likely to do something they’ll regret if they have no frame of reference. But I also think there’s great value in continuing to read books that are fun and interesting without pushing boundaries.
April 26th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Thanks for a chance to win this book. I have a 6yo daughter and we have been discussing starting a mother daughter book club – this book would be perfect to get us started.
Thanks again!!
April 26th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I would be thrilled to have this book. I believe this project is just what I needed. I as reach out to builder a stronger relationship with my daughter. I can give her Trust and Reassurance, The Tools I believe every little girl is worthy of Confidence in Herself as I include passages of what I have come to the knowleges of what I learned to come to have a Love for Reading!
April 27th, 2010 at 7:39 am
This is a great idea for mother-daughter bonding. And I enjoyed the interbiew immensely. Thank you both.
April 27th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Uh – that is I enjoyed the INTERVIEW immensely. Does anyone else’s fingers slip and slide?
April 27th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Yes, Caron, my fingers also seem to have a mind of their own sometimes. I’m glad you enjoyed the interview. And as many of you have noted, mother-daughter book clubs are a great way to bond with your daughter. There are not many times in our family lives we get the opportunity to laugh together, cry at the same time, learn new things and talk about what we believe. Reading books together regularly opens up those opportunities.
April 27th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Thank you both for the interview: great questions and very inspiring answers. Books are reliable bridges connecting people and the effects for human relations are long-lasting. My mother and I, we used to talk very often about our favorite and new discovered authors and this opened for ever my the eyes and the heart for books.
My question is if do you have into your books specific examples of cases when a discussion around a book could be part of a solution regarding communication and behavior problems between mother and daughter and even some social adaptability problems of the daughter? Do you have a couple of titles to recommend for such situations?
Thank you.
April 27th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Hi Margo and Cindy,
Great interview. The idea of a mother/daughter book club is a solid one. Cindy’s suggestion about making sure to include the right people in the group is so true.
Good luck with your book.
Donna
April 28th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Hi Ana -
You’re right on track thinking that reading books together can help you address issues in your lives. There’s safety in talking about a character’s life, and looking at how a character is dealing with certain issues. You and your daughter both may be able to more easily express what you’re thinking when you’re not emotionally caught up in your own situation.
You don’t mention how old your daughter is, but I have a few suggestions for books you may want to check out. For young teens, The Mother-Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick deals with all sorts of mother-daughter issues throughout the three books already published. There’s a fourth due this year. There are four daughters and four mothers, and each of them works out different issues. For instance, one of the moms contemplates getting remarried after her husband dies, and it creates a rift with her daughter. Other titles include The Curse of Addy McMahon by Katie Davis, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb and Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson.
For older girls you may want to check out Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson, North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley,Girlwood by Claire Dean, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
April 28th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Thank you so much, Cindy, and all the commenters, too. What a great discussion! I am thrilled to have this blog tour on here. Remember, a winner will be chosen tomorrow night and announced on Friday. Thanks! Margo
April 30th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Thanks to everyone for all the great comments. Please visit http://motherdaughterbookclub.com to keep up with all the news for mother-daughter reading groups.
April 30th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Thanks, Cindy, for answering all our questions. The winner of the book is Lara Ivey! Congratulations, Lara!