How It Began

Garrett wanted a club.

I'm guessing he got the idea of forming a club from one of the myriad movies or TV shows he watches. Whatever it was, he was set on creating a club. I guess I was a little bit worried about what this club would entail and who would be members, so I decided to step in.

"What about a book club?" I asked him. He was skeptical. He thought a movie club would be a lot more fun. But, I insisted. I had come across a blog that explained how to start a book club for boys. It suggested a book club would help boys with literacy by making reading fun and engaging. I was intrigued. I pushed the idea until Garrett acquiesced. I promised he would love it.

I have to admit that I was a little bit leery about adding another activity to my plate. After all, I was Primary President and I was working part time and I did have a barely one-year-old toddler. But, I justified adding another activity because I knew this would be the only time in Garrett's life when he would actually want me to help him form a club. If I waited a year or two, I knew it wouldn't happen.

So, Garrett and I sat down and made a list of boys he wanted to be in his club. I followed the blog I read's advice in keeping the number small enough that all the boys could fit around my dining room table. I outlined a rough plan for what we would do at meetings, I set a kick-off meeting date, and then I started sending emails and making phone calls.

Most of the moms I called were excited and immediately wanted to join. But, some moms either didn't get back to me or weren't interested. I wasn't worried. I was happy to keep the numbers small.

In preparing for the kick-off meeting, I followed a lot of the blog's advice. I decided to ask the boys to pay dues each month. The dues would pay for each boy to have his own copy of the book and would pay for any costs associated with the club's activities. I didn't want the dues to be too expensive and I didn't want to be making any money off the club, so I set the dues to $8 a month.

I agreed with the blog that it was important for each boy to have his own copy of the book. If I would have left it up to the boys to buy their own books or get their books at the library, many of the boys may not have read the book in time or may have not gotten a copy of the book at all.

I also decided that I would be in charge of the club meetings every month instead of rotating with the mothers of the other boys in Garrett's club. I wanted it to stay Garrett's club, so I felt like it was my responsibility to plan and host the club's activities. I also didn't want the club's activities to become a competition among the mothers. I also wanted the club meetings to meet consistently on a certain day of the month. I chose the second Thursday of each month at 4:30 to be the club meeting day and time.

In keeping with the club theme, I decided to allow the boys to vote on the books they would read. I would choose three contenders and the book with the most votes would be the one we would read the next month. Garrett would be the president of the club, but he could appoint a vice-president each month to help him in his presidential duties. I decided this leadership would help the boys transition into their own club as they got older and wanted to discuss books without me helping them. (Yes, I expect the club to last into their teen years and beyond. I know it's a lofty dream.)

Finally, I decided to give the club a cohesive look. I designed a graphic that would serve as the club's logo. I put it on the kick-off meeting slide show, the sign-up sheet, the rules, and the bookmarks. This was just another way that I kept Garrett's ownership of the club.

For the kick-off meeting the moms came with their boys to learn about what we would do at club meetings. I also provided the first book the boys would read (The Chocolate Touch). They would then vote on the book for the next month's meeting. I collected the first month's dues, handed out the books, gathered contact information, and gave the date of the first meeting.

The book club was launched.

Garrett had his club.

I had a new way to get Garrett to read.

A year later, I wouldn't change a thing.