A few months ago, Poppy and I discussed the idea of starting a mother-daughter book club with some of her friends. We pulled a small group together, and we’re having our first meeting tomorrow evening. We’re still working out exactly how the group will work — that’s what we’re meeting about tomorrow — but we have decided on the first book. We’re going to read “Serafina and the Black Cloak” by Robert Beatty. It’s set at the Biltmore Estate, which is a nearby tourist attraction. I always thought it would be a great setting for a mystery novel, and I’m a bit jealous that Mr. Beatty got around to writing one before I did. (Here’s the “Serafina” discussion guide from the author’s web site.)

Here’s a partial list of the books I’ve come up with so far, along with links to discussion guides and lesson plans:

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Multnoma County Public Library
Shmoop.com
WebEnglishTeacher.com
Scholastic

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Jacqueline Kelly
MacMillan
Multnoma
Nicole Politti

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Study guide from the author.
Readers’ guide from Cheryl Passavanti and Marshall George of Albert Leonard Middle School.

My Life with Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall
BookRags.com study guide.
A study guide with an unknown origin.

My goal for the book club is to read titles that might prompt some deeper discussion with the girls on social topics, etc. My plan — which might not end up being what we do at all, seeing as our organizational meeting isn’t happening until tomorrow — is for the moms to come up with a few titles for the girls to choose between every few months so we don’t end up reading “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” every time. Not that there’s anything wrong with those books, but Poppy’s already read them all 578 times, and I was hoping this would encourage her to expand her literary horizons somewhat.

Are you in a book club? How is it run?