When I was reading Venzmama's post, it made me think of what I think is a great idea...
What about a "Parent Reading Night" where books from your very own school library are read? I know that some parents read what their kids read (I know I do, just to keep an eye on what my son is up to... I kind of look at it the same way as surfing the net. What kind of thing is he looking for/at?), but this might be a way to get more folks interested. This would also be a good way to acquaint parents with the library proceedures (maybe encourage them to volunteer in the library?). You could eventually tie in the Book Fair (built-in volunteers as well as some extra dough coming in...lol...).
Don't go to Oprah!! I love the lady, love her show, but the books she picks for her "club" are major depressing. Not to say that they aren't good books, just sad. Anyway, our book club has been going for many years so we actually have a time in May where we can bring in our suggestions and then a committee meets to decide on the books for the year. That enables us to have a good variety of books since we are all varied readers. This year we have done "John Adams", "Out of the Dust" (actually a teens book, very good), "Lovely Bones", "The Wonder Years", "The Blind Assasin", "3 Lives of an English Gentleman", and "Galileo's Daughter". Metzy's suggestion of going to the librarian is a good one, also go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and see what their reader groups are doing. You'll need someone to be the mediator and that entails researching the author and book. You can sometimes find reader guides for many books that will help. Remember this goes beyond did you or did you not like the book. For more detailed info email me and I'll see what I can come up with! :cool:
I just have a suggestion for where you might pick the books.
First, try your school librarian. Even though his/her job deals mostly with children, I assure you he/she had books for adults. He/She also deals with teachers and more than likely, some parents. I know our wonderful librarian does.
Second, check with the local city/county librarian. They may already sponsor an Adult Night or adult program. They would definately be able to point you in the right direction.
Third (and I hesitate to add this one but here goes), tune into Oprah. She always has wonderful book suggestions. At least most of the country thinks so.
I am going to put it out there and see who calls if there is enough interest. Where do you pick the books from do you have eny suggestions or ideas to get this running?
We don't do this through PTO but we have a Book Club within our expat community. It meet once a month, we have a group decide on the 12 books per year and someone volunteers to lead the discussion each month. We have light refreshments too. I love it and have read many books that I probably wouldn't have just from seeing the titles. Our group meets in the morning, but many of the teachers have asked to be a part of it, so we are trying out an evening group for just month to see how it fairs.
Having said all that, I think what you offers depends on your community. We have limited access to books in English so this is a blessing for us. Had the PTO in Houston offered it, I may not have been so eager...it would have competed with twenty other things I could do. So...is there a need to do events like this? Are your parents going to be more apt to participate in family activities instead of adult-only activities? :cool:
We were thinking of a possible book group for parents and the possiblity of a playgroup for parents with younger siblings to meet. Anyone do these types of things?
