Is your child struggling with reading: treating it as a school subject that has to be gotten through rather than enjoyed? Or conversely, does he or she love to read? Either way, Mayra Calvani’s book presents a wonderful idea for encouraging literacy and camaraderie at the same time. It’s a fantastic antidote to the computer generation. How to Turn Your Book Club into a Spectacular Event is a simple, easy to use manual that describes, step-by-step, how to start a book club, find a catchy name, recruit members, hold meetings, discuss books, record results, choose books, and even choose a funky pen. Calvani has a thorough understanding of teens, and the book is written in catchy, enticing language that will make teens excited about the prospect of a book club. If you’re a teen’s parent, you’ve got to be excited about the prospect of your teens holding a meeting to talk about books with their friends, and if it means you’ve got to front up for the carrot sticks, so be it.
The book is definitely geared more towards girls than boys, with the use of the words "hostess," and book lists that are slightly skewed towards the feminine. That doesn’t mean it can’t be used by bookish boys, but it’s hard to picture the reticent teen boy chatting about anything other than the latest Xbox Kill-em-up game – though maybe that’s just my teen boy (and he reads a lot – mostly kill-em-up action novels that seem to follow the same plot as the Xbox games). Girls on the other hand, love to talk and work through things verbally (maybe that’s just my girl…) and a book club is absolutely perfect. The way in which Calvani has laid it out, makes the whole thing seem so fresh, cool, and fun, with stylish, reasonably healthy food suggestions (food for thought), and even dressing tips (“comfortable and chic”) that it’s hard to imagine a teen gal getting this book and not wanted to start a book club.
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