Book Clubs and School Counseling

School counseling book clubs in elementary school are some of my favorite twists on a classic small group. I love sharing a good book. It’s rewarding to see students connect with the characters and to observe their reading and comprehension levels firsthand. I also enjoy helping them improve their reading skills. Books clubs provide wonderful opportunities for you to combine social/emotional, academic, and career standards.

Bookmark my post with Confident Counselors to read more.

Here are some ideas, tips, tricks and book ideas.

Consider using picture books as well as chapter books.

Do you ever find yourself going on an Amazon shopping spree after spending time on Instagram? I have a bunch of picture books that I love, but they are just gathering dust on my bookshelf because of recommendations from my fellow counselors.

Instead of reading a chapter book, I sometimes prefer to read a series of books that have a similar topic, are written by the same author, or focus on our group’s goal for the week.

You can also get multiple copies of a picture book to read aloud together as a group.

Possible picture book ideas:

Jory John’s Food Group Book Series

Way Past book series

“Weird” series

Think about time

When using chapter books, it’s important to consider how long it will take to finish the book. I usually plan for several months because of the book’s length, our reading sessions, and the time it takes for us to reflect and connect. I also allocate a few minutes at the beginning of our club to review what we read last time.

If you’re using longer chapter books, you can create a group routine to help manage your time. Check out this example from The Responsive Counselor for ideas.

Consider creating a group routine, like this one from The Responsive Counselor, to help you manage your time if you are using longer chapter books.

During April and May, I use American Girl’s Guide To Starting Middle School for a much shorter book club. I let the students pick a chapter at the start (or end) of each session they want to read and discuss.

Allowing them to focus on what is personally meaningful means I can conduct a much shorter small group than if we read the entire book.

Consider when to meet

Lunch bunches can be the best of time and the hardest. Eating, reading, following along, discussing, wait are you eating? It’s a lot to juggle. Since our book clubs have a reading/academic focus I’ve been able to get buy in from teachers to use other times of the day.

For example, during our intervention time is a great time to pull students who don’t receive a specific Tiered service or are in need of reading interventions.

If you are struggling for time, consider a less formal book club with more of a class feel. In years past I have invited my 4^th and 5^th grade girls to a girls only book club.

We either met in my room or I borrowed a teachers classroom during lunch and read An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong. I read aloud from my copy as they ate and we found times to “turn and talk” to make connections and share opinions. At the end of the book we celebrated by watching the movie.

Ask your librarian about class book sets

I’ve come across several schools with a “book room” full of class sets of books that are just gathering dust. These books are often classics and suitable for my students, but the teachers don’t have the time to use them or have moved on to newer titles.

However, the books are still relevant and ready to be used. I recommend asking your librarian what happens to old class sets at the end of the year and see if you can check them out or become the owner of a few.

Partner with your librarian

I love collaborating with my librarian to run book clubs, especially for Battle of the Books. The students independently read selected books from the Battle of the Books list, and we hold regular group meetings to discuss assigned chapters. These discussions allow students to dive deeper into the story, share their thoughts, and connect with each other.

Once we’ve finished the book, we plan a special after-school celebration to mark the accomplishment. Choosing books from the Battle of the Books list adds an extra layer of excitement, motivating students to participate and engage with the reading.