Book Club - The First Chapter

This idea had been brewing in my mind for a while. Every time I saw children huddled around a mobile phone at a party—or worse, each child glued to their own phone—I wondered, how am I to raise my children screen-free? How are they supposed to interact with other children? And what are they supposed to talk about when most conversations (if they happen at all) revolve around what they’ve been doing on their phones? Yes, my child is an avid reader, but is that enough? Isn't it just as important to build a community where children can engage in meaningful conversations, share ideas, and connect beyond their screens?

You see, necessity maybe the mother of all inventions, but a mother’s necessity is the grandmother of inventions! Yet, I didn’t think anyone would go on board with me on this idea—until I bumped into this crazy friend of mine. You know, the friend who has your back no matter what. Yes, that kind. Those are hard to come by. The way I see reading as an alternative to screens, she sees outdoor sports as one. She isn’t into reading, and I’m not into sports—so we complemented each other perfectly.

One fine day, I texted the ladies’ group of the society—I wanted to start two book clubs, one for children and one for adults. There was zero response for the adults’ book club, but interestingly, the same adults who weren’t into reading themselves really wanted their children to develop the habit. We fixed a time to meet, and about six children showed up, unsure of what they were attending or why they were there.

The idea was simple: meet once a week, bring a book and talk about it. Say whatever you want about that book—who the author is, whether it has illustrations and who the illustrator is, what the story is about, something you liked, something you disliked—anything. It’s a book club, not a class. I’m not a teacher. There are no compulsions. You can come even if you haven’t read anything—maybe you’re planning to pick up a book, maybe you’re looking for inspiration, or maybe you just want a book recommendation. Maybe you just want to listen to what others are reading. Just come. I called myself a moderator—just someone who says, “You go next!”

This simple idea gathered momentum. We added some rules—listen when someone is speaking, respect the books, etc. One kid suggested we give the club a name. So we gathered suggestions from the children, voted, and chose "The Page Turners." The children beamed, calling themselves that.

The littlest ones, aged 4-6, just wouldn’t open their mouths. So I had to prompt them—if the book was about an elephant, I’d ask if it was about an ant or have them show me their favourite illustration from the book, and so on. Some parents shared that, although they wanted their children to read, they had no idea what kinds of books to buy. Many just had a couple of moral storybooks and nothing more. So, I created a WhatsApp group where I shared book recommendations based on age, reading ability, and interests. I also discussed ways to arrange a bookshelf to make it more inviting for children and, most importantly, encouraged parents to read to their children. Because, honestly, children reading books is not at all just about children reading books. It is a shelter. A safe and cozy haven. A place of warmth and memories, of cuddles and giggles, of imagination, magic, and wonder. A space for hundreds of questions and thousands of post-reading, dinner-time discussions about characters, plots, illustrations, and how you wished the book hadn't ended at all. And it is up to parents, grandparents, and guardians to make sure that children feel this way about books and reading.

My goal wasn’t to get children to read books; my goal was to make children fall in love with reading.

Little did I know that what started as a small gathering would soon turn into something much bigger. The number of book club members nearly doubled, prompting us to create two batches. We had to set aside 10 minutes after each meeting for book exchanges and another half-hour for post-meeting discussions on topics that came up—conversations that soon spanned topics as diverse as World War II, Anne Frank, Savitribai Phule, generational literacy and even amphibians. I was in awe of the children’s compassion, empathy, understanding, insight, fearlessness, and their insatiable curiosity. There is so much to learn from children. I also started having them take turns as moderators. The book club could now run independently. Reading was no longer just about books; it became a path to confidence, focus, empathy, and the art of listening. It also became a bridge between parents and children, as many had started reading to their little ones, creating moments of warmth, connection, and shared imagination.

Fast forward one year—the two-year-old who used to shyly stand next to her big sister, spoke at length about her favourite book today. The children who once wouldn’t speak now have to be reminded not to narrate the entire book. The child who had said he wasn’t interested in books at all and was attending only because his mother made him—he’s now writing books! In fact, he just presented a biography he had written at one of our meetings. One parent thanked me, saying their children now go straight to books the moment they return from school rather than switching on the television. The children who used to bring the same moral storybooks now have an expanding collection. The local library is planning to get more children’s books because they now have a growing young crowd.

And my favourite part? Since ours is a society of families that frequently relocate, every child has promised me that wherever life takes them, they will plant the seeds of a book club there, just as we did here.

Trust me, if you're a parent, start a book club for your children—you'll be amazed at how rewarding it is to watch them connect, grow, and thrive through those pages.