We all know that reading is a great solo activity. There are many ways to make reading a communal experience as well, whether that community be a group of students, your family, or some fellow reader friends. Exploring books with others is an excellent way to deepen relationships, create lasting memories, and engage with literature in a richer sense. Below are a few suggestions for creating group activities around exploring books. I invite you to try a few this summer.
- Reading Aloud
Why should reading aloud end after early childhood? We don’t suddenly stop finding pleasure in being read to or in giving voice to a fictional world. The great thing about middle grade fiction is that it has something to offer everyone, meaning the whole family can enjoy a middle grade read aloud session before bed. Teachers can create common ground and bonding in their classrooms by reading sections of a novel out loud to their students or letting their students take turns reading aloud. Whoever the readers are in your life, get creative and get everyone involved—you’d be surprised how much fun you all have.
(P.S. – listening to an audiobook together is another great option––especially for family car rides!)
2. Bringing Books to Life
One of my favorite ways to get everyone engaged with a book is to bring an element from the book to life. Most authors have activities on their website, and I am no exception. The activity ideas I’ve created for my book Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe are an example of what I mean by bringing a book to life and most of these activities can be used with any middle grade book you are reading, including these great books by From the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade authors. You can find a link to those books here. You can do a group scavenger hunt to find items mentioned in the story in the real world, research the setting of a book together to make the fictional world come alive, and create a playlist of songs that relate to the chapters in the book. You can find more activities here.
3. Literary Inspiration
In a similar vein, there are many ways to use a book as a springboard for your own creative project. You can work individually or as a group to create a blackout poem from one or more pages of the book you are reading and stage a performance of your poetry for the group. You can imagine what happens after the story ends, write a new chapter that begins after the last chapter of the book, and share your chapters with your group. You can work with your group to act out your favorite scenes in the book you are reading. You can also create a book menu, looking up and making recipes that the characters in your book might eat during the story.
4. Bookish Conversations
Finally, get chatting! Take advantage of the discussion questions at the end of the latest novel you’ve read. Get curious with some friends. Verbally dissecting literature is a great way to build critical thinking skills. When discussing a book, keep in mind the themes, characters’ motivations, setting, and especially anything that really got you thinking or feeling.
Reading is a way to bring loved ones as well as new friends together. Exploring books together creates excellent opportunities for communal learning. I hope you’ll be inspired to read aloud, get creative, and have some great conversations.
Want some more ideas? You can check out the books and links below.
“The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction”
“Talking Texts: A Teachers’ Guide to Book Clubs Across the Curriculum“
“Getting Started: How to Start a Book Club”
“Choosing Books for Book Club Reading”
“The Importance of Reader Response”
James Ponti’s T.O.A.S.T series follows Florian, the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial, and his best friend Margaret. Together, they use TOAST – Theory of All Small Things – to solve mysteries both small (where to sit on the first day of school) and big (solving crimes that stump the FBI).
Publishers Weekly describes Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s Book Scavenger series as ‘full of heart and replete with challenging ciphers for readers to decode, [this] debut is a literary cousin to classic puzzlers like The Westing Game.’ Emily and her best friend James are fans of the game Book Scavenger, an online sensation created by Emily’s literary idol Garrison Griswold, where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are reveled through puzzles.
Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series is pure kooky Willy Wonka-like fun. When Kyle learns that the world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he’s determined to be there. But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library—it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route.