A reading club can be as small as two family members sharing a chapter or as structured as a school or library group. The common ingredients are dependable adult support, books people can access, time to talk and room for different kinds of participation.
By Million Word Club
Published ; updated .
Decide what the club is for
Write one plain sentence: ‘This club gives readers a relaxed place to discover books and talk about them.’ A clear purpose helps adults reject activities that create unnecessary testing, competition or data collection.
Choose the responsible adult, meeting place, frequency, group size and how families receive information. National Literacy Trust planning guidance recommends deciding the audience, timing, access and practical exclusions before launch. School and library clubs should also use their organisation's existing safeguarding, consent and communication procedures. [2]
Give readers more than one way in
The Department for Education's reading framework recommends wide reading, book recommendations, informal book talk, time to read and sociable reading environments. It also encourages offering books likely to give immediate pleasure, including short reads, high-interest accessible books and varied formats. [3]
A club does not always need one compulsory title. National Literacy Trust guidance explicitly notes that members do not all need to read the same book. They can read around a theme, choose from a shortlist, bring a favourite or explore different books by one author. [2]
- Check that every selected book can actually be borrowed, bought or accessed.
- Include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics and graphic novels where suitable.
- Offer audio or adult read-aloud participation when it helps access.
- Preview material using the setting's age and safeguarding standards.
Use a simple 45-minute meeting
Predictability makes facilitation easier, but the conversation does not need to feel like a lesson. National Literacy Trust and School Library Association guidance describes a library book club as a safe place for discussion without judgement and says it is not a lesson. Adjust timings for age, setting and attention. [2]
- 5 minutes: arrive, browse and settle.
- 10 minutes: an adult or member reads a short passage aloud.
- 15 minutes: discuss reactions, questions and recommendations.
- 10 minutes: draw, map, perform, write or quietly continue reading.
- 5 minutes: choose the next book or theme and explain how to access it.
Ask questions that open the book
Avoid moving around the group demanding a correct answer from everyone. Members can pass, listen, respond in pairs or contribute through a drawing or selected quotation.
- What stayed with you after you stopped reading?
- Which character made a choice you understood—or did not understand?
- What would you ask the author?
- Which page would you show someone who has not read the book?
- What should we try next if someone enjoyed this?
Set safety and privacy boundaries before launch
Keep adult ownership visible. Do not publish attendance, reading levels, child profiles or rankings. Do not open direct messaging between members through an unreviewed platform. Collect only the information the host organisation genuinely needs and follow its retention and consent rules.
Million Word Club can currently support private individual reading records in an invite-only pilot. Teacher administration, verified group membership and shared class challenges are not yet available, so the app should not be presented as a complete club-management system.
For a school or library club, safeguarding and privacy approval belongs to the responsible organisation—not to a reading app.
Keep the club alive after the first month
Rotate small responsibilities, invite recommendations and ask members what should change. The Reading Agency's Chatterbooks guidance puts children's choices at the centre: ask what they want to read and talk about because it is their club. Use attendance and activity feedback privately to improve the club, not to shame people who miss a meeting. [1]
Finish each cycle with a reading-related celebration: a recommendation wall without personal scores, a library visit, a shared read-aloud or a new shortlist chosen by members.
Questions and answers
Does every member need to read the same book?
No. A shared title is one option, but clubs can use themes, shortlists, author studies, read-alouds or member recommendations.
How often should a children's reading club meet?
Weekly or fortnightly can work, but consistency matters more than frequency. Choose a schedule the responsible adults and readers can sustain.
Should the club use a leaderboard?
It is not necessary. Shared recommendations and group milestones can create connection without ranking or exposing individual children's activity.
Can Million Word Club manage a school reading club today?
Not fully. The current pilot supports private individual reading records. Verified group membership, teacher administration and shared challenges remain unavailable.
Sources used in this guide
- Chatterbooks — The Reading Agency
- Running a school library book club — National Literacy Trust and School Library Association
- The reading framework — UK Department for Education