About Rereading Children's Literature

We're a book club dedicated to rereading children's literature. We gather monthly (around the SF Bay Area and on Zoom) to talk about different books each month, chosen by our members.

Most of the books we discuss are books we read as children - hence, we're rereading them. We focus on novels and chapter books commonly read in elementary, middle, and high school (roughly ages 9-16), but we're also open to picture books, YA novels, and other stories aimed towards young people, published in any era.

By the way, all of us are aged 18 or older. :) Members range widely in age and come from all walks of life, from college student to retired. Some of us work with children on a professional basis, and some of us just like a book club with easy-to-read literary assignments.

Our group was founded on Meetup.com in October 2016. We currently announce events on our Google Group listserv and on Bookclubs.com.


FAQ

We explore how stories have stuck with us over the years and why we still remember them fondly -- or discover why they don't resonate anymore. It's interesting to see which books have held up and which ones have proven to be disenchanting. We like to see what makes books memorable and resonant, even as our perspectives change dramatically as we age.

As adults, it's normal to feel a sense of nostalgia when rereading old favorites. Stories have shaped our values and identity. They inspire people to take on certain careers, move to faraway locales, and contemplate their place in the world. Children's books arguably have an outsized impact on readers.

To quote SF Said in The Guardian: "It's striking how long children's books can last. One explanation may be the way in which they're read. They become part of our emotional autobiographies, acquiring associations and memories, more like music than prose. Another explanation may lie in the fact that children's books are designed with re-reading in mind."

Now that the group has read 150+ books together, we are also open to books that none of the members have read as children, including recently published books.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been meeting on Zoom since March 2020 and moved to a hybrid format in September 2021. Most meetings are accessible via both Zoom and in-person.

In-person meetings are located at cafes, parks, and members' homes in the East Bay and South Bay, in cities including Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward, Fremont, and Santa Clara. We are open to switching locations to meet our members' needs.

Please RSVP for the meeting(s) you wish to attend - this helps us select locations and prep. We're usually easy to spot at the cafes we go to - some of us will have copies of the assigned books in front of us. Feel free to order coffee or food before or during the meeting.

Our meetings usually attract 4-10 people and last 1.5-2 hours. Sometimes we'll have an icebreaker at the beginning of the meeting to introduce everyone. We like a variety of opinions - it's ok to say you didn't like the books! The conversation is open, relaxed, and respectful.

Please read the book before the meeting (unless specified) and bring 3+ thought-provoking questions. (We traditionally ask the member(s) who picked the book(s) to guide the discussion, but we're now asking everyone to bring questions to stir conversation.)

We also occasionally have non-book discussion meetings -- sometimes we'll watch movies or TV on Discord, play games, or go on road trips together.

Check out our Books page to see the full list of books read by the group.

As of September 2023, we've read 100+ novels and 50+ picture books... which is to say we've read a LOT of books already (and have lots more to go!).

Short list of books we've read:

  • Eleanor & Park
  • Little Women
  • Hatchet
  • Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
  • The Outsiders
  • Winnie-the-Pooh
  • Anne of Green Gables
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • The Golden Compass
  • Charlotte's Web
  • Little House on the Prairie

As of 2023, we are trying a new format of having members vote 1-2 times a year for books to read. Members can nominate 2-3 books at each meeting and in-person attendees will vote on their favorites and draft a schedule for upcoming months.

We try to make sure everyone gets a chance to recommend books after they've attended a few meetings. Every member should get a chance to pick at least one book each year.

Of course! We often read two books for each discussion -- you may join in even if you have only read one of the listed books before, or neither. You may have to read with some of the following questions in mind if you haven't encountered the books before: How would a child read this book? What about it would appeal to my younger self?

There's always a few people attending who haven't read the books before.

We welcome everyone interested in children's literature! However, please note that meetings are intended for adults, not children.

Please expect to read 1-2 books (40-100k words) per meeting.

We currently meet every 2nd Sunday of the month at 11AM PST. There are no attendance requirements - you don't have to attend every meeting. We may occasionally reassess the memberships of those who haven't come to a meeting in a long time.

Fill out the form on the Join Us page.