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About

About

Book Club Bunch began in 2017 in a downstairs corner of Waterstones on the King’s Road.

It was me, one actor, and a handful of stressed-out little exam boys, my son included.  My desire was to create a safe, non-assessed space where these children could enjoy the pure pleasure of listening to a story beautifully read aloud and the freedom to talk about it in any way they liked.  It was an antidote to exam pressure.  It was a place for them to let off steam, be entertained, be challenged, and be themselves.  Naturally, although the principal objective of the book club was emotional wellbeing, it quickly became a hive of development and stealth learning.

When words are read aloud they create worlds that take up residence in a child’s imagination.  Children who may struggle to read on their own can access more exciting stories and benefit from understanding more complex words and ideas.  They can pull themselves up out of a place of struggle and excel.  When they come to read independently there is a familiarity with sentence structure, vocabulary, the rhythm of a story.  They read better. And when they read better they want to read more.

In our book club discussions, which take place after the readings, we guide children in figuring out meaning for themselves and cross-referencing their knowledge, showing them that they can think independently.  In opening out literary devices, we examine the power of language to affect reader response.  And who doesn’t want that superpower? Although there is structure to the discussions, there is also the expectation that we will go off-piste, into a unique area that interests the group.  We may link to current affairs or something happening in one of their lives.  The club, after all, belongs to the children.

In these years we have scaled to include online clubs, school clubs, and our first vodcast, and we have honed the set up and structure.  Our greatest asset, the book club leaders, are the very best we can find.  They are both professional actors, with the energy and skill to bring literature to life for children, and English scholars and tutors who live close to the written word day by day. Above all, they care passionately about children having the best chance in life through developing a love of reading.

The pandemic has evidently widened the learning gap between the most privileged and the poorest of children.  Our greatest mission now is to bring this unique way of learning, this learning through pleasure, to all our children.

Thank you for stopping by. Won’t you stay for a story?

Melissa

Get in touch

Book Club was brilliant!

 

Victoria, School Head

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2018-05-17T09:38:19+01:00

Victoria, School Head

Book Club was brilliant!  
You are the answer to a mother's prayer!

Lorena, Santiago's mother

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2021-02-09T14:03:08+00:00

Lorena, Santiago's mother

You are the answer to a mother's prayer!
I always look forward to Tuesday because it's the day I have book club.  The books are exciting and the readers are fun.  I'm very pleased we could carry on even in lockdown

Charlie, 10

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2021-02-08T15:46:04+00:00

Charlie, 10

I always look forward to Tuesday because it's the day I have book club.  The books are exciting and the readers are fun.  I'm very pleased we could carry on even in lockdown
My son started with Book Club Bunch two years ago and I noticed how much his reading skills improved.  From his class of 28 children only he and two others have reached the highest level.  I will always be grateful to have my son in this club and I highly recommend it.

Charlie's mother

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2021-02-08T15:49:36+00:00

Charlie's mother

My son started with Book Club Bunch two years ago and I noticed how much his reading skills improved.  From his class of 28 children only he and two others have reached the highest level.  I will always be grateful to have my son in this club and I highly recommend it.

The children clearly loved every minute of it and huge congratulations and thanks to you all on such a wonderful opportunity for the children. Lucky kids!


Katy, School Foundation Liaison

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2021-02-09T09:52:39+00:00

Katy, School Foundation Liaison

The children clearly loved every minute of it and huge congratulations and thanks to you all on such a wonderful opportunity for the children. Lucky kids!
The session was amazing and the children were gripped.  Everyone on the committee wants a book club for their own kids.

Victoria, School Foundation Chair

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2018-02-18T10:06:43+00:00

Victoria, School Foundation Chair

The session was amazing and the children were gripped.  Everyone on the committee wants a book club for their own kids.
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