Welcome to another year of Girl & Grown-up Book Club! We’ve selected books that are well-written, age-appropriate, and thematically connected to the Girls Leadership mission to equip girls with the skills to exercise the power of their voice. If you’re not already a member, we hope you’ll join us. Book Club is free, and is a fun way to connect with your girl and your community by experiencing page-turning stories involving characters who face challenges, stand up for themselves, and grow in a variety of ways.
Discussing scenarios through fictional characters is a great way to launch meaningful conversations with your girl. Talking about a book often feels safer than talking about real life. We all make mistakes, disappoint friends, and learn valuable lessons about self-compassion or listening to our inner voice along the way. Conversations about this year’s books are a good opportunity to discuss experiences that you and your girl have had, including mistakes made and lessons learned.
Girls from one of our clubs in Canada decided to throw a welcome party for newly-arrived Syrian refugees in their hometown after reading Inside Out and Back Again. This coming-of-age novel told in verse was inspired by author Thanhha Lai’s childhood experience as a refugee—fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama. What other important conversations might you and your girl begin after a book discussion?
To get you started right away, this year’s selections are listed below. The toolkits for October’s books will be sent to members on September 24.
Not a member yet? Sign up for our Girl & Grown-up Book Club. It’s FREE! Get toolkits with meeting guides and discussion questions for all previous years delivered right to your inbox, instantly. Toolkits for this year’s books will be emailed each month.
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Girl & Grown-up Book List for 2019-2020
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October
Grade 2/3 El Deafo by Cece Bell — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 Blended by Sharon Draper — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée — click here to buy
November
Grade 2/3 Drita My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 George by Alex Gino — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 The Moon Within by Aida Salazar — click here to buy
January
Grade 2/3 Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga — click here to buy
February
Grade 2/3 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 Sanity and Tallulah by Molly Brooks — click here to buy
March
Grade 2/3 The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly — click here to buy
April
Grade 2/3 Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina — click here to buy
Grade 4/5 Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes — click here to buy
Grade 6/7/8 Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee — click here to buy
Disclosure: the links to buy or download books may contain affiliate links. There is no additional cost, and Girls Leadership may get a commission if you click through and purchase.
Comments 2
Monique
Any suggestions for book in the k/1st level?
Dorothy Ponton, Digital Marketing Manager
Hi Monique, some of our community have used the Grade 2/3 books and toolkits with their kindergartner or first-grader. Depending on their girl’s reading level, they read the books out loud together, and instead of holding a full-length book club meeting, might only use one or two discussion questions from the meeting guide and toolkit. Another great resource for books sorted by grade level is A Mighty Girl.