Moms and daughters find common bond in books
By Marcy Horwitz CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Christy Yates (right) and her daughter Emily enjoy some quiet time reading together. They are both members of the Mother-Daughter Book Club at Midlothian Middle School.

Book clubs aren't just for adults. Sometimes they even bridge the generational gap, bringing adults and children together like the Mother-Daughter Book Club at Midlothian Middle School.

Cynthia Ford, Midlothian Middle's head librarian, started the Mother-Daughter Book Club four years ago. Since then, the club has gathered a loyal roster of members, including several mother-daughter pairs who haven't missed a single session in their three-year tenure at Midlothian Middle.

Christy Yates is one Midlothian Middle mother who's a big fan of the book club. Yates' two daughters began attending the school as sixth and eighth graders last year.

Fitting in with already-established cliques and circles was a challenge. The Mother- Daughter Book Club helped the girls settle in by exposing them to new friends while also giving them an opportunity to reconnect with their mother.

"Books are a leveling sort of thing," said Yates. "When you read the same book, you're coming from the same place."

"I really like being able to do things with my mom," added Yates' daughter Emily, who is now in the seventh grade.

Like many kids today, Emily's schedule is full between school, homework and extracurricular activities. The Mother-Daughter Book Club gives her the chance to spend time with her mother.

Ford attributes the club's popularity (at its last meeting in October, more than 50 moms and girls were in attendance) in part to the titles the group reads.

"We choose books that are accessible to the girls and their mothers," said Ford. At another time in their lives, they may pick up "Little Women" or "Jane Eyre." For now, the focus is on getting the girls and their mothers to read "books that will stimulate an exciting discussion," said Ford.

A look at the group's 2006-07 book list sheds light on her approach. The group is currently reading "Becoming Naomi Leon" by Patricia Munoz Ryan. Naomi and her brother are happily being raised by their loving grandmother until their mother shows up one day, wanting to spend time with her children. Or so she says. It turns out that her motivation is something else entirely. The plot raises interesting questions for moms and daughters about motherhood, family and love.

In January, the Mother-Daughter Book Club will tackle "Double Identity" by Margaret Haddix. In March, the group reads "Princess Academy" by Shannon Hale. The club will end the year with "Uglies" by Scott Westerfield.

At each of the group's four annual meetings, decorations and refreshments reinforce and reflect the current book's theme or setting. Membership in the Mother-Daughter Book Club is open to any member of the Midlothian Middle School community, and members can join at any time during the year.

Book clubs at Midlothian Middle aren't just limited to mothers and daughters. There's also a father-son club that meets before school four times a year for a "boy-sterous" book discussion that includes physical play.

Other clubs are for students only. Pizza and Pages is a club for lunchtime readers. There's also R.E.A.D. (Read, Eat, Advise and Discuss) at Midlo Café, a club that's designed for the kind of kid who'd rather read than do anything else. There's even a competitive reading group: participants read up to 28 titles representing a variety of genres and styles, and compete against each other to see who wins the "Battle of the Books." The winners go on to compete against other schools.

Ford and her colleagues, Teresa Hockenberry and Sharon Garber, are the creative force behind Midlothian Middle's popular reading programs. Their approach is simple: give young people the books they want to read, and they will read them.

But Ford and her colleagues go one step further. They create reading clubs where likeminded 'tweens and teens can gather, read and discuss the books that mean the most to them.