Mother/Daughter Book Club with Twins

We've just completed one of my all-time favorite activities as a mother: our annual Mother/Daughter summer book club. I started the club in 2005 when I was dismayed that my nine-year-old twin girls didn't seem interested in reading for pleasure. When I was a kid, I was a passionate reader (I still am!) But their busy lives offered too many distractions: video games, television, the computer, sports, activities, friends -- and each other. So I thought I'd sweeten the pot and make the idea more attractive by making it a social event. Thus the Mother/Daughter book club was born, with about a dozen other girls and their mothers. (I'm the only mom of twins.)

We've met annually since then, usually twice over the course of the summer. We've been lucky to read some wonderful fiction books, as well as a few classics that I remember from my own childhood. This year's book -- Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (compare prices) -- was especially compelling, as it was a more mature storyline (no less than the end of the world!) and because the author had sent the girls an email message and autographed bookplates. I love how the book club brings out the best in my girls; it's amazing to see how their viewpoints of the same book can be so different. Yet, at the same time, it's funny and astonishing how similarly their brains work. Sometimes they'll start to say the same thing at the same time or have the exact same answer to a question. One year, the girls all decided to write their own alternate endings to one of the books and my twins ended up writing the exact same storyline, despite the fact they'd written then completely on their own!

If you're a mom who loves to read, I'd highly encourage you to consider starting a book club with your kids. I think eight or nine years old is the perfect age, depending on reading ability. And if you're lucky, as I feel I am, it's a tradition you can continue as your kids grow up. I look forward to continuing the book club tradition throughout their teen years, as an opportunity for us to connect and communicate over a shared love of a story. (If you'd like more information on how our book club works, please post a comment or email me at multiples.guide@about.com.)

• Read more about our book club at ReadingGroupGuides.com
• Reading with Twins
• Children's Books Guide at About.com