Join Bear and Puffin’s Big Book Club

Every month BEAR and Puffin’s Big Book Club will reveal two new books with free extracts, fun activities and new characters to meet and explore with. And we’d love you to join in too!

To celebrate, we’ve made a step-by-step guide packed with some brilliant ideas so you can host your own Big Book Club at home. So grab your pens and pencils and get planning!

1. Recruit your members

Before you set out on your Big Book Club adventure it’s time to decide who you’d like to join your club. It could be an exclusive two-member club with your brother or sister, or mum and dad. Or, maybe you’d like to make it friends only (no parents allowed!). If you like to get crafty, you could also try making some invitations at home, to invite everyone along.

2. Pick your perfect story

Every month BEAR and Puffin will put an extract of their book club choice on the BEAR website for you to use. If you like what you read, then why not check your nearest library to see if you could borrow a copy of the book, or you could go on a mission to find it in a nearby bookshop with some spare pocket money.

3. Find your clubhouse

Whether it’s a hidden cave under the stairs, a comfy bed or a picnic blanket in the garden, there are lots of fun spots where you could host your book club. Gather your supplies and set up your space, you could even make your own ‘Book club In progress’ sign to ward off any pesky intruders.

4. Stock up on snacks (very important!)

Reading is hungry work and no book club is complete without snacks - you need to keep your energy up, after all! You could find foods that match your book - how about Wimpy Kid cheese touch slices or some teensy-tiny foods so you can snack like the Borrowers! Once you’d got your supplies together, you’re ready to get reading.

5. Get ready to bring the stories to life

Once you’ve gathered your club members and snacks, it’s time to dive into the story. With a little bit of imagination, it’s easy to bring your book to life. Why not act out your favourite scenes, read some passages out loud in silly voices, or draw a map of where you think everything in the book takes place. Afterwards, you could brush up on your detective skills and play a Guess Who game by sticking the character names on your heads and asking each other questions until you all work out who you are!

6. Get crafty

The fun doesn’t have to stop at reading! Every month BEAR and Puffin’s Big Book Club will have lots of fun activity sheets you can print at home for your book club, or you could even come up with your own ideas – why not try designing a new cover for the book or moulding the characters out of dough!

7. But above all, have FUN

The most important thing about running a book club is HAVING LOTS OF FUN! We’d love to know any ideas you come up with for your own book club, or the things you make, send in your pictures and suggestions to puffin@penguin.co.uk. Every month we’ll choose our favourites to feature in the Big Book Club newsletter.

Find out more about the BEAR and Puffin Big Book Club at https://bigbookclub.bearnibbles.co.uk/