Once Upon a Book Club for Kids with YSA
Parents of kiddos in grades 3 through 8: want your reader to build a love of reading and find a community of other kids who love to read too?
I’m Kim Baust, M.Ed., “The Literature Lady,” in my 30th year in education. This is my live book club on Zoom: 8 kids, 1 teacher, 1 great novel, and friends who love books as much as your reader does.
Click to grab a seat, or hop on the waitlist.
How a class works
Not a lecture and not a worksheet. Each club is a 55-minute live class where your child:
- performs a Reader’s Theatre of the first chapter, parts and all
- joins real discussion and breakout-room reading with other kids who love books
- plays Name That Character, a game that sneaks in character analysis
- writes like a character and dresses up as one for the last class
- finishes with a giant Blooket game and a certificate with the book and your child’s name
Maisie with our Book Buddies kickoff book, Frindle.
Our clubs
Book Buddies (grades 3-5)
- Mondays at 3:00 PM ET, 55 minutes
- November book: Frindle by Andrew Clements. A kid invents a new word for “pen” and pushes it to see how far it can go.
- Shorter books and a friendly pace
Bookworm Society (grades 5-8)
- Mondays at 4:00 PM ET, 55 minutes
- November book: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. A novel in verse about twin brothers who are basketball phenoms.
- Longer, more mature books for your big readers
Story Sprouts (grades 1-3)
- Coming January 2027
- Beginner chapter books and a gentle pace for our youngest readers
Fifth graders can choose either Book Buddies or Bookworm Society.
November kickoff: dates and price
- Classes: Mondays, November 9 and November 16
- Enrollment closes: Sunday, November 8
- Price: $50 for the 2-class kickoff ($25 a class)
- YSA families: $40 for the kickoff. Email Ms. Kim at kim@theyoungscholaracademy.com and she will get you set up.
- Brother or sister in the same club: $10 add-on for the kickoff
Each club is capped at 8 kids, so when the seats are gone, they’re gone.
Coming in December (waitlist)
Book Buddies (grades 3-5)
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
- Mondays at 3:00 PM ET
Bookworm Society (grades 5-8)
- Greenglass House by Kate Milford, a snowed-in mystery
- Mondays at 4:00 PM ET
- Classes: Mondays, November 30, December 7 and December 14 (3 classes)
- Price: $75 for the month ($25 a class); $60 for YSA families
December enrollment opens: Sunday, November 15 for YSA families and Tuesday, November 17 for everyone else. Hop on the waitlist and you won’t miss it.
Starting January 2027
Book Buddies, Bookworm Society and our new Story Sprouts club. Four live classes a month:
- Monday, January 4
- Monday, January 11
- Tuesday, January 19 (we meet Tuesday that week for MLK Day)
- Monday, January 25
$100 for the month ($25 a class); $80 for YSA families. Membership renews monthly and you can cancel anytime. January enrollment opens: Tuesday, December 1 for YSA families and Thursday, December 3 for everyone else. After that, enrollment stays open all year: when you join, you’re joining the next month’s club. January books will be announced soon. Join the waitlist to hear first.
Not ready for live? Try the Done-for-You packet
Want to run a book club of your own at home or with your co-op? The Done-for-You Book Club packet is the same Teacher/Parent packet I teach from: weekly lesson plans, discussion questions, the Name That Character game, answer keys and the Reader’s Theatre script. $10 a month, cancel anytime. Click to see it on the sign-up page.
What’s included in the live club
- The live class on Zoom, 8 seats per club
- A student packet for the book (questions, character activities, puzzles, Reader’s Theatre)
- A certificate at the end
- A private club community for your family
Reading happens between classes: about an hour a week for Book Buddies, a little more for Bookworm Society. Families get their own copy from the library, a bookstore, or my Bookshop.org shop (I earn a small commission at no cost to you).
Your teacher
I’m Kim Baust, M.Ed., in my 30th year in education. I’m teaching every November club myself. As we add clubs, they’ll be led by a team of book-loving teachers, and every teacher is trained by me. I started YSA Homeroom by The Young Scholar Academy, a small-group online learning program. In class you’ll hear me called Ms. Kim.
Questions? Email me at kim@theyoungscholaracademy.com.
Recordings and privacy
If you have to miss a session, the recording is available to watch. Students may also post an optional 30-second book review in the private club community; a parent approves it, and a written review is always fine instead.
Not ready yet, or can’t do Mondays?
Join the waitlist. We’ll keep you posted on our next book selections and let you know the moment the Done-for-You Book Club packets are available to buy.
Kim Baust, M.Ed., is The Literature Lady and the founder of YSA Homeroom by The Young Scholar Academy, a small-group online learning program in Williamsburg, Virginia.