Updated 07/10/23
The first Bricks and Books Club I launched in 2021 began with tweens. This popular program combined two of my favorite things: middle grade lit and LEGO® bricks. Originally, our group met bimonthly to discuss a book (read in advance) and build. I brought the book club with me to my new library in 2022. Now we meet every month and we even have display cases for our creations! In summer 2023, I was excited to finally launch a Junior Bricks and Books Club for kids ages 5-8.
When I asked on social media what you wanted to know, a lot of people asked how I came up with this idea. Well, when my old library brought back in-person programming, I was tasked with starting a book club with a VERY limited budget for supplies. (You know, the whole “do more with less” thing). So… I looked in the supply closet and discovered my branch owned many bricks and kits from years and programs past.
Thus, a new book club was born!
Supplies
If you do not already have a closet full of bricks, you’re going to need some starter sets. I suggest purchasing a few Classic Tubs, base plates of various sizes, and some wheel/axle sets. We’ve been able to do all sorts of STEAM challenges and fun activities with just these basic bricks! I would say we have the equivalent of 8 large classic tubs and 2 wheel/axle sets. This amount robustly supports our group of 15.
You’ll also want to get some minifigures. Unfortunatley, minifigures are expensive, hard to find in sets, and tend to disappear fast. Our minifigures come from an awesome LEGO® Education Storystarter Set that is sadly no longer sold, but you can purchase minifigure sets directly from the LEGO® store: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/minifigures.
Every new kid gets a pair of glasses to keep and commemorate their first Bricks and Books Club visit. We started off with a stash I also found in the closet, but I’ve been able to order more glasses since from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Creative-Birthday-Carnival-Supplies/dp/B07Q81FRHN/
Occasionally, I supplement our bricks with other materials, such as eggs for our egg drop challenge and weights for our pulley engineering challenge.
Format for Tween BBC (9-12)
4:25-4:35PM: Enter
I usually have a queue at the door and waitlisted families hoping to get in, so I start letting registrants in a few minutes early. This gives me time to check everyone in, let any new participants know what to expect, and make sure their caregivers are okay with photos being taken. Everyone grabs a snack and is allowed to free build for a little bit, which allows me to see if we have any no-shows and room for anyone on the waitlist. Then I use music to help us transition to discussion.
4:35-4:55PM: Book Talk
We start with an icebreaker. Then I ask 3-4 additional discussion questions, ranging from lower-level recall to higher-level reflection. I always make sure to include at least one question that can be answered without having read the book.
Then I introduce the challenge! Our challenge relates in some way to the book. We usually do engineering challenges, but not always. For example, we’ve built catapults; pulley lifts; getaway cars; and mystery zoo animal exhibits. I review a little bit of the science behind the challenge (if any) and ask for any questions. Then we get building!
4:55-5:25PM Build
If kids complete the challenge pretty quickly, I encourage them with a more difficult version, or they are always welcome to free build.
5:25-5:30PM Cleanup
I put out a last call for pictures, use music to transition us again, display a slide with the next month’s book/sign up information, and thank everyone for coming. Many caregivers like to snap a photo of this slide and save the date in their phones.
After the Program
Sometime later that week, I email families photos from our time together and discussion points/resources for continuing the conversation at home.
Format for Junior BBC (5-8)
4:25-4:35PM: Enter
As with the tweens, I usually have a longlist of families on the waitlist, so I start letting registrants in early. Because younger kids struggle more with transitions, I have families grab a snack and find a seat for our read-aloud, rather than let kids build with bricks right away. My library policy requires children under the age of 8 be accompanied by a caregiver, so I let older/younger siblings stay in the room, too.
4:35-4:50PM: Read-Aloud
Unlike our tween club (in which kids read the book in advance), I do a short storytime for Junior Books and Bricks. Then I introduce our building challenge related to the book.
4:50-5:25PM: Build
Kids can take on the thematic building challenge, or they are welcome to free build from their imaginations!
5:25-5:30PM: Cleanup
After the Program
Sometime later that week, I email families photos from our time together and suggested read-alikes if they liked our storytime book.
Tips & Tricks
It was pretty easy to facilitate discussion when our group started off with just 10 participants, but it’s amazing what a difference 5 more kids makes now that our book club for tweens has expanded to 15! Here are some strategies I use:
Attention Getters
I keep a variety of attention getters in my pocket (e.g. “If you can hear my voice, clap twice” or doing a countdown). I always let the kids know which attention getters to expect when we start our book club discussion.
Music to Manage Transitions
I play a song from one of the LEGO® movies at the beginning when it’s time to come to the carpet area for our book talk, and also at the end when it’s time to clean up.
The Speaking Brick
Have you ever heard of the speaking stick? This trick comes from my teacher days. Only the person holding the stick (or in this case, the special brick) is allowed to speak and everyone else listens. In theory. 😆 I let the kids chose who to hand off the minifigure to next and only intervene if necessary.
Turn and Talk/Think Pair Share
Almost all my kids have lots of say! Unfortunately, half an hour isn’t enough time for everyone to share, so sometimes we turn and talk with a partner.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down or Stand Up/Sit Down
Sometimes I will ask quick, closed questions that can be answered nonverbally (e.g. thumbs up if you agree with…) before we explore the more open-ended why.
Countdown Clock
Sometimes I use a fun brick-themed video countdown timer when we’re nearing the end of a discussion question.
Whiteboards
I have been thinking about Total Participation Techniques from my classroom days and how I might adapt these for book club. Next time we meet, I plan to ask a question that can be answered with a Quick Draw or a Quick Write!
Resources
Where do I get ideas for activities? Sometimes the book comes first. For example, we already owned a book club kit for The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller. The book includes an egg drop challenge.
Sometimes the activity idea comes first, and I think about possible books. For example, I loved the Secret Zoo Exhibit Challenge on the Lego Librarian’s Blog. I ended up pairing this activity with The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.
Here are some invaluable resources I consult regularly for ideas:
Blog: The LEGO Librarian
Be sure to check out Peter’s post for getting started with a LEGO® club!
Website: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
https://frugalfun4boys.com/play/lego/
Sarah shares so many great ideas for building with various ages! She’s also the author of many great LEGO® Books.
Book: The LEGO® Games Book by Tori Kosara
https://www.worldcat.org/title/lego-games-book/oclc/1203554006
Speaking of book resources, this is one of my favorites!
Publishers (especially Scholastic) often create discussion guides, so I get a lot of book questions from these resources. Multnomah County Library also has a great resource about book groups for kids that includes a helpful list of general questions that can be used with any book: https://multcolib.org/talk-it-book-groups-kids.
Stay tuned for more Bricks and Books Club posts! I’m so excited to share our cool creations and the great discussions we’ve had.
Please note that LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this content.
Storytime in the Stacks 
Those glasses are fantastic! I’ll definitely be turning to this post as a resource if I’m ever spinning up a book club – the transition and participation techniques will be so helpful! And, I really appreciate hearing about your creative process, how bricks on hand inspired the group, but also how you sometimes start with a book and sometimes start with an activity when planning sessions.
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Thank you Lindsay! 🙏
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This is BRILLIANT!! What a fantastic idea! We have LEGO parties here at the library, but I never thought to pair them with a book. I definitely hear you when it comes to mini figs, they unfortunately have a habit of disappearing. And the use of music to transition is such a good idea – we often think of transition songs for toddlers and preschoolers, but there’s not reason not to use it with older kids, too. Sounds like an awesome program!
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Thank you! Necessity definitely does breed innovation sometimes. 😆 It’s my favorite library program!
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What grade is the book club for? 3/4 or 5/6?
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Hi Jenn!
My original Bricks and Books Club was for Grades 3-5. At my new library, it is open to ages 9-12.
Jessica
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I absolutely love this combination of STEM and reading for a book club! I used to have a tween book club but had to cancel it due to COVID programming issues. This is something I’m interested in bringing back and was hoping to get your permission to use your program title. Thanks for sharing all of your amazing work with us!
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Hi Megan, of course! And please do reach out if you have any other questions or if there’s anything else I can do to help support you and your new group!
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