Are you ready for year nine of Family Dinner Book Club? We have shared almost 100 book clubs with you over the past eight years. That is almost 100 amazing books, menus, and conversation starters shared during that time. So, we thought we would return to the top 12 favorite Family Dinner Book Clubs over the years for 2023.
Because we all know that rereading favorite books has great power. How many times have you reread a book that holds a strong memory for you?
This year we are going to Curl Up With Old Favorites and Sprinkle in Some New Surprises!
New Features for Family Dinner Book Club 2023
Did I say new surprises? Why, yes I did.
Here are some new features you’ll find in your Family Dinner Book Club guide for 2023:
- A companion-curated list of videos that support or reinforce your read-aloud.
- A curated menu with links to the recipes.
- Plus, a few more surprises we will share throughout the year.
And, all the previous favorite book club posts we shared will have updated content on the first of each month.
Sarah from Chef Sarah Elizabeth has been with us since the beginning but has decided to explore new directions this year. We thank her so much for her hard work over the past eight years, especially her amazing ideas. Laura, Jazmin, and Jodie will all be back in 2023 though.
What Exactly is Family Dinner Book Club?
Family Dinner Book Club invites you to share a great story, great art, great conversation, and great food each month. A variety of picture books and chapter books will be chosen for your enjoyment.
The project is perfect for children ages 4-8, but can easily be adapted for younger and older children.
On the first of each month, we will share content to make/share with the kids to enhance your read-aloud, a menu for your meal, and conversation starters related to the featured book.
You will then have the rest of the month to read the book, complete any enhancement experiences, and enjoy your meal.
2023 Family Dinner Book Club Line-Up
Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
January Family Dinner Book Club
Let’s start the year with a chapter book pick from our 2015 Family Dinner Book Club. Perfect for snuggling up each night during one of the coldest months of the year.
This story is about a house painter named Mr. Popper. He is given a penguin as a gift from a polar explorer. His house begins to fill with penguins and he has to figure out what to do! Penguin upkeep is expensive and Mr. Popper decides to create a penguin show and take his brood on the road. Will the lifestyle fit the penguins and Mr. Popper? You just have to read Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater to find out.
This one was also turned into a movie so you can have a family movie night too.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins Family Dinner Book Club (updated 1/1/23)
February Family Dinner Book Club
Our social-emotional learning focus in 2018 was a huge hit and you’ll see a few picks from that series returning in 2023. This month we revisit honesty.
It’s time for the emperor to choose an heir in The Empty Pot by Demi. Turns out that honesty is greatly rewarded.
The Empty Pot and Honesty Family Dinner Book Club (updated 2/1/23)
March Family Dinner Book Club
March is Women’s History Month so it’s a great time to revisit this 2016 pick.
Drum Dream Girl is inspired by Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a young Cuban woman, who became the first woman drummer in her country. It used to be considered taboo to be a woman drummer in Cuba, but Millo Castro Zaldarriaga changed that through her courage and determination.
Drum Dream Girl Family Dinner Book Club (updated 3/1/23)
April Family Dinner Book Club
We celebrate Earth Day in April so it seems perfect to enjoy this pick again. This was a favorite in 2018 when we focused on citizenship.
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies is a beautiful book with a powerful reminder to take care of what we have on earth.
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth and Citizenship Family Dinner Book Club (updated 4/1/23)
Menu Ideas
May Family Dinner Book Club
I love bees so I was excited to see that this was a popular Family Dinner Book Club pick from 2019. Think of all the honey-themed recipes we will have!
UnBEElievables by Douglas Florian is a collection of poems that takes us inside the world of honeybees. The last poem “Where Are the Honeybees” looks at the disappearing honeybee population.
UnBEElievables and Bee-Themed Family Dinner Book Club (updated 5/1/23)
Menu Ideas
June Family Dinner Book Club
An all-time favorite of not just Family Dinner Book Club participants but of readers in general. This one is also a movie so plan that into your Family Dinner Book Club too. I prefer the original movie with Gene Wilder.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl was featured in our very first year of Family Dinner Book Club back in 2014.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Family Dinner Book Club (updated 6/1/23)
July Family Dinner Book Club
In 2017 this book celebrating books and reading was featured in our Around the World Family Dinner Book Club line-up. We are bringing it back for 2023.
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown is the story of a little girl named Ana. She lives in a very small village in Colombia where books are scarce. She anxiously awaits the Biblioburro to come so she can choose a book to read. Even though the visits of the traveling library are infrequent, she is inspired to create her own story while she waits. Waiting for the Biblioburro is inspired by the real-life librarian, Luis Soriano.
Waiting for the Biblioburro Family Dinner Book Club (updated 7/1/23)
August Family Dinner Book Club
Perfect for back to school and one of my favorite books of all time makes a return for favorites theme.
Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins Bigelow is the story of a young girl who is frustrated that her teachers and classmates have mispronounced her name all day. The girl’s mom teaches her about the musicality of names using the city’s sights and sounds as inspiration. Empowered, the girl is ready to return to school and share her learning with her school.
Your Name is a Song and Name Books Family Dinner Book Club (updated 8/1/23)
Menu Ideas- School-Themed Lunch
Chicken nuggets
Tater tots
Favorite fruit
Chocolate milk
September Family Dinner Book Club
This next pick was a favorite from last year.
The Elephants Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic is a touching story based on a true story about the connection between animals and humans.
The Elephants Come Home and Friendship Family Dinner Book Club (updated 9/1/23)
Menu Ideas
A menu that is perfect to share with friends and full of ingredients that elephants love.
Peanut Chicken Spring Roll Bowls
Fruit Salad
October Family Dinner Book Club
Another pick from our Around the World Family Dinner Book Club takes us down under to Australia.
We are revisiting The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. Joshua loves to run and he gets lots of energy from eating pumpkin slices. So this unconventional runner signs up to race from Melbourne to Sydney. But, winning isn’t the most important thing to him. The crowd can learn a thing or two from him. This book is based on a true story.
The Pumpkin Runner Family Dinner Book Club (updated 10/1/23)
November Family Dinner Book Club
Our Around the World Family Dinner Book Club was hugely popular. Perhaps we should take a trip again in 2024! What do you think? In the meantime, let’s revisit our trip to Japan.
The Peace Tree From Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story by Sandra Moore is a true story of how a little old tree traveled from Hiroshima to Washington DC as a sign of peace and friendship between Japan and the United States.
The Peace Tree From Hiroshima Family Dinner Book Club (updated 11/1/23)
December Family Dinner Book Club
Let’s round out the year with a popular nonfiction Family Dinner Book Club we had in 2016.
This nonfiction selection showcases Wilson Bentley and his passion for photographing snowflakes. He discovered that no two snowflakes are alike and each one is beautiful. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin won the 1999 Caldecott Medal.
Snowflake Bentley Family Dinner Book Club (updated 12/1/23)
Menu
Green salad
Cranberry sauce
Don’t Miss Any Book Clubs
The best way to not miss a new updated Family Dinner Book Club is to make sure that you are on our special email lists for Jodie and Laura. Sign up for each below.
Sign Up for Jodie’s Special Family Dinner Book Club List Here
I will also link to each post monthly here on this landing page too. You can always find it by typing in “2023 Family Dinner Book Club” in the search bar.
And, you can pre-order all the books here if you don’t already have them HERE. Of course, using your public library is always an awesome resource too.
School and Library Connections for Family Dinner Book Club
If you are an educator, you can even let your families know about Family Dinner Book Club. In fact, many schools and libraries host Family Dinner Book Club events.
I created a letter that you can send home with families introducing the Family Dinner Book Club and inviting families to join in 2023. Click HERE to download, print, and pass out the letter to families.
Print the 2022 Family Dinner Book Club List
Let’s have a Family Dinner Book Club. Don’t forget to print out the book list HERE.
We look forward to year 9 of Family Dinner Book Club with you.