Are Children's Book Clubs
A Good Value?

Or can I do better?

Let's start by making sure we have our terms straight. By children's book clubs do you mean a discount buying service where you receive catalogs regularly and books arrive through the mail?

Or are you talking about a place where children meet to compare the merits of The Cat in the Hat with those of The Cat in the Hat Comes Back? A reading group.

On this page, we're going to focus on the children's book buying kind of book club. If you're interested in a reading group for your child, I recommend contacting your local library.

As for online reading groups for children, I've yet to find anything that impresses me. On the other hand, if you want to give your child the experience of writing a book report or review, you can do so right on this site!

Book clubs have been around forever, along with record clubs and the like.

They lure you in with a bunch of free (or ridiculously cheap) children's books, but you have to sign up to get them. You get them all right (you usually pay the shipping and handling though), but now you have to follow the book club rules.

If you follow the rules closely, you can get some new children's books cheap! If you don't pay good attention, however...

Things could get pricey.

If you're good with detail...

...children's book clubs can be a great deal. If you're not good with detail, you could end up buying books you didn't want. Let's go over the various clubs.

Children's Book of the Month Club

These guys have a great catalog on a terrific website. Their books are for all age ranges, and they feature award winners along with bestsellers.

Click to find out how.

Dr. Seuss children's book clubs

The Dr. Seuss Book Club includes automatic shipments, but if you don't have much Seuss (and everyone should!) you can use the club to your advantage. Read my Dr. Seuss and His Friends book club tips!

Nick Jr. children's book club

Named for the kids' TV network, this one is run through Scholastic. They claim "everything your child enjoys on Nick Jr. can be found in the Nick Jr. Book Club."

Does that include commercials?

The good thing about Scholastic though is that purchases benefit your child's classroom! Read more about Scholastic Book Club below.

Scholastic Book Clubs

Scholastic is a different animal. This is the huge children's book publisher with an emphasis on the educational. Their book clubs are through your child's teacher or school.

Less obligation. Less pressure. Benefits to your child's classroom. Learn more:

Scholastic Children's Book Clubs.

Children's book clubs - Summing up

My only real recommendation is Children's Book of the Month.

But I do have another thought for you...

Remember Highlights for Children?

That 44 page kids magazine? It was always in my opthamologist's office. I'd get those eye drops and then read Highlights as hard and fast as I could until it became too blurry.

Highlights for Children is still around. If you want your child to have the experience of receiving reading material (and hidden pictures and mazes, all that good stuff) in the mail, this could be the way to go.

And - are you listening to this, book clubs??? - there is no shipping and handling charge.

Now that I'll recommend. And link to.

There aren't many things left that you can tell your child you too experienced as a youngster. Highlights for Children is one of those few things.

Children's book club alternatives

Now one of the reasons I'm lukewarm on book clubs is because I believe there are better ways to go about getting cheap new children's books, or even cheap used children's books, for that matter.

Please check out my discount children's books page for a ton of ideas.

Best Children's Books home.