The Giver of Stars Book Club Ideas

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For The Giver of Stars, I provide your book club with a brief summary, fun activity ideas, and more!

The Giver of Stars is the latest novel by bestselling author, Jojo Moyes.

If you don’t recall, Jojo Moyes wrote the smash hit Me Before You, among other bestsellers.

The Giver of Stars follows a group of Pack Horse Librarians in Kentucky in the 1930s.

Pack Horse Librarians were part of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration and a special project of Eleanor Roosevelt. They carried books via horseback to some of the most rural and remote areas of Kentucky.

The novel is permeated with friendship, primarily centered around five librarians and the events that happen to them.

If you don’t know, Jojo Moyes is English, but if you do, you might be wondering how she pulled off writing a novel about rural Kentucky. The main character, Alice, is an English-born and bred lady who marries a native Kentuckian and we follow her as she moves to Kentucky and ultimately joins the Pack Horse Librarians.

Since Moyes started out as a romance author, you won’t be surprised to find a good deal of romance in the novel as well. The romance is clean and you won’t find any on-page sex.

But romance isn’t the primary driving force of the novel, there are high stakes and some life-threatening situations for almost all of the characters that will keep you turning pages.

I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the book and expect it to be another hit by Moyes on the scale of Me Before You.

That said, I cannot continue without addressing the fact that there has been some controversy regarding the similarity to another book about Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which I am also featuring.

However, I do not think you should form an opinion before reading both books.

I’m addressing the controversy surrounding the two novels with a completely separate post where I will compare them thoroughly and give book club questions and a recipe if your book club wants to discuss them both at the same time.

The Giver of Stars is a wonderful novel about unlikely friendship and overcoming odds that is reminiscent of books like The Help and The Secret Life of Bees.

If your book club decides to read it–and I think you should–this series of posts will provide you with an activity, food ideas, and discussion questions. So, for food ideas and more, keep reading!

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Here’s a brief summary of The Giver of Stars:

Hoping to escape her life of suffocating expectations in England, Alice marries the handsome Kentuckian Bennett Van Cleve. The honeymoon is cut short when she finds herself in an equally stifling situation under the watchful eye of Bennett’s strict father in a small and secluded Kentucky town. When the chance arises to join the Pack Horse Library, Alice steps forward despite Van Cleve’s disapproval. There, she meets independent Margery O’Hare, who encourages Alice to stand up for herself and fight for true love. The bond they form with each other and the other three Pack Horse Librarians is tested in unforgettable ways as they journey through the dangers of the Appalachian mountains to bring its hardscrabble residents hope through books.

Book Club Activity Ideas for The Giver of Stars:

As readers, most of us have experienced the positive influence of librarians. Ask your group to think back over their lives and consider their time in libraries.

For the meeting, have everyone bring a copy of a book (or a printed photo if they don’t have a copy) that a librarian gave them that influenced their life in a significant way.

If a member can’t recall such an experience, have her bring a book that she would recommend if she were a librarian.

Discuss your stories as a group and consider the way such a small gesture can make such a difference.

More…

The Giver of Stars will foster an absolutely rich book club discussion. Despite the controversy about the book, it was one of my favorite reads of the year. Who doesn’t love a book about books and love?

If you are looking for a book that will spur discussion and keep you turning pages, The Giver of Stars is a great choice.

On that note, I’ve provided book club questions and a delicious recipe for The Giver of Stars as part of this series, so if you are looking for food ideas and more, keep reading!

Click HERE for the book club questions for The Giver of Stars!

Click HERE for the food ideas for your book club for The Giver of Stars!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

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