Book Club Night Kit
Homeschooled
Stefan Merrill Block
Cozy night
A tender, funny memoir about growing up outside the classroom, Homeschooled invites readers into one family's unconventional world and the lasting shape it leaves on a life.
Kitchen-Table Book Club: Homeschooled
Come in your softest sweater for soup, warm drinks, and a gentle conversation about Stefan Merrill Block's memoir Homeschooled. Blankets and childhood stories welcome.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: clubs who love memoirs, quiet reflection, and swapping childhood stories over tea
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Where did you curl up to read this one, and did anything in the book make you want a snack, a blanket, or a phone call home?
- 2.What was the first feeling that washed over you in the opening pages, and did it stick around?
Digging in
- 1.Block writes so warmly about the small textures of home life. Which little domestic detail made you smile or feel tucked-in?
- 2.The book sits in the tension between closeness and independence. Which passages made you feel that ache in a soft, familiar way?
- 3.How did reading about an unconventional childhood make you feel about your own, whether you were homeschooled or not?
- 4.Were there moments where the author's memories nudged loose one of yours? What memory came bubbling up?
Going deep
- 1.Which relationship in the book stayed with you the most, and what did it leave you feeling about the people who raised or shaped you?
- 2.By the last pages, what did the book seem to be gently offering you: comfort, permission, understanding, something else? How did that land?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Slow-simmered tomato soup with grilled cheese soldiers
The quintessential at-home lunch, a nod to kitchen-table learning and cozy weekday afternoons
Homemade banana bread with salted butter
The kind of thing a parent pulls out of the oven mid-lesson, warm and forgiving
A simple cheese and fruit board with crackers and honey
Grazing food that invites lingering conversation, no forks or formality required
To sip
Honey chamomile tea (no alcohol)
Gentle, nostalgic, and perfect for a memoir night
Spiced apple cider (warm) (no alcohol)
Tastes like being home from school on a chilly day
Mulled red wine
For those who want something a little indulgent to sip slowly
Run of show
7:00
Slippers and settling in
Greet folks with a warm mug at the door and let them find a soft seat
7:15
Snack graze and small talk
Let the soup, bread, and cheese board do the icebreaking
7:30
Warm-up questions
Start with the two gentle prompts, no pressure to go in order
7:50
Theme talk
Move into the middle questions, encourage stories over analysis
8:25
Deeper waters
Dim the lights a touch, pour a refill, and drift into the deep questions
8:55
Scorecards and send-off
Fill out scorecards together, hand out bookmarks, linger as long as folks want
Host tips
- Keep the lighting low and lamp-based, and stash extra blankets nearby so guests can literally get cozy
- Let silences breathe. This is a memoir, and people may need a beat before sharing personal memories
- If a question doesn't spark much, move on gently. No one needs to feel quizzed on a cozy night
Playlist
Soft acoustic folk and warm indie, like afternoon light through a kitchen window
- 01 Re: Stacks - Bon Iver
- 02 First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
- 03 Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
- 04 Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
- 05 Kathleen - Josh Ritter
- 06 Sunrise - Norah Jones
- 07 Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
- 08 Northern Attitude - Noah Kahan
Trivia
- 1.Who is the author of Homeschooled? (Stefan Merrill Block)
- 2.What year is Homeschooled published? (2026)
- 3.What genre is this book? (Memoir)
- 4.Stefan Merrill Block is also known for what earlier debut novel about a family and Alzheimer's? (The Story of Forgetting)
- 5.What decade saw the modern homeschooling movement grow rapidly in the United States? (The 1980s and 1990s)
- 6.A memoir is generally distinguished from an autobiography by focusing on what? (A specific theme, period, or aspect of the author's life rather than the whole life story)
- 7.Block has also published fiction exploring what kind of family subject alongside memory and identity? (Neurological illness and family history (as in The Story of Forgetting and Oliver Loving))
- 8.What broad category does Homeschooled fall into on most bookstore shelves? (Personal memoirs / nonfiction)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
Rate the book
Coziness factor☆☆☆☆☆
Emotional warmth☆☆☆☆☆
Made-me-remember moments☆☆☆☆☆
Writing that felt like a hug☆☆☆☆☆
Would recommend to a friend☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book made me feel: ______________________
A memory this book stirred up: ______________________
The passage I'd read again in bed: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.