New Book Club Meeting: SUMMER OF THE GYPSY MOTHS

The Middle School Book Club will meet on October 2, 2013 at lunch to discuss Summer of the Gypsy Moths.  You can read my review of of Sara Pennypacker's wonderful novel here.  All students are welcome.  As always, pizza will be provided.

Middle School Bookclub Discusses LEGEND

Last week the Middle School Bookclub met during lunch to discuss Marie Lu's dystopian novel Legend.  This book was very popular with the 12 students between the ages of 10 and 14 who came to the meeting.  In Legend, the United States has broken apart and the western section of the continent is now know as the Republic.  To win its ongoing war against its neighbor, the Republic tests all children at the age of 13.  Those who do well go to military training schools; those who do not succeed are sent to government labor camps and never heard from again.  June was born into an elite military family and it is no surprise that she earns the highest score ever on the exam.  Day comes from a poor neighborhood with few opportunities to get ahead.  After he fails his exam, Day escapes his fate and becomes the most wanted criminal in the Republic.    When June's brother is murdered, Day is the prime suspect.  She goes undercover to find Day, but when she learns more about the government's role both their lives, June and Day form an important bond.

Here are our discussion questions:

1.  The events of Legend take place over a hundred years in the future. What do you imagine the United States will be like a century from now? Do you think it could resemble the fractured country in Legend?

2. What do their relationships with Tess and Thomas mean to Day and June? Why do you think Day continues to travel with Tess? What did you think of Thomas when he was first introduced? Why did June trust Thomas?

3. After learning the truth about Day, why do you think the government treated him the way they did?

4. How did you feel about the romance between June and Day?  Do you think there is too much romance in dystopian novels or does it work well with the genre?

5. Is there anything from Day’s memories of his childhood that hint at what John will ultimately do for his brother on the day of Day’s planned execution?  Were you surprised by the ending

6. What would Legend have been like if only Day or June narrated the book? If you had to pick a character other than Day or June to narrate Legend, who would it be and why?

7. What role does the plague have in Legend? How is it symbolic?

8. Near the end of Legend we learn that Day’s pendant is an American quarterfrom 1990. Why is this coin symbolic? What other symbols appear in Legend?

9. What do you think the book’s title means? Who or what does “legend” refer to?

10. Legend is the first installment of a trilogy. What do you think is in store for Day and June in the next book in the series?  If you have read Prodigy, did it live up to your expectations?

Middle School Book Club Discusses SLOB

The middle school book club met today during lunch to discuss Ellen Potter's novel Slob.  In Slob,  seventh grader Owen is an overweight genius who is has one problem after another to overcome.  When he is not trying to thwart the most evil gym teacher in the world from humiliating him or trying to catch whoever is stealing his Oreo every day out of his lunch, Owen is working on his invention: Nemesis. Nemesis is a like a television that can show events that happened in the past.  As the story unfolds, the reader learns why this invention is so important to Owen and what it is that he desperately needs to see.  Potter's short novel mixes some heavy issues with humor and fascinating characters.  Though many of our club members were unhappy with the novel's ending, everyone enjoyed this month's selection.  We had lots to discuss over our pizza lunch.

Slob Discussion Questions:

1. Describe Mr. Wooly.  Could you image a teacher really being like him? How does he add to the story?
2. What did you think of the GWAB group?  Why do you think Jeremy wanted to be part of the group?
3. Did your opinion of Jeremy change over the course of the novel?
4. Who did you suspect was stealing Owen’s cookies?
5. Who can explain Owen’s invention Nemesis?
6. Did you ever suspect that Zelda was not Owen’s real mother?  When did you first realize the truth?
7. How did you react when you learned what really happened to Owen’s parents?
8. Who wrote the note SLOB? What did you think it meant and what did it really mean?
9. Why do you think Owen held on to the note and what did he let it go in the end?
10. How did your opinion of Mason change over the course of the novel?
11. Did you find this novel to be too dark or depressing for middle school?
12. Would you recommend this novel to anyone? If so, who?

Our selection for March will be Legend by Marie Lu. 

Middle School Bookclub Discusses THE FALSE PRINCE

Yesterday the Middle School Bookclub held his monthly meeting to discuss Jennifer Nielsen's fabulous fantasy novel The False Prince.  In the book, three orphans are adopted by Connor, one of the king's advisors.  King Eckbert, Queen Erin and the crowned prince Darius were recently found poisoned, and Connor is trying to keep their deaths a secret to buy himself some time.  Years ago the king's youngest son, Prince Jaron, was believed to have been killed by pirates at sea, though his body was never found.  Connor is hoping to quickly transform one of the orphans to masquerade as the lost prince.  He believes that by claiming he has found the rightful heir to the throne, the country will not break out into a civil war and he will be able to control the kingdom through his false prince.  The story is told from the viewpoint of Sage, one of the orphans.  Unlike Rodin and Tobias, Sage does not want to become the prince; however, he knows that Connor will pick the boy who is the most convincing match for Prince Jaron and the other boys will probably be murdered to hide the secret.  Sage has no choice but to go along with Conner's scheme because he has no intention of dying.


This action packed novel was a favorite with our bookclub.  They loved the humor, adventure and mystery.  Many of our members commented on how well the characters were developed, especially Connor, and they can't wait to read the sequel, which already has a long waitlist.  The False Prince is an excellent pick for middle school bookclubs.  It appeals to both boys and girls across many grade levels. It is also a quick read with plenty of topics to discuss.

Discussion Questions

1. Which of the characters did you like the best and why?
2. Why did Connor not let Latamer go?
3. Why do you think Sage felt so strongly about Latamer?
4. Did you think Connor's plan would work or did you see any possible problems?
5. Why does Sage trust Imogen so much when he doesn't seem to trust anyone else?
6. How did you feel about the way Connor treated the Errol and the other servant boys?
7. Did you see any clues about Sage's real identity?
8. How did Mott figure out the truth about Sage?
9. What do you think would have happened if Connor had discovered the truth about Sage sooner?
10. What do you predict will happen in the sequel?
11. How does The False Prince compare to other fantasy novels you have read?  

Next month's bookclub selection is Slob by Ellen Potter.

Next Bookclub Meeting: THE FALSE PRINCE

The Middle School Bookclub will meet next Wednesday, January 16, at lunch to discuss The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.  I'm sending invitations to students who have checked out the book.

Check out this wonderful book trailer to learn more about this exciting novel.

Book Club Discusses Liar & Spy

Yesterday the Middle School Book Club met to discuss Rebecca Stead's newest novel Liar & Spy.  Though some of our members were disappointed with the ending, all eleven participants agreed that the novel is outstanding. We had a very thoughtful discussion about friendship, bullying, secrets, and lying.

In Liar & Spy, Georges moves into a new apartment building in Brooklyn when his father loses his job.  Georges is not too happy about having to adjust to living in a new neighborhood and to his mother working double shifts as a nurse.  To make matter worse, he has to deal with some pretty annoying bullies at school.  Life get more interesting when Georges meets Safer, a coffee-drinking, home schooled boy who lives in his new building.  Safer enlists Georges to help him spy on Mr. X, a mysterious man who wears all black and enters their building at strange hours carrying big bags.  Safer thinks Mr. X is up to something nefarious and is willing to break into his apartment to uncover information about this man.  Georges thinks Safer might be a little crazy.  How far is Georges willing to go to support Safer's farfetched ideas?  Liar & Spy shows that sometimes people tell lies not because they are bad people but because the truth is too difficult to face.

I highly recommend Liar & Spy for a 4th through 6th grade book club.  I came up with the discussion questions for this club meeting with the help of the great website Sweet on Books.

• Was there a character that who really liked or would want to be friends with?
• Why does Safer spend so much time in his apartment?
• Is Safer a good friend to Georges?
• Why was Georges so angry with Safer about Mr. X?
• Why did Georges come to Safer's rescue? What would you have done in that situation?
• Were you surprised to learn where Georges' mom had been or did you have any clues?
• Is the type of bullying experienced by Georges similar to what goes on in our school? In what ways?
• If you could choose your own name, what would you pick? How would it reflect your personality?
• Did you find any of the informational facts (taste, parrots, Seurat, Benjamin Franklin spelling) interesting?  Did they add to the story?

Our tentative plan for next book club is to discuss A Tale Dark and Grimm in December.

Middle School Bookclub

The Middle School Bookclub will meet on November 14 at lunch in the library to discuss Rebecca Stead's fantastic new novel Liar and Spy.  Pizza will be served.  Middle School Bookclub is open to all grade levels, but students must sign up in advance to attend.  There are lots of copies of the book in the library available for check out.

Middle School Bookclub Discusses WONDER

Our middle school bookclub had its first meeting of the year today to discuss R.J. Palacio's novel Wonder.  I selected this title over the summer after reading an advance copy from Netgalley.  The book has a compelling main character and lots of material for discussion.  In Wonder, Auggie Pullman just wants to be considered a normal kid, but he was born with a genetic defect that caused him to have severe facial deformities.  In trying to protect Auggie, his parents have home-schooled him, but they realize that they cannot shelter their son forever. The book begins with Auggie enrolling in a school for the first time in 5th grade. Told from numerous perspectives, Wonder follows Auggie's ups and downs as he tries to get others to see him as he sees himself: just an ordinary guy.

The lively discussion group consisted of twelve girls and two boys in grades five and six.  I moderated the conversation along with one eighth grade student.  Though some teachers wanted to join our group, I wanted to invite just students for the initial meeting to allow everyone to feel comfortable speaking in a group.  Students had to sign up in advance, and I provided pizza.

The overall consensus was that Wonder is a great book.  We had a lot to discuss, and everyone had opinions.  Students loved Auggie, and many stated they are better equipped to approach people with physical differences now that they have read this story.  Wonder is an excellent novel for teaching acceptance and works well as a bookclub selection.

Here are our discussion questions:

    1.   Why did you decide to read this book?

2.   Did you have a picture of Auggie’s face in your mind while reading the book? Have you ever encountered a person with facial deformities?  If so, how did you react?  Would you behave differently now that you have read Auggie’s story.

3.    Did you find Auggie an interesting character?  What did you like or dislike about his personality.

4.  Do you think Auggie handled his bullying well?  Do you think he should have behaved differently?  Do you think Summer should have stood up more for Auggie?

5.   Many reviewers have criticized Daisy’s death.  Was it necessary for Auggie’s dog to die? Did the death add to the story?

6.   How did you react the use of letters, emails, Facebook posts and text in the story? 

7.   The story is told through many different perspectives.  Is there a particular perspective that you liked or one that you did not like?

8.   Is Mrs Albans’ attitude towards Auggie different from the way that children treat him?  Do you think there should have been a chapter from Mrs Albans’ or Julian’s perspective?  Do you think she is correct in saying that asking ‘ordinary’ children, such as Julian, to befriend Auggie places a burden on them?

9.  What did you think about the use of precepts in the novel.  Was there one that you really liked? Do you have any precepts of your own?

10.  Many people believe this novel is a frontrunner for the Newbery medal.  Do you think it deserves to win?

Our November bookclub title will be Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy.
 

5th and 6th Grade Bookclub

The 5th and 6th grade bookclub will meet on Tuesday,  October 2 at lunch in the library to discuss R.J. Palacio's novel Wonder.  Pizza will be served.  Students must sign up in advance to attend.  There are lots of copies of the book in the library available for check out.  I am in the process of trying to set up a Skype visit with the author.  Fingers crossed!