Wednesday, January 9, 2019

January Grades 3-4 Book Club: Bob




For January's Book Club, we read Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. Caitlin, Isaac, Kailynn, Mark, Mira and Tannen were present. This is what we talked about.



What do we learn about Livy in chapter one? Why is she upset when she’s unable to remember her first visit to her grandmother’s house?

-Livy thought that her mom and grandma were upset that she couldn't remember Australia
-She was upset about not remembering Bob



What do we learn about Bob in chapter two? How were the five years they were apart different for him than they were for Livy?

-He thinks he's a zombie who is dressed up as a chicken
-He thinks his foot is unattached to his body
-Bob spent 5 years in the closet
-Bob was disappointed because he remembered Livy and Livy forgot him
-He built a Lego ship in the dark
-He played chess against a Lego monkey and lost most of the time
-He cried twice every day for the first year
-He thought of all of the reasons why Livy might not have come back to him
-Livy was just living her life
-Livy's mom just had a baby



Why do you think Bob is so upset that Livy can’t remember his name? Why is this so important to him?

-Because it's really mean to not remember someone's name
-He spent so much time thinking about her and she never thought of him



How does Livy feel about her mother leaving her with her grandmother for a few days? Why does this make her want to find Bob’s home even more?

-Livy doesn't like sleepovers
-Her mom will be away for 6 nights
-She wants Bob to be happy and she's a little unhappy right now with her mom gone



What clues do Livy and Bob find in their search for Bob’s home?  

-When Danny gets lost in the woods, Bob and Livy find him. He's sitting by the well that seems familiar to them.
-When Bob went into Danny's room, he saw the picture on the wall of the well that had green fingers coming out of it



Why does Livy think Bob is magic? How does she think his magic protects him?

-As soon as she left Australia, she forgot about Bob
-It protects him from well hunters who might be searching for well dwellers
-Even just leaving the house makes Livy forget about Bob



Bob tells Livy that in chess, the pawn is the key to the game. Who could be a pawn in this story?

-Bob could be the pawn because he's hte main character
-Danny, because he shows them where Bob lives
-Livy, because she wouldn't have been able to take Bob out safely to his home
-Gram because, without her there wouldn't have been a visit to Australia and, thus, Bob



Why is finding out his identity so important to Bob?

-Because he wants to know who his mom is
-Bob gets mad at Livy for forgetting him. Bob forgets his mom and she doesn't get mad at him.
-Everyone wants to know who they are and what they are



How do the searches for Danny and the book of folktales lead to the same place?

-Danny has the fairy/folk tale book



What do you think caused the drought? What ends it?

-Because Bob was missing from the wells. His family missed him so much and cried so much that they didn't have tears/water for the earth



Memories come and go for Livy and Bob. What helps Livy to remember her times with Bob? What does Bob need in order to remember his past?

-For Livy, she needs the pawn
-For Bob, it's the tutu because it reminds him of Livy



Why does Bob’s mom take the pawn away from Livy? Why does Bob return it to her?

-Because Bob wants Livy to remember him. Bob's mom thinks that Livy shouldn't remember Bob because it could be dangerous to the well-dwellers.



What does Bob mean when he talks about “Old Livy” and “New Livy”? What does he learn about her and all people at the end?

-Old Livy was smaller, five, and was friends was Bob
-When Livy is 10 1/2, the New Livy, he thinks she's not as nice
-By the end, New Livy and Old Livy are actually the same person



Please rate this book, with 1 being one of the worst books you've read and 5 being one of the best.

1-
2-
3- One
4- Four
5- One



For February's Book Club, we will be reading Sweep by Jonathan Auxier.  

It's been five years since the Sweep disappeared. Orphaned and alone, Nan Sparrow had no other choice but to work for a ruthless chimney sweep named Wilkie Crudd. She spends her days sweeping out chimneys. The job is dangerous and thankless, but with her wits and will, Nan has managed to beat the deadly odds time and time again.
 
When Nan gets stuck in a chimney fire, she fears the end has come. Instead, she wakes to find herself unharmed in an abandoned attic. And she is not alone. Huddled in the corner is a mysterious creature—a golem—made from soot and ash.
 
Sweep is the story of a girl and her monster. Together, these two outcasts carve out a new life—saving each other in the process. 


We will be meeting on Wednesday, February 13 at 3:00 p.m. Please be sure to register for Book Club and pick up your copy of the book at the Circulation Desk.

Monday, January 7, 2019

February's Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani   


Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.



Sweep by Jonathan Auxier


In nineteenth-century England, after her father's disappearance Nan Sparrow, ten, works as a "climbing boy," aiding chimney sweeps, but when her most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem.



Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself?



May Grades 3 & 4 Book Suggestions

One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko "Fifth grade is not for amateurs, according to Liam. Luckily, he knows that being more than one-t...