July Recommendations for Grades 3-4 Book Club

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis: With love and determination befitting the "world's greatest family," twelve-year-old Deza Malone, her older brother Jimmie, and their parents endure tough times in Gary, Indiana, and later Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver: A mix-up involving the greatest magic in the world has tremendous consequences for Liesl, an orphan who has been locked in an attic, Will, an alchemist's runaway apprentice, and Po, a ghost, as they are pursued by friend and foe while making an important journey.

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver: Accompanied by an eccentric, human-sized rat, Liza embarks on a perilous quest through an underground realm to save her brother Patrick, whose soul has been stolen by the evilest of creatures--the spider-like spindlers.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman: New York high school student Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," and when she gains coveted access to its Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and the other pages are drawn into a series of frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods.

June Grades 3-4 Book Club: Eight Keys

 In June, we discussed the book Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur. Olivia, Riley, Kelsey, Rileigh, Cecilia, Natalie, Abigail, Molly and Evan were present.

When Elise’s father found out that he was dying, he wrote letters to Elise for her future birthdays up to her twelfth. We each wrote a letter to someone for them to read five years from now. The letters were entertaining and eye-opening.

Why might Amanda be targeting Elise and others?

-I think she was bullied herself and she wanted other people to feel what she felt.

-Amanda's older brother bullied her.

-Elise and Franklin were easy targets because they do stuff that other kids might think are weird. Bullying Elise and Franklin was easy because they didn't defend themselves.

What does Elise do in response? What could she have done differently? What might have happened if she had acted differently and why did she choose to react as she did instead? Remember that she did try telling a teacher about the problem.

-I think that Elise should have told a teacher. Again. 

-I would have told my mom before Elise did with her aunt. Elise told her aunt a long time into the bullying. It would have been a little better.

-If I tell my mom that something is bothering me, she'll step in for me. The teacher needs to step it up a notch.

-If I were in Elise's place, I would have told Aunt Bessie the first time it happened.

Elise starts casually insulting Franklin as a school year goes on. Is this bullying? How does it differ from how Amanda treats Elise?

-Elise is playing around with Franklin. It's different how Amanda treats Elise. She squashes her lunch, dignity, her courage, her hope.

-I think Elise is just teasing Franklin. Franklin knows that they're still friends and she's just kidding around.

-Franklin didn't know that Elise was teasing.

-I think that the author dragged the subject of Franklin to much into the book.

-I object. I liked it! I think it was good to know what Franklin was feeling.

 In July, we will be meeting to discuss the book The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver. "Accompanied by an eccentric, human-sized rat, Liza embarks on a perilous quest through an underground realm to save her brother Patrick, whose soul has been stolen by the evilest of creatures--the spider-like spindlers."-summary. Books will be available behind the Circulation Desk and snacks are always provided at Book Club meetings! I hope to see you in July!

June Recommendations for Grades 3-4 Book Club

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived.



In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

Frog joins cousins Jack and Jill in leaving their own stories to seek a magic mirror, encountering such creatures as giants, mermaids, and goblins along the way. Based in part on fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.




The Grimm Conclusion by Adam Gidwitz

Sister and brother Jorinda and Joringel fight to keep their promise to stay together throughout a new series of gruesome, twisted, Grimm-inspired stories

May Grades 3-4 Book Club: A Tale Dark and Grimm

May's book discussion was about the book A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Ten participants were present. Thanks to Abbie, Alexandra, Eva, Evan, Julia, Kelsey, Molly, Natalie, Olivia, and Rileigh for attending! Please read some of the comments about the book below, taken from the author's website.

*Please note that we will be having a Skype session with the author on Thursday, May 29th at 3:00 p.m. at Melrose School. Please talk to Mrs. Casey in order to get a permission slip to attend!

1.  What do you think of the narrator of A Tale Dark and Grimm? Would the story be the same without him?

-No
-Because he intersects at the right time and says the right things
-He's funny
-It wouldn't be the same without him because the narrator pulls the whole story together. He puts the humor into the story.
-I liked how he butts in during the middle of a story. It happens a lot when he gets to a good part.

2. Why do you think the author decide to put "The End" at the end of many of the stories? Does his decision to do that change the way you read the book?

-To me, it doesn't change how you read the book. 
-It changes it a little bit because it makes it funny. 
-The end of the story seemed like it might not be the end.
-I didn't think "The End" was really the end of the book.

3. In "Brother and Sister", Hansel continues to hunt animals even though he knows what he is doing is wrong. Why does he continue? Have you or your friends ever continued to do something that you knew was wrong? Why did you continue? What was the result and how did you feel about it?

-Hansel continued to hunt because he had turned into a beast. 
-He turned into a beast because he didn't listen to the tree.Each day, he hunted things that were bigger and bigger.
-I didn't know it was Hansel at first.
-He kept hunting because he was turning into the beast. It made him hunt and hunt.
-Hansel inherited the beastness from his dad.
-It's a habit to continue doing things that are bad. Maybe Hansel was a bad habit that started.
-When my brother and I were wrestling, he got hurt. I felt bad about it. 
-Once I was swinging on the tire swing. My mom told me to stop and not do it anymore. 
-A girl I know had an Instagram account and was hacked. The hacked post was inappropriate. She can't tell her parents that her account got hacked because she'll get in more trouble.

4. How would you characterize the parents in this book? How are they similar in other fairy tales you've read and how are they different? Why do you think so many fairy tales have parents like the ones in A Tale Dark & Grimm?

-I think that the parents are connected so that the story keeps going. They try to make the parents greedy, selfish or even cannibals.
-I like the widow.
-I like the people who cared for Hansel.
-I don't think that the parents change how I read the book.
-I think a lot of fairy tales have parents in them because it makes them more interesting. If Cinderella's mother hadn't died, her dad wouldn't have remarried and gotten a wicked stepmother.

5. What in this book made you laugh? Do you like humorous stories? Do you think the humor helped or hindered the book?

-When Hansel became the Devil's grandmother.
-I thought all of them were funny.
-I don't have a favorite. The humor helps the book because it makes it more of a children's book and less scary.
-It needed the humor because you needed a break from the scary. A good children's book has humor.
-When the narrator interjects comments, it makes it funny. It's hard to take in all of the horror at once.
-One of the funny parts was when Gretel landed on the ravens' backs and they got mad at her. The funny parts make you feel happy even if terrible things happening.
-I think that the humor helped the book a lot because it made it more of a children's book. It made it better and easier to read.
-My favorite humorous part was when they were fighting the dragon and it snuck up behind them. And then the dragon got drunk.
-I think that the funniest part was when Hansel dressed up as the Devil's grandmother. And when the dragon got drunk.
-My favorite humorous part was when the narrator said not to have little children around. 
-The dragon getting drunk, the ravens and when Hansel had to become the Devil's grandmother to get out.

-When the dragon was drunk.

6. The worlds in fairy tales are very different from those most people live in today. So, why do people still enjoy reading them? Why might fairy tales still be important in people's lives?
-It makes you think how nice this world is. It has you think of how good this world is. Most of the fairy worlds are pretty sad and unhappy.
-The kids had no idea why they had their heads chopped off.
-The world here is much better than that in the story.
-The fairy tales might seem better because of fairies, gods, and nice goblins but then there are fire-breathing dragons and palaces destroyed. It makes you think what a great life and world we have. 


7. Some questions we might ask the author during the Skype session...
-Can you please write more books for us to read?
-Why did you decide to do Grimm fairy tales?
-What inspired you to write books and Grimm books?
-Why did you decide to write books that are gruesome and people die a lot?
-Can you write books about a real-world place but magic is intertwined but not necessarily a fairytale place.
-Are you working on a new book, not associated with Star Wars.
-Are you married? Do you have kids? If you do, how many?
-What's your favorite sport?
-At what age should children read your books?
-What was your favorite book as a kid?
-Would you like to make a movie out of your books?

Book Club will meet on June 4th at 3:00 p.m. We will be discussing Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur. : "When twelve-year-old Elise, orphaned since age three, becomes disheartened by middle school, with its bullies, changing relationships, and higher expectations, keys to long-locked rooms and messages from her late father help her cope." Please pick up your copy of this book behind the Circulation Desk at the library.

April Grades 3-4 Book Club: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

We had an interesting book discussion about Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Nine participants were present. Thanks to Abbie, Alexandra, Evan, Julia, Kelsey, Molly, Natalie, Olivia, and Rileigh for attending! Please read some of the comments about the book below, taken from the author's website.

Throughout Wonder, Auggie describes the way that many people react to seeing his face for the first time: by immediately looking away. Have you ever been in a situation where you have responded like this to seeing someone different? Having now read Wonder, how do you feel about this now? 

 -I have looked at someone weirdly (on the subway). After having read the book, I know that there are two sides to every story and will try to keep my feelings to myself.
-I saw a girl with a skin condition at a museum and I couldn't stop staring at her. 
-I remember when I was little and there was a girl at a store. She had burned skin and casts all over. I screamed and hid. Now I try not to do things like that.
-I was a playing street hockey outside of my house. A girl walked outside of my house walking a dog. The dog was all scratched up and missing fur. I was staring at it and then I could see that the owner was looking at me.
-Once, I saw a man whose eyes were moving all over the place. I was staring at him and screamed a bit. Now, I would try to keep my feelings to myself.
-Everyone agreed that they would apologize to the people that they had stared at before.

How would you describe Auggie as a person in the first few chapters of the book? What about the final few chapters? Has he changed significantly? Are there any experiences or episodes during the story that you think had a particular effect on him? If so, how?

-I think people got used to his face toward the end of the book. He wasn't as sad anymore.
-I think he changed a lot. One of the events that changed him was when the other kids beat him and Jacob in the woods during the field trip. 
-I think that at the beginning of the book, Auggie was pretty babyish. After he went to school, he learned about life, friendship and other stuff people learn.
-I think that he relied on his mom too much at the beginning of the book. He didn't have much of a life of his own. But when they got beat up in the woods, everyone sort of rallied around Auggie. People became much more friendly.
-In the beginning, Auggie didn't really know what to expect in the real world. He didn't know the reality of life. In school, he learned about friendships.
-I have to agree. AugustI didn't have a life before he went to school. His parents and sister always took care of him so he didn't have to do anything for himself.
-At first, no one stood up for August. Even the kids who were asked to be friends with August weren't great to him. By graduation, he was rewarded. All of the people cheering for him made a big difference. People who took the time to get to know him ended up liking him.

Look at the emails between Mr Tushman, Julian’s parents and Jack’s parents in the chapter ‘Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts’. Up to this point in the story we have seen how the children at Auggie’s school have reacted to him. Is Mrs Albans’ attitude towards Auggie different? What do you make of her statement that Auggie is handicapped? Do you think she is correct in saying that asking ‘ordinary’ children, such as Julian, to befriend Auggie places a burden on them?

-It's not too much pressure to ask someone to be friends with someone. 
-I don't think that it's pressure because all he's asking is for someone to be nice to him at the beginning of school.
-I don't think it's bad to be friends with someone. Some of the characters were really mean to Auggie.
-I imagined a kid at our school as being kind of like Auggie. That's what I thought about when I read this.
-There was a consensus that no one liked Mrs. Albans.

The precepts (rules to live by) from the book:

"When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind."   —Dr. Wayne Dyer

"Your deeds are your monuments."   —Inscription on ancient Egyptian tomb

"Have no friends not equal to yourself."   —Confucius

"Fortune favors the bold."   —Virgil

"No man is an island, entire of itself."   —John Donne

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."   —James Thurber

"Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much."   —Blaise Pascal

"What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful."   —Sappho

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."   —John Wesley

"Just follow the day and reach for the sun."   —The Polyphonic Spree

"Everyone deserves a standing ovation because we all overcometh the world."   —Auggie Pullman


Precepts that some of the Book Club members shared:

"Keep your bad feelings about other people to yourself. Think about how you would feel if you were that person."

"Treat others how you want to be treated."

"Every once in awhile shine a little."

"Everything in the world deserves some sort of animal love in their life. Also some animal hate. With all good comes bad."

"Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you."

"Always obey Evan."

"Always be kind, not goody-two shoes."

"If you were to choose being happy or always right, choose happy."

"Hope."


The next Grades 3-4 Book Club will meet on Wednesday, May 7th at 3:00 p.m. We will be discussing A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.
"In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches. Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after."- summary

March Grades 3-4 Book Club: Because of Mr. Terupt

                                                                                                                  We had a great book discussion about Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea.  12 participants were present. Thanks to Abbie, Cecilia, Evan, Julia, Kelsey, Molly, Natalie, Olivia, Olivia, Rileigh, and Riley for attending! Please read some of the comments about the book below, taken from RandomHouse.com

*At the opening of Because of Mr. Terupt,  Peter offers, “It’s our bad luck to have teachers in this world, but since we’re stuck with them, the best we can do is hope to get a brand new one instead of a mean old fart.” (p. 1). For what reason do you think Peter finds hope in having Mr. Terupt as his teacher? Why does he choose to push his boundaries as a means of “testing” him out? Based on your personal experience, do you agree with his assessment about new vs. old teachers? Why or why not?


-Old teachers who have been at the district know all of the rules. Mr. T. doesn't know the reasons that things work.
-New teachers are better than old teachers because you can learn their new rules. 
-I think that Peter wanted a new teacher because with rookie teachers, they don't know your tricks that the old teachers know. You can get away with more.
-It's hard to pick between both. Old teachers know the rules and know what's going on. New teachers are good but they don't know why.
-Old teachers know what's actually bad and what's actually good.
-I think that Peter likes the rookie teachers better because they don't know the rules and they don't know what they're going to get from the students.

*Describe Mr. Terupt. What makes him a dynamic person? Is he the type of teacher you would want? Why or why not? 

-I think Mr. T. is special.
-I would love to have Mr. T. because he's nice, cool and deals with bullies. He's really cool with how he deals with everything in the book.
-I would like Mr. T. because he knows how to deal with people, if they're being mean. He deals with Lexie and Peter really well.
-I would love Mr. T. because he's an inspiration to little kids. Some teachers would say "stop picking on so-and-so" but he teaches them examples of how to be better.
-I would love to have Mr. T. because he knows how to deal with kids. Even though he's a rookie, he keeps his eyes open. He gives examples to the kids of how to be better.

*Consider the seven students/narrators of the novel: Who did you like the most? The least? For what reason? Of all of the characters, who did you feel was most similar to you due to his/her personality or experiences?

-My favorite character was Danielle. I liked her because she had to fight through a lot of things in her life. Whenever she told a story, you could feel her pain. The person I liked the least was Luke because of him always saying dollar words.
-I liked Jeffrey the most because of his back story (Evan, can you let me talk!). I liked how the author added the story of his brother. I felt like Luke was pretty boring.
-I think that it's hard to choose the best character because they all brought out different emotions in the story. Jessica was probably my favorite because she tied everyone together. Peter was kind of boring.
-Out of all of them, my favorite would have to be Jeffrey because he hates school but then does Collaborative Classroom. I didn't have a least favorite.
-Anna and Jessica were my favorites because they're shy and bookworms. Peter and Alexia were my least favorite.
-My favorite was Jessica. My least favorite was Lexie because she's mean. The character I'm most like is Anna.
-My favorite character was Anna because she sort of started out with no friends. My least favorite character is probably the Principal because she's funny. The character who is most like me is Anna.
-My favorite was Peter because he's funny and likes to pull pranks. I don't have a least favorite. Peter is the most like me.
-All of the characters have such different personalities so I can't choose. My least favorite was Peter because even though he thought it was an accident and he was the one who hit Mr. T. with the snowball. The one most like me is Jessica because she's smart and I'm smart. 
-My favorite character was Peter because he was funny. My least favorite character was Luke because he was pretty boring. The dollar word thing was annoying. 
-The person who is most like me is Lexie. A little bit of Anna and a little bit of Jessica. My least favorite is Luke because he's boring. My favorite is Alexia without the bully part.

The Book Club selection for April is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. "Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student."- summary. The club will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4th in the Meeting Hall. Books have been ordered and will be available for pickup behind the Circulation Desk. Please be sure to sign up for Book Club so that Miss Lisa knows how many snacks to buy!

Grades 3-4 Book Recommendations for April

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

"Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past."- summary Book Trailer


Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan
"Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident."- summary Book Trailer


The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
"Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and learned many important lessons."- summary