February Grades 3 & 4 Book Club: Down to Earth

  

For February's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club, we read Down to Earth by Betty Culley. Mack and Thomas were present. This book inspired us to check out Ahnighito. We began our discussion by using the curriculum guide. Below are some of the other things we discussed. 

1. What is a dowser? Would you want to be a dowser? Why or not? 

2. Who is Henry?

3. Do you think Henry made the right decision to keep the meteorite a secret? 

4. Who are the other characters? What are their roles?

5. Writers do things on purpose. Do you think it is an important detail that Henry is home-schooled? Why do you think the writer included this detail? 

6. What were your favorite or least favorite parts of the book?

7. Henry thinks in terms of percentages. Why is this important? 

Please rate this novel on a scale of 1-5:

4.5

4.5

For March's Book Club, we will be reading The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate.

"Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family."—summary

We will meet on Wednesday, March 9, at 3:30 p.m. Join us for a trivia-style book club battle of reading comprehension and elements of craft. To register, visit the circulation desk, email Miss Colleen at jamlibyouth@gmail.com, or give us a call at (401) 423-7280. Book club will be held in the meeting hall. 

For New Book Club Members

At each session, the kids vote on a book to read together for the next month. Then, Ms. Colleen orders enough copies of that book through the Ocean State Libraries consortium. You pick up the book at the library (usually a week after the last book club). Books are never due before Book Club. Please reach out with any questions. 

March Grades 3 & 4 Book Club Suggestions

 

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate 

"Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?"—Goodreads

Strangeville School is Totally Normal by Darcy Miller

"Harvey Hill's first day at Strangeville Middle School doesn't go quite as expected when he discovers it's full of various creatures and odd happenings, including a particularly nefarious supply closet."—Provided by publisher.

Willa and the Whale by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

"Twelve-year-old Willa, grieving the loss of her mother, a renowned marine biologist, discovers she can talk to whales"—Provided by publisher.

January's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club

 

For January's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club, we read Anti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta. Thomas was present for our discussion. Here are some of the things we discussed: 

General Questions

1. Anti/Hero is a graphic novel. What are some of the visual differences we see between Sloane and Piper? 

2. What is the significance of the chapter titles? 

Text Specific Questions

Chapter 1

1. Where does the story take place? 

2. On page 16, the reader is introduced to Sloane’s mom. She keeps coughing. This is foreshadowing. What is foreshadowing?

3. Fill in the blank: Piper excels at ________ while Sloane excels at ________.

4. Who is the Bear? 

5. Where are Piper’s parents? 

6. What is Sloane supposed to steal for the Bear, and how does this connect her to Piper? 

Chapter 2 

7. What happens as Sloane and Piper struggle over the TMI? 

8. Who is Sloane’s neighbor?

Chapter 3

9. How did Piper get her powers? 

10. How did Sloane get her super brain?

Chapter 4

11. What does Abuela make Sloane and Piper realize? 

12. Who shows up at the competition and why? 

13. What happens to the Bear? 

14. How does the competition end? 

15. What birds represent Sloane and Piper?

For February's Book Club, we will be reading Down to Earth by Betty Culley.

"Henry has always been fascinated by rocks. As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia to help him identify the rocks he finds. So, when a meteorite falls in his family's field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast--with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course.

But soon after the meteorite's arrival, the water in Henry's small Maine town starts drying up. It's not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry's family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself."—Goodreads

We will meet on Wednesday, February 9, at 3:30 p.m. Join us for a trivia-style book club battle of reading comprehension and elements of craft. To register, visit the circulation desk, email Miss Colleen at jamlibyouth@gmail.com, or give us a call at (401) 423-7280. Book Club will be held in the Meeting Hall. Masks are required. 

 

For New Book Club Members

At each session, the kids vote on a book to read together for the next month. Then, Ms. Colleen orders enough copies of that book through the Ocean State Libraries consortium. You pick up the book at the library (usually a week after the last book club). Books are never due before Book Club. Please reach out with any questions. 

February Grades 3 & 4 Book Club Suggestions

 

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate 

"Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?"—Goodreads

Down to Earth by Betty Culley

"Henry has always been fascinated by rocks. As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia to help him identify the rocks he finds. So, when a meteorite falls in his family's field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast--with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course.

But soon after the meteorite's arrival, the water in Henry's small Maine town starts drying up. It's not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry's family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself."—Goodreads

The Nightmare Thief by Nicole Lesperance

"Maren Partridge loves working in her family's dream shop where she can hand-craft any dream imaginable. The shop has only one rule. Dreams cannot be given to a person without their consent. Maren has no problem with this—until her sister, Hallie, has an accident that leaves her in a coma. Maren's certain she can cure Hallie with a few well-chosen dreams. And when no one is watching, she slips her a flying dream.

But a strange new customer from the shop has been following Maren and knows what she did. Now she's laid the perfect trap to blackmail Maren into creating custom nightmares for a dark and terrible purpose. As Maren gets drawn further into the sinister scheme, she must make a choice: to protect her family or to protect the town from her family's magic."—Goodreads 

December's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club

 

For December's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club, we read Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop. Vivian, Xavier, Ben, Fenella, and Thomas were present for our discussion. This month, we played trivia. Here are the questions: 

General Questions

1. Who is your favorite superhero and why?

2. If you could have your own superpower, what would it be and why?

3. Is there a superpower you would not want? Which one and why?

4. What was your favorite chapter in Dear Justice League? 

5. What is the problem driving the story (plot) between letters?

Text Specific Questions

Chapter 1 

1. What does Ben’s Silsby ask in his letter to Superman? 

2. What is the sequence of events set off by Ben’s letter?

3. What does Superman’s chapter teach us? 

Chapter 2

1. What doe Haley Lu ask in her email to Hawkgirl?

2. What is Hawkgirl’s response? 

3. What was your reaction to Hawkgirl’s chapter?

Chapter 3  

1. What villain does Aquaman face off against?

2. How does Aquaman sneak on to the U.S.S. Spearfish?

3. What does Mike Moreland ask in his letter to Aquaman?

Chapter 4

1. What does Maddy Keysler ask Wonder Woman?

2. What does Wonder Woman remember? 

3. What is Wonder Woman’s advice to Maddy?

Chapter 5

1. What is T-Bone & J-Dawg’s question to The Flash?

2. How does The Flash Respond?

Chapter 6

1. What does Shalene Thomas ask in her letter to Green Lantern? 

2. What does Green Lantern explain in his response to Shalene?

Chapter 7 

1. What does the letter to Cyborg ask?

2. What happens while Cyborg is writing his reply?

Chapter 8

1. What does Danny Santiago ask in his letter to Batman?

2. What does Batman suggest in his response to Danny? (p. 137).

Chapter 9

1. What is the title of Chapter 9? Why is this significant?

For January's Book Club, we will be reading Anti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn & Demitria Lunetta

"As if middle school wasn't tough enough, two students who are sworn enemies run into big problems when a freaky event makes them switch places! Now they must work together if they want their old lives back, but the journey of being in someone else's shoes may bring some BIG surprises."—Summary

We will meet on Wednesday, January 12, at 3:30 p.m. Join us for a trivia-style book club battle of reading comprehension and elements of craft. To register, visit the circulation desk, email Miss Colleen at jamlibyouth@gmail.com, or give us a call at (401) 423-7280. Anti/Hero is also available through Hoopla. 

 

Book Club will be held in the Meeting Hall. Masks are required. 

 

For New Book Club Members

At each session, the kids vote on a book to read together for the next month. Then, Ms. Colleen orders enough copies of that book through the Ocean State Libraries consortium. You pick up the book at the library (usually a week after the last book club). Books are never due before Book Club. Please reach out with any questions. 

January Grades 3 & 4 Book Club Suggestions

 

Antihero by Kate Karyus Quinn 

"Piper Pajaro and Sloane MacBrute are two 13-year-old girls with very different lives but very similar secrets. Popular, outgoing Piper is strong. Like, ripping-the-doors-off-cars strong. She longs to be a superhero, even if she tends to leave massive messes in her wake. Snarky Sloane, on the other hand, is super smart. Like, evil-genius-smart. To help her family, she has to put those smarts to use for her villainous grandfather.

When a mission to steal an experimental technological device brings the two girls face-to-face with each other, the device sparks, and the two girls switch bodies! Now they must live in each other's shoes as they figure out a way to switch back."—Summary

Dear Super-Villains by Michael Northrop

"Peek inside the lives of DC’s infamous rogues in Dear Super-Villains, the sequel to Dear Justice League, where curious kids write to notorious scoundrels, asking them about life on the dark side.

How did Gorilla Grodd get so smart? Did Harley Quinn ever try a career in comedy? Why does Catwoman always lose to Batman?

Each chapter highlights members of the Legion of Doom in a sympathetic way that is relatable to kids. But look closely, and you may notice the baddies are up to something big! Will the Justice League show up in time to stop them? You’ll have to write into the Tip-line of Evil to find out!"—Goodreads

Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

"Let me tell you a secret about the Knights of the Round Table: they don’t have much to do. The realm is at peace, and dragons are few and far between. So Merlin decides to send the knights out on a real adventure to a world filled with the most terrible lizards of all: DINOSAURS!"—Goodreads

November Grades 3 & 4 Book Club: Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

For November's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club, we read Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley. Vivian, Xavier, Ben, Teddy, and Thomas were present for our discussion. Ms. Colleen used questions from the Educator's Guide to start our conversation.

For December's Book Club, we will be reading Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop.

"Does Superman ever make mistakes? What was Wonder Woman's eleventh birthday like? Does Aquaman smell like fish? In this new middle-grade graphic novel, iconic heroes are asked big and small questions, and when they are not busy saving the world, the Justice League even finds time to respond. Their honest and humorous answers will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid."—Summary

To register: visit the circulation desk, email Miss Colleen at jamlibyouth@gmail.com, or give us a call at (401) 423-7280. We will gather in the Meeting Hall. Masks are required for this indoor event.

For New Book Club Members: At each session, the kids vote on a book to read together for the next month. Then, Miss Colleen orders enough copies of that book through the Ocean State Libraries consortium. You pick up the book at the library (usually a week after the last book club). Books are never due before Book Club. Please reach out with any questions.