September Grades 3-4 Book Club: Nurse, Soldier, Spy by Marissa Moss

For September's Book Club, we read Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss. Cadence, Cameron, Eloise and Lillian were present.

Why did Sarah Emma Edmonds start dressing as a man? 

-Because she wanted to go to war.
-She dressed as a man because she was escaping from an arranged marriage. 


What did she do as a man that she couldn’t as a woman? 

-She fought in the war.
-She was in the army.
-She was able to travel freely.


Imagine what a woman’s life was like in the 1860s. What things do you think women can do today that they couldn’t then? 

-They can go into the army.
-They can walk down the street without anyone else.
-Women can vote.
-They can be president.
-They can wear comfortable clothes.
-Women can wear pants.
-Women don't have to wear corsets.


Why did Sarah Emma Edmonds enlist in the Union Army? 

-Because she wanted to live like a boy.
-She wanted to help the army.
-She wanted to be in combat.


Why did other women disguise themselves as men in order to enlist? 

-The women dressed up so that they could be with their husbands.



What kind of character do you think Sarah Emma Edmonds had? Describe her personality. 

-Serious.
-A good person because she helped people.
-She was brave. Dangerously brave. Exquisitely brave.
-Fierce.


If you wanted to learn more about the Civil War or Sarah Emma Edmonds, where would you look?

-A biography.
-On the internet.

Rate this book between 1 and 5 with 5 being the best.

-4
-5
-4
-4


In October, we will be reading Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater. We will be meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at 3:00 p.m. Books will be available behind the Circulation Desk. Please register for the Book Club at the Desk so that Miss Lisa can buy enough snacks!

October Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

Life of Zarf: The Trouble with Weasels by Rob Harrell

Love fractured fairy tales? Zarf is a troll who lives among fairy tale characters. After the King goes missing, Zarf’s arch nemesis, Prince Roquefort, takes over the kingdom. Zarf must team up with his best friends to save the day. 

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgrin

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another!

Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater

An exciting new series full of magical creatures, whimsical adventures, and quirky illustrations. Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures. Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok -- and they often go amok -- Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures, a reference work that Pip finds herself constantly amending. Because dealing with magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, and fuzzles doesn't just require book knowledge -- it requires hands-on experience and thinking on your feet. For example, when fuzzles (which have an awful habit of bursting into flame when they're agitated) invade your town, it's not enough to know what the fuzzles are -- Pip and Tomas also must trace the fuzzles' agitation to its source, and in doing so, save the whole town.

August Grades 3-4 Book Club: The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett

For August's Book Club, we read The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett. Those attending were Andrew, Cadence, Eloise, and Henry.  Here are our thoughts...

Who if your favorite character in the story? Why?:

-Niles because he's pretty funny at first. He's a serious character and it's pretty impressive how he tricks everybody by making them think he's a goody-two-shoes.
-Stuart because he just goes along with everything, even when he's been pranked. He thinks everything is funny. 
-I like how Stuart only yells certain words. 
-I kind of like Miles. He was the main character but he didn't go big with his pranks.


Did you feel bad for Miles when he moved to a new town and realized that his role of prankster had already been taken?:

-A little bit bad. He didn't want to move and then he wasn't the thing that he thought he'd be when he got to the new town.

Do you think that Principal Barkin was a good principal? Why or why not?: 

-Because he blamed Miles for stuff he didn't do.
-He wasn't a good guy but I bet if you were a principal and all of these bad things happened, you might act a little bit like Principal Barkin might did. Principal Barkin was somewhat justified in thinking that the new kid did it.
-He was horrible. Some of the people before him as well. No one ever canceled school even if the situation called for it.


What was with Josh Barkin getting away with being a bully? Why was he allowed to be so mean to other kids?

-Because his dad is the principal.
-He didn't know that his kid was bad. Whenever he was with his dad, he acted nice and innocent.
-No one ever bothered telling on Josh because they knew he wouldn't get in trouble.

Have you ever pranked someone? Did it turn out like you planned?

-I was at my friend's house and he and I put ice water in balloons on a string and cut the string to land on people who then fell on a blanket. It only worked out okay. The water balloons missed them but a bucket of water hit them. They were mad.



Do you think that Miles and Niles's final prank was a good one? Why or why not? 

-Uh, yeah. Because they can't get down stairs.
-It was well-planned but not good. Cows to miss a school day? It's a big risk. All that planning.
-Yeah, because the cows couldn't get out. They finally missed a day of school.
-They covered their tracks well.



If you could change a scene in the story, which one would it be? Why?:

-Everything was kind of necessary in the book.


Are you excited to hear that this is a series and there will be more adventures for Miles and Niles?


-I wouldn't read more.
-They could add more main characters.
-It's hard to top stuffing a ton of cows in the school.
-Less cows for the next prank.

Please rate this book from 1-5, with 5 being the best:

-4
-3
-3.5
-2

Here's a link to making your own Prankster's Notebook: https://www.abramsbooks.com/pdfs/academic/terrible_two_activities.pdf

The book for the next Book Club meeting is Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds  by Marissa Moss. We will be meeting on Wednesday, September 9th at 3:00 p.m. Copies of this book will be available behind the Circulation Desk within the next few days. Please come with recommendations for October's Book Club selection. Thanks!