December Grades 3-4 Book Club Discussion: The Wild Robot

We had a great book discussion in December about The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Avery, Cam, Charles, Claire, Ellie, Gwyneth, Lillian, Madison, Maida, Quinn, Reagan, Robert and Thomas were present, making this a large book club! Thanks to for attending! Please read some of the comments about the book below.

Please use one word to describe your first impression of Roz:

-Kind
-Can't-speak-animal
-Intelligent
-Average
-Kind
-Caring
-Unusual
-Smart
-Outsider
-Helpful
-Caring


Who was your favorite character in The Wild Robot? Least favorite? Why?:

-Roz because she is really helpful with Brightbill and she's really nice. My least favorite is probably the RECO units because they tried to attack Roz.
-RECO because they had the blasters that hunted Roz and they wanted to take her back to where she should have been. Brightbill is my least favorite because his name is weird and he flew awake from his fake mom.
-Roz was my favorite because she was being called a monster and that was unfair. She ended up saving them all. RECOs are my least favorite because they were basically trying to hunt Roz down and make her work at factories instead of staying in the forest.
-The RECOs are hunting Roz down and won't stop until she returns to the Makers at the factory. My favorite was Chitchat.
-Favorite is Chitchat. Least favorite are the RECOs because they shot Chitchat in the tail.
-Least favorite was the RECOs because they're mean. My favorite was Fink.
-Roz is my favorite because she was nice. My least favorite were the RECOs because they were mean.
-My favorite was Roz because she was helping the animals. My least favorite were the RECOs because they were trying to take Roz away and she is the reason most of hte animals survived the winter.
-Favorite was Chitchat because she describes me when I get excited. My least favorite is the Farmer.
-Least favorite is the RECOs because they're awful. My favorite is Roz because she's helpful.
-Least favorite are the RECOs. I love animals and hate it when people try to hurt them. My favorite was Brightbill because he's brave.
-My favorite was Roz because she was nice and helped pull out all of the porcupine quills from the fox. My least favorite were the RECOs because they tried to take Roz back to where she didn't want to go.
-My favorite is Roz is because she's caring. Least favorite are the RECOs because they want to take Roz back.

What's your favorite scene of the story?:

-My favorite scene was when RECO 2 was stuck in the waterfall and was bashed in the head with a log.
-My favorite scene was when Roz helped build the lodge for the animals.
-Mine was when the bear was dangling off the branch from the cliff.



Do you think that there was a message in this book, beyond the story it told? What might the message be?:

-I think that the message might be that sometimes you need to be with your own kind and then other times you can be with others.
-The message is that you should always be nice to people. Roz helped the animals throughout the book and because she had done that, the animals helped her out.
-Don't judge a book by its cover. Like Roz being a monster.

What did you think about the ending of the book? Do you think there will be a sequel?: 


-I think there will be a sequel. I really want one because it's a great book. I'd try to convince him to make a sequel. The Wild Robot Returns. There was a cliffhanger.
-I think that the ending was good. It leaves you on a cliffhanger, which is good and bad. I want a sequel.
-I want a sequel because at the end it said that Roz will find a way to return.



Please use one word to describe your last impression of Roz:

-Coming-back
-Best-friend
-Coming-back

Please rate this book from 0-5, with 5 being the best:

-There was one 3.
-There were five 4s.
-There were eight 5s. 
This was a popular book!

The Grade 3-4 Book Club selection for January 4th is The Isle of the Lost by Melissa De la Cruz.  

"Imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost, the teenaged children of Disney's most evil villains search for a dragon's eye--the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape."-summary.  

Copies of the book will be available behind the Circulation Desk within the next week. Please remember to register for Book Club so that we know how many people will be attending.

January Grades 3-4 Book Suggestions

Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley

Gertie Reece Foy is 100% Not-From-Concentrate awesome. She has a daddy who works on an oil rig, a great-aunt who always finds the lowest prices at the Piggly Wiggly, and two loyal best friends. So when her absent mother decides to move away from their small town, Gertie sets out on her greatest mission yet: becoming the best fifth grader in the universe to show her mother exactly what she'll be leaving behind. There's just one problem: Seat-stealing new girl Mary Sue Spivey wants to be the best fifth grader, too. And there is simply not enough room at the top for the two of them.

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa De la Cruz

"Evil tree. Bad Apple?
Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost--a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world.

Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon's Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the Dragon's Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad." - amazon.com

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.

November 2016 Grades 3-4 Book Club: Pax

For November’s Book Club, we read Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Cassidy, Reagan, Madison, Gwen, Ellie, Claire, Maida, Robert, Quinn, Cameron, Charles, and Thomas were present. Here are our thoughts.

Discuss the meaning of the phrase that appears before the story begins: “Just because it isn’t happening here doesn’t mean it isn’t happening” (p. 10). What does that phrase mean to you? Why do you think the author did not name a specific place or area as the setting of the book?

-I think the phrase means that sometimes people in different areas do not know what is happening in another area of the world.
-It's based on the forest and it doesn't really matter where it is 
-It's somewhere, sometime
-It's a time of war
-When the fox is on the riverbank and Peter's father sees him, I thought there was time travel
-Pax knew that it was Peter's dad because of his smell

Discuss the connection between Peter and Pax.  Why must Peter release Pax? What makes Peter leave to look for Pax after he arrives at his grandfather’s home? 

-Peter's dad took them to a place to drop off and he knew that it was a warground
-I think Peter wants to go because Pax and Peter have a very strong relationship. He's had Pax since he was a kit. He wished that he had stood up to his dad regarding Pax. 
-He heard the coyotes and he knew that Pax would not be safe
-You would always look for your pet if it disappeared or was taken away
 

Why is it so important to Vola to live alone? What does she mean when she says, “The plain truth can be the hardest thing to see when it’s about yourself” (p. 189)? How does that phrase pertain to Vola? How does it pertain to Peter.

-It's important for Vola because she killed someone in the war and she thinks she needs to live alone

Vola tells Peter, “People should tell the truth about what war costs” (p. 130). What costs of war does each of the characters in this book pay?

-Gray pays with his life
-Runt pays with his leg, and his hearing, for awhile
-Vola pays with her leg
-Peter's father pays with his soul
-Peter's grandfather paid 

Discuss the concept of “nonduality,” or “two but not two,” that Vola explains to Peter (p. 186). How does this concept help Peter understand his connection to Pax? What does it mean to Vola?

-Peter is connected to Pax because Peter raised him 

What does Vola mean when she asks Peter if he is “wild or tame” (p. 105)? What do those words mean to you? Why is it hard for the wild foxes to accept Pax when he finds them? Apply the concept of wild or tame to each of the main characters in the story to help explain their personalities. 

-Gray is tame
-Pax is tame
-Bristle is wild
-Runt and Vola are wild
-Peter is tame

Why do you think the author decided to tell the story from dual points of view with alternating chapters describing of the separate adventures of Peter and Pax? How does this structure help the story move forward and enhance your understanding of the plot? 

-I think she did that so that you know what is happening in their at the same time
-Because they are split up, it lets you know where they are in their search for each other

Describe the steps in Peter’s journey that help him to understand that, when he finally finds Pax, he must let him go. Describe the steps in Pax’s journey that lead him to stay with his new family in the wild.

-He knew that Pax needed to live with his new family because he was taking care of his new family
-He made a new family and friends and he doesnt' want to leave them. 
-Peter will always leave the porch door open.

Discuss the meaning of the final words in the book: “Sometimes the apple rolls very far from the tree” (p. 277). Why do these words appear as handwritten text? What do these words mean for Peter?

-In the middle of the book, the grandfather says that the apple doesn't fall from the tree
-Pax and Peter are from the same tree and they rolled far from each other in their journey back to each other
-If you are searching for something, it might be far away and take a long time to get to it. You might have to go through a lot in order to reach your goal.
-It's a crazy journey to get back to the same place. 
-Peter is the tree and it only grows one apple, which is Pax. The apple, Pax, rolls far away. 

-Peter wrote this phrase on his card from Vola

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

-2 3s
-3 4s
-5 3s

 

We will be meeting on Wednesday, December 7 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss The Wild Robot by Sara Pennypacker. Please pick up a copy at the Circulation Desk and sign up for Book Club!

October 2016 Grades 3-4 Book Club: The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry

For October’s Book Club, we read The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry. Cassidy, Reagan, Madison, Gwen, Ellie, Claire, Maida, Robert, Quinn, Cameron, Charles, and Thomas were present. Here are our thoughts.

If I could be a character from this book it would be:

-Suzana
-Suzana
-Cameron
-Wyatt
-Wyatt
-Wyatt  


If I could change one scene in the book, it would be:

-I would change when Cameron and Wyatt Facetimed
-I would change that they didn't just let Matt eat frozen pizza and watch TV
-I would change the scene where the guy in the dragon breaks his arm. I want him to fall and break both arms and legs.
-So that Wyatt was flying a real dragon.
-I would change the scene in the plane. They wouldn't be looking at aereal photos and just jump out the window.
-No backpack was taken out.
-The guy fell out of the dragon onto the roof of the White House.
-The guy falls on the taxi driver.

My favorite character is:

-Wyatt
-Wyatt
-Wyatt
-Matt
  

The character I wouldn’t want to sit next to on a plane would be:

-Matt
-Cameron
-Cameron
-Cameron (the guy who toots a lot)
-the fake President (he has a snake in a box)
-Suzana 
-Suzana because she raptors people

The one character I wouldn't mind sitting next to for a long ride on the bus would be: 

-Matt because he's funny
-either of the two weird guys because I'd want to make them angry and then get to eat frozen pizza every day
-Suzana 
-Suzana because she's a fun girl
-Suzana because she's a girl and she's kind of like me (it's an adventure and I'm up for it)
-Suzana and Matt because he'd make a conversation interesting
-Wyatt or Suzana because they sound like good characters
-Wyatt because he takes down the president and people ask a lot of questions
-I wouldn't want to sit next to the farter. I would like my own seat.      

Were you confused by anything in this book?:

-Why did the fake Bresalov have a chunk taken out of his ear?

If you saved the President's life, would you ask him/her for a favor in return? Would you go big or small?:

-Big. I would ask for 15 tires in a mansion, cats, more animals, a porcupine, a Hillary Clinton pillow.
-I would not ask for something in return. You don't need to ask for something in return for saving someone's life.
-Go small, give me $50
-I would want to meet Simone Biles.
-$15 million
-I'd go small and ask for a horse. And a stable.
-I would go big and ask for a million dollars and buy a big sign that says "no big brothers"
-I'm going big, asking for a paintball arena (weapons and ammo) and a hockey rink
-I would want a mansion with a private skate park, a wave pool and air-soft guns
-I want money whenever I need it and a pill that would make me gluten-free (I wouldn't have celiac), a mansion, a wave pool, mansion on the moon
-I would buy a wave pool, a mansion on Mars, $1,000, an XBox, a paintball ring and gear, skate park, skating rink and giant LEGO mansion    

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

3-1
4-3
5-7


We will be meeting on Wednesday, November 2 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Please pick up a copy at the Circulation Desk and sign up for Book Club!