February Grades 3-4 Book Discussion: The Seventh Wish

For February's Book Club, we read The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner. Cameron, Cassidy, Claire, Gwyneth, Madison, Maida, Quinn, and Reagan were present. Here's a little bit of what we talked about.



What was Charlie’s motivation for ice fishing? 

 -She wanted to show that she is brave enough
-She wanted to raise money for her dress
-She wanted to make money through Make a Wish to make money for her dress


At first, Charlie seemed undecided about whether to believe in the magic of the wish fish. What do you think? Why? 

-Charlie didn't believe in it as first. People often don't think that magic is real.
-She didn't believe in the magic because you don't often catch a magical fish
-She didn't believe at first because she thought magic wasn't was real
-I would put the fish in a bucket full of water, put it in a fishtank and keep getting wishes


 
As Charlie contemplated making a second wish, she evaluated the difference between selfish and selfless wishes. How would you classify her wishes? 

-I would say that they are not as descriptive as they need to be. They aren't thought out well. And that's how some things go wrong with her wishes
-Her wishes were mainly selfless because she used them to help her sister and Dasha and Drew
-Selfless because she was thinking of others.

 

Did Charlie grow too attached to the wish fish? Explain your opinion. 

-Yes, because she would go out on the ice just to get that fish and get a wish
-I think she was attached to the wishes but also to getting more money for her dress
-When she first found the wish fish, she wanted to go out deeper and not be afraid.


 
Charlie grew to resent all of the attention that Abby gets when she was presumably sick (and later, when her true issue was revealed). Was Charlie justified in these feelings? Why or why not? 

-She wasn't being a mean sister
-She was justified in feeling resentful because she feels that her parents dropped everything for Abby
-Abby needed the help



Abby was pretty absent from Charlie’s life while she was away at college. Did she deserve Charlie’s loyalty? Should Charlie have kept her secret? 

-It could have been more than that and she shouldn't have kept the secret



What might you want to say if Abby were your older sister? 

-Jerk
-Why did you start heroin
-Your friends are horrible
-You should not have started heroin



Charlie had an image in her head of who a drug user was. How did her perspective change throughout the book? 

-She thought that people were greasy and dirty but then she realized that anyone could be a drug addict 
-There's no one look to how a drug addict looks




Charlie keeps referring to “old Abby.” Are there really two Abbys? 
  
-There's one person; she changes mentally and emotionally
-There's 2 sides to Abby; one is the angel and one is the devil
-She has 2 sides; the old Abby would be nice and take her places. The new Abby is an addict who lies.
 

Charlie had wished on the wish fish with good intentions. Were Charlie’s wishes helpful? Explain why or why not. 

 -No
-Maybe
-The aftermath of her wishes turned out to be better than the wishes themselves

 

Why couldn't Abby make the promise Charlie wanted her to keep? 

 -She is addicted and she sees herself now as an addict.



Ranking from 1-5

-Seven 3s
-One 4s
-One 5


For March's Book Club, we will read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

"The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin."- summary

We will meet on Wednesday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. Please be sure to register for the session and pick up your book at the Circulation Desk.

March Book Club Suggestions

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he'd seen it all. But he's never met a cricket before, which really isn't surprising, because, along with his friend Harry Cat, Tucker lives in the very heart of New York City―the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma of liverwurst right into someone's picnic basket. Now, like any tourist in the city, he wants to look around. And he could not have found two better guides―and friends―than Tucker and Harry. 

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home 

by Henry Cole

Celeste is a mouse who is looking for a home.

Is it nestled in the toe of a warm boot?

In the shirt pocket of Celeste’s new friend Joseph, who is Audubon’s apprentice?

Or is home the place deep inside Celeste’s heart, where friendships live?

The Tale of Despereaux : Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.