February Grades 3-4 Book Club: Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

For February's Book Club, we read Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier. Caitlin, Kailynn, Mira and Mark were present. This is some of what we talked about.

Please use one word to describe your first impression of Nan at the beginning of this book:

-dirty
-brave
-witty
-adventurous

Who was your favorite character in Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster?  Why?:

-Nan. Because she's the main character and the narrator.

-Toby, because he lives under a bridge. He might be a troll. He's part troll - part human.

-Roger because he was focusing on becoming the apprentice. He stayed on topic.

-Toby and Nan and Charlie. Because they work together. And Newt.

Who was your least favorite character in this book?  Why?:

-Crudd. Because he was cold-hearted.
-He was diabolical.
-He was brutal.

What's your favorite scene of the story?:

-Too many to choose from.
-I made up a scene in my mind. After Nan walked into the Nothing Room, I made up an idea of what Dent's home looked like.
-I liked when Nan met Miss Bloom.

What's the story with the climbers? What is their role in society?:

-Fighting for their lives.
-Barely surviving.
-They are the lowest of the low.

Let's talk a little bit about Wilkie Crudd and Roger:

-Roger is okay. Until he almost kills Nan.
-But then he's nice again.
-Did Wilkie deserve to die at the end? YES!
-No one deserves to die.

Later in the book, we learn Roger's backstory. Nan thinks that he is "gone too far" to redeem. Do you believe that?:

-Some people may be redeemed.

What did you think of Nan and Charlie? Do you think that they were equals?:

-They were amazing together.
-Without Charlie, Nan wouldn't have lived.
-He sacrificed himself for Nan. Which was her purpose.

How does Nan change by the end of the story? Is she a different person than when it started?:

-She's in new clothes.
-She's clean.
-She's nicer. She's nicer to Toby.

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

-Be nice.
-Try to redeem yourself before it's too late.

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

-Brave
-Courageous
-Amazing
-Warm-hearted.
-Very nice
-Redeemable

What did you think about the ending of the book? Do you think there will be a sequel or did the author complete the story in one book?: 

-It was a good ending.
-It was a gentle ending, not abrupt.

-I liked the dreams she had
-The climbers could tell what Nan was dreaming, especially about the Sweep.

Rate this book from 1-5:

All 5s!!!!! These readers really liked this book!

For the Grades 3-4 Book Club in March, we will be reading Winterhouse by Ben Guterson.

Elizabeth, eleven, spends Christmas break at Winterhouse hotel under strange circumstances, where she discovers that she has magic, and her love of puzzles helps her solve a mystery.

We will meet on Wednesday, March 13 at 3:00 p.m. Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk. Please do not forget to register so Miss Lisa knows how many participants to expect!