March Grades 3-4 Book Club: Orphan Island

For the March's Grades 3-4 Book Club, we read the book Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. Cameron, Hunter, Luna, Lucy, Matt, Micah, and Mirah were present. Here's what we discussed. 

Discuss the meaning of the rhyme: “Nine on an island, orphans all/Any more, the sky might fall.” What does this rhyme mean to Deen? What does it mean to Jinny? What do you think might be the origin of this rhyme?

-If anyone decides to stay, bad things might happen

-The rhyme meant different things to different characters

-Abigail might have

-The person who created the island

-The person who came to the island first

Why does Jinny not want Deen to leave? Why does she try to make him stay? Discuss Deen’s comments when he says, “The island has rules for a reason” (p. 11) and “I might be ready . . . for something else” (p. 12).

-Because he was the first friend that she had on the island. She has known Deen the longest out of all of the kids.
-He might be bored of the island.
-He might to be adventurous.-

From the way Ess talks and from her behavior when she first comes to the island, can you guess how old she is? How does her language and behavior change through the course of the year she is Jinny’s “Care”?

-Maybe three
-She doesn't say "Mama" (asking for her) anymore, so maybe she's kind of getting over her mom
-By the end of the book, Ess is four (probably) and she is acting more grown-up

Discuss the three skills that each Elder must teach to the youngest child. Why is each of these skills so important and how do they help the children to live on the island? Why do you think Jinny has trouble teaching Ess the skills ?

-The skills are so important because they keep the kids alive.
-She can't remember how she learned them.
-She didn't want to teach Ess the skills because she might have been scared about having to leave the island.
-She might not have known anything to teach.

Is it Jinny’s job to keep Ess safe or, as Ben says, “to teach her to keep herself safe”? (p. 63). What is the difference? What does this difference in perspective tell us about Jinny and about Ben?

-To teach her to keep herself safe.
-They have differences in their personalities. 
-Jinny isn't lazy. She's afraid of failing in teaching Ess how to stay safe.

Discuss the importance of the scene when Jinny swims out in the ocean by herself. How does she change after that experience? What makes Oz say, “What is it with Elders? They always get so weird at the end, don’t they?” (p. 132). How does this compare to Jinny’s experience of Deen before he left the island?

-They're scared.
-They don't know where they're going.

What is the significance of the pile of shoes? How do Ess and Loo react differently when Jinny takes them to bury their shoes? What does she discover when Loo dismantles the shoe pile?

-It's a tradition of the island.
-You are supposed to forget all about your past and where you came from.

How do the other children respond to Jinny’s decision to stay? Describe the changes in the island after Jinny stays. How do these changes affect the lives of all the children?

-They're mad.
-They're hurt.
-The mist began to thin, the winds stopped blowing as much, it started snowing, the snakes got aggressive (and venomous). 

Consider the island from the point of view of different characters. For example, what does life on the island mean to Jinny and to Ben? What sets Jak and Oz apart from the others? How does Sam adapt to his first year without an Elder? How would the story be different if it were told from the point of view of any of the children other than Jinny?

-It's all I ever knew and I should ever need to know-Jinny
-Deen wanted to see the rest of the world

-I felt bad for Loo because he never really got to experience the island

Discuss the title of the book and how it relates to the children’s perception of themselves. How is Jinny affected by Ess’s apparent memories of her mama and Abigail’s letter to her Mommaloo? Do these thoughts contribute to her decision not to leave when the boat comes for her?

-She started to question who might be an orphan and who might not be.

Toward the end of the novel, Jinny calls into question the character of the people who live off the island: “Why would anyone send us to a place with snakes and not give us snake medicines, if there are such things? What kind of parents do we have that they shipped us off to a place like this?” (p. 257). How has Jinny’s attitude about the people who live off the island changed throughout the course of the novel?

-She always thought that she was an orphan and now she's not so sure.
-She is kind of shocked that people would send their children away.

Please rank this book from 1-5, with 5 being the best.

-One 1 (because it had a sad cliffhanger ending)
-Two 2
-One 3
-Two 5

For Book Club in April, we will be reading Framed by James Ponti.

Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial and several international criminals’ most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series.

So you’re only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help…What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?

If you’re Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.

Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He’s learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It’s a technique he invented to solve life’s little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.

But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn’t little. In fact, it’s HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL.

Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case?

Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, April 8 at 3:00 p.m. Books will be available behind the Circulation Desk within the next few days. As always, snacks and good conversation will be provided at Book Club!

April Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

There used to be an empty chair at the back of Mrs. Khan's classroom, but on the third Tuesday of the school year a new kid fills it: nine-year-old Ahmet, a Syrian refugee.

The whole class is curious about this new boy--he doesn't seem to smile, and he doesn't talk much. But after learning that Ahmet fled a Very Real War and was separated from his family along the way, a determined group of his classmates bands together to concoct the Greatest Idea in the World--a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his loved ones.

Framed by James Ponti

Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial and several international criminals’ most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series.

So you’re only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help…What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?

If you’re Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.

Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He’s learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It’s a technique he invented to solve life’s little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.

But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn’t little. In fact, it’s HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL.

Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case?

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Louie doesn't have the best luck when it comes to nurturing small creatures. So when his father brings home a sickly newborn mini donkey, he's determined to save him. He names him Winslow. Taking care of him helps Louie feel closer to his brother, Gus, who is far, far away in the army.

Everyone worries that Winslow won't survive, especially Louie’s quirky new friend, Nora, who has experienced loss of her own. But as Louie's bond with Winslow grows, surprising and life-altering events prove that this fragile donkey is stronger than anyone could have imagined.