November Grades 3 & 4 Book Club: Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

For November's Grades 3 & 4 Book Club, we read Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley. Vivian, Xavier, Ben, Teddy, and Thomas were present for our discussion. Ms. Colleen used questions from the Educator's Guide to start our conversation.

For December's Book Club, we will be reading Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop.

"Does Superman ever make mistakes? What was Wonder Woman's eleventh birthday like? Does Aquaman smell like fish? In this new middle-grade graphic novel, iconic heroes are asked big and small questions, and when they are not busy saving the world, the Justice League even finds time to respond. Their honest and humorous answers will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid."—Summary

To register: visit the circulation desk, email Miss Colleen at jamlibyouth@gmail.com, or give us a call at (401) 423-7280. We will gather in the Meeting Hall. Masks are required for this indoor event.

For New Book Club Members: At each session, the kids vote on a book to read together for the next month. Then, Miss Colleen orders enough copies of that book through the Ocean State Libraries consortium. You pick up the book at the library (usually a week after the last book club). Books are never due before Book Club. Please reach out with any questions.

December Grades 3 & 4 Book Club Suggestions

Antihero by Kate Karyus Quinn 

"Piper Pajaro and Sloane MacBrute are two 13-year-old girls with very different lives but very similar secrets. Popular, outgoing Piper is strong. Like, ripping-the-doors-off-cars strong. She longs to be a superhero, even if she tends to leave massive messes in her wake. Snarky Sloane, on the other hand, is super smart. Like, evil-genius-smart. To help her family, she has to put those smarts to use for her villainous grandfather.

When a mission to steal an experimental technological device brings the two girls face-to-face with each other, the device sparks and the two girls switch bodies! Now they must live in each other's shoes as they figure out a way to switch back."—Summary

Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop, illustrated by Gustavo Duarte

"Does Superman ever make mistakes? What was Wonder Woman's eleventh birthday like? Does Aquaman smell like fish? In this new middle-grade graphic novel, iconic heroes are asked questions, both big and small, and when they are not busy saving the world, the Justice League even finds time to respond. Their honest and humorous answers will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid."—Summary

Saucy by Cynthia Kadohata

"Being a quadruplet can make it hard to stand out from the crowd. Becca's three brothers all have something that makes them... them. Jake has his music and dancing, Jammer plays hockey, and K.C. thinks they're all living in a simulation and doesn't see the point of doing much of anything. Becca is the only one with nothing to make her special.

But when she finds a tiny, sick piglet on the side of the road, Becca knows this is it. This is her thing. She names the piglet Saucy and between her own pleading and Saucy's sweet, pink face, Becca convinces her family to take her in. Soon, Saucy is as big a part of the family as anyone else—and getting bigger. With each pound Saucy gains, she becomes more capable of destroying the house and landing Becca in trouble.

Some tough decisions need to be made about Becca's pet, and her search for solutions brings to light exactly where Saucy came from. Turns out, there are a lot more scared piglets out there, and saving them may take Becca and her brothers finally doing something together."—Summary