February Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Kidsnatched from her orphange by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again.

Ragweed by Avi

Ragweed, a young country mouse, leaves his family and travels to the big city, where he finds excitement and danger and sees cats for the first time.

December Grades 3-4 Book Club: Clean Getaway

For the December's Grades 3-4 Book Club, we read the book Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. Alex and Emily was present. Here's what we discussed, with help from the publisher's website. 

Reflect on the following quotes:

 

 a. “Looks like we’re both trying to make a run for it.” (p. 48)

 b. “It’s possible to know too much about the folks in your life.” (p. 77)

 c. “So people don’t have to enjoy the wrong they’re doing to do it?” (p. 85)

 d. “Man, I hate this world sometimes.” (p. 136)

 e. “They get seventeen more days. Most of them good.” (p. 211)

 

 

Guilt is a recurring theme in this book. How does guilt motivate G’ma? How does guilt affect Scoob?

 

What is your opinion of G’ma? Was she a good person? Explain the multiple facets of her character. Is anyone all good or all bad?

 

What are some lessons or universal themes in this book? Did it make you think about anything in a new way? What? And why?

 

What are your thoughts about the relationship between G’ma and G’pop? Do you agree with her choice to not bring their son to visit G’pop in prison? Do you agree with her choice to keep secrets from her son? Reflect on this relationship.

Do you think Scoob will ever tell his dad about what G’ma confessed to him? Why or why not?

 

What realization does Scoob come to when he says, “I’m sorry you lost your mom.” (p. 215) Do you think kids sometimes forget their parents are people, too?

 

What do you think of Scoob’s decision to bury G’ma’s treasure box in Mexico? What would you have done?

Do you think events like those in the book could ever happen? Why or why not?

 

Would you call the end of the book a happy one? Why or why not?

Please rate this book between 1 and 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 the best.

-4

-4

Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, January 13 at 3:30 p.m. We will be meeting via Zoom. We will be reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.

"Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem."

Books will be available within a week. Please be sure to register so that I can email you the Zoom password!

January Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Life with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or trying to fly, he's never far from trouble. He's an almost three-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter's had it up to here! When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter's pet turtle, it's the last straw. Peter has put up with Fudge for too long. Way too long! How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?

Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins

It's never easy when your magic goes wonky.

For Nory, this means that instead of being able to turn into a dragon or a kitten, she turns into both of them at the same time -- a dritten.

For Elliott, the simple act of conjuring fire from his fingertips turns into a fully frozen failure.

For Andres, wonky magic means he's always floating in the air, bouncing off the walls, or sitting on the ceiling.

For Bax, a bad moment of magic will turn him into a . . . actually, he'd rather not talk about that.

Nory, Elliott, Andres, and Bax are just four of the students in Dunwiddle Magic School's Upside-Down Magic class. In their classroom, lessons are unconventional, students are unpredictable, and magic has a tendency to turn wonky at the worst possible moments. Because it's always amazing, the trouble a little wonky magic can cause . . .

November Grades 3-4 Book Club: Frindle

For the November's Grades 3-4 Book Club, we read the book Frindle by Andrew Clements. Luna was present. Here's what we discussed. 

What is Mrs. Granger’s famous “battle cry” that all her former students remember? 

What question does Nick ask Mrs. Granger on the first day of class to stall the lesson? How does she outsmart him? 

List the three important events that lead to Nick's big idea: renaming a pen “a frindle.” 

What exactly does Mrs. Granger mean when she says that “dog” means dog because we all agree it does? 

Why do those students want to stay after school and be punished by Mrs. Granger? Why do they consider it a “badge of honor”? 

If “ain’t” is not a proper word, how can it be in the dictionary, as Nick points out? What is Nick trying to prove when he brings this point up with Mrs. Chatham, the principal? 

Imagine that you are the reporter from the Wakefield Gazette, trying to get the scoop on the new word "frindle." What questions would you ask Mrs. Granger? How would you convince the principal to give you the real story? 

Bud Lawrence wants to own the copyright for the word "frindle." What does he plan to do with it? How can someone own the rights to a word? Explain how this is different from owning a bike or a pair of sneakers, or even a pet dog. 

When the reporter from the TV station asks Nick “What’s next for you and your new word?” Nick replies that “frindle belongs to everyone now.” How can a word belong to everyone? What does someone “do” with a word that belongs to them? 

How does the experience of inventing a new word and becoming a celebrity affect Nick? Why does he think twice about testing out his new idea: protesting the poor food in the cafeteria? 

In her letter to Nick (which he opens years later, after he’s in college), Mrs. Granger says: “A person can watch the sunset, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or make it go backward.” What do you think this observation has to do with Nick’s word? 

Why does Mrs. Granger “expect to hear remarkable things” about Nick in the future? Can you predict — based on his creativity and his restless challenging of rules and conventions — what kind of remarkable things he might go on to do? 

Can you recall the early parts of the story and Mrs. Granger’s “war” against Nick and his new word? Now that you know what her real intentions were — to intentionally make herself “the bad guy” — try to imagine what she was thinking when she posted her angry notice, or when day after day she kept all those students after school. 

Do you think Nick really knew what he was getting into when he started spreading the word “frindle”? How did Mrs. Granger — who tried to make obstacles for Nick — realize the possibility of Nick’s new word?

Please rate this book between 1 and 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 the best.

-A 3

Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, December 9 at 3:00 p.m. We will be meeting via Zoom. Books will be available behind the Circulation Desk within a week. Please be sure to register so that I can email you the Zoom password!

For December's Book Club, we will be reading Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. 

For the life of him, William "Scoob" Lamar can't seem to stay out of trouble--and now the run-ins at school have led to lockdown at home. So when G'ma, Scoob's favorite person on Earth, asks him to go on an impromptu road trip, he's in the RV faster than he can say FREEDOM. With G'ma's old maps and a strange pamphlet called the 'Travelers' Green Book' at their side, the pair takes off on a journey down G'ma's memory lane. But adventure quickly turns to uncertainty: G'ma keeps changing the license plate, dodging Scoob's questions, and refusing to check Dad's voice mails. And the farther they go, the more Scoob realizes that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--G'ma included.

Please be sure to register for Book Club so I know to send you the Zoom password!

December Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
    Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
    Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
    Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
    A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Take a trip with an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.

Wish by Barbara O'Connor

Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite.

But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is, until she meets Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.

October Grades 3-4 Book Club: The Friendship War

 

For the October's Grades 3-4 Book Club, we read the book The Friendship War by Andrew Clements. Cameron, Chase and Kaylee were present. Here's what we discussed. 

What is Grace’s relationship like with Grampa? How would you describe Grace’s family?

 -They get along really well. Sometimes she and Ben don't get along.

On page 20, Grace says her room is like a museum of her life. Why does she collect things? What value do they hold for her? Would they hold the same value for someone else?

 -Her things hold memories.

-Because her grandpa does it.

 

Buttons become valuable at Grace’s school. What makes the buttons valuable to other students? What gives something value?

-Prettiness

-How much they cost

-Something that you like is valuable

What are some ways that Grace’s and Ellie’s personalities are different? What experiences may have made them this way?

-They don't always have the same teachers

-Ellie always gets her way

-Grace lets Ellie gets her way

 

In the beginning of the story, Grace questions how Ellie can be her best friend if Ellie makes her so upset. What are some important qualities in a friendship? Does Ellie have these qualities at the beginning of the book? Does she by the end? What causes the change?

 -everyone has to cut down trees to save the environment (make new houses for homeless people)

-people should agree with each other most of the time but not all time

-Ellie changes a little bit. 

 

What lessons do Grace and Ellie learn? How do they learn these lessons? Who do you think changes the most?

-Social studies

-How to be a better friend

-Ellie changes more because she gets meaner and meaner but then nicer and nicer 

 

Discuss: Have you ever struggled in a friendship or had conflict over a fad or trend at school? Explain.

 -I have struggled with a friend

-I struggle with friends as well. One friend always wants to do what he wants to do. And he always interrupts.  

-Last year, Pokemon cards were a fad at school. People traded them all the time.

-The buttons broke friendships, just like the broken pinwheel button. 

Who is the meanest character in the book? How are they mean? The nicest? What makes them nice?

 Ellie is the meanest. Hank is the nicest. Grace is in between.

 

Do you think events like those in the book could ever happen? Why or why not?

 -Yeah, every day.

 

Would you call the end of the book a happy one? Why or why not?

 -Happy because they are all friends again.

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

-4 across the board

For Book Club in November, we will be reading Frindle by Andrew Clements.

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, November 18 at 3:00 p.m. Please note the later date due to the Veteran's Day Wednesday holiday the week before. Books will be available behind the Circulation Desk within a week. As always, snacks and good conversation will be provided at Book Club!

 

November Grades 3-4 Book Club Suggestions

Amulet. Bk. 1, The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals. Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants—rather than the BFG—she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight—and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun—and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty's secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd's anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?