Wednesday, November 12, 2014

November Grades 5-6 Book Club: Floors by Patrick Carman

For the November Grades 5-6 Book Club, we read the book Floors by Patrick Carman. Ali, Courtney, Izzie, Rileigh, Kelsey, Laurel, Harry, Cecilia, Olivia, and Evan were present. Here's a little of what we discussed.


In the beginning of the story, we learn that Merganzer D. Whippet’s father’s dying words to him were “You will prosper in the field of wacky inventions.” How do these words shape Merganzer’s life as a young man?. Explain the true meaning of his father’s dying words.
-He felt that he had to obey his father and so he made the best, most wacky hotel possible.
-His father was a big part of his life and so he wants to do as his father says.
-It takes a big place in the story because Merganzer is always wondering "What does that mean?"
-I think that his father was a big part of his life, too, because he built the Whippet Hotel in honor of father.
-The last book is called The Field of Wacky Inventions.

Describe the ways in which Leo Fillmore and Merganzer D. Whippet are alike. How might these similarities affect their relationship?
-They are alike in how they both like to invent things. They are curious and mysterious. Those things make them similar. Leo's inspiration is the hotel and he wants the hotel to be his.
-They both own or owned a hotel at one point.
-They're similar because they both like to walk the ducks and they both like the Double Helix and they are good friends since they met. All of those things affect their relationship.
-They both love ducks, the Whippet Hotel and their love of inventions.
-They are very alike because Merganzer made the secret rooms and other challenging things for Leo because he knew that Leo would figure it out.
-I think that they were alike because they both have an interest in ducks.
-They are alike because they both like to walk ducks and the Double Helix.
-They are both eccentric.


Why do you think Merganzer D. Whippet has made it so difficult, and at times so dangerous, for Leo to find the hidden floors and rooms in the Whippet Hotel? 


-Because it's a challenge for him but he knows the hotel so well.
-He made the crazy rooms because Merganzer and Leo think the same way about things and they have the same strategy for solving things.
-The floors were kind of like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Willy Wonka and Merganzer are both eccentric and kind of similar.
-I think that Merganzer wanted Leo to find out the hidden floors because he thought that Leo was special and he could hand the hotel down to him.
-He knew that Leo would always find the way and he'd had fun by the challenge of the puzzle and mystery aspect of the hotel.
-He made it dangerous because he didn't want anyone else to get into it (like Miss Sparks) and he wanted to make it challenging for anyone who might have gotten in. He didn't want to make it too easy for Leo, though.


How does the scene inside each mystery box relate to Merganzer D. Whippet’s childhood experiences? 
-He liked making picture boxes as a child.



As the story progresses, Leo gets the sense that his father, Clarence, is changing; he is becoming less sad. Do Leo’s actions bring about any of these changes?

-He's starting to change because he has his wife's ring back. He has a closer bond with Leo because they are talking about the mother.
-I agree with the above comment because Clarence is usually a quiet, average person. When he gets the rings back, he seems more alive.
-They bond over the mother and her "newly-found" ring. He feels better about getting over the mother's death.

The Whippet Hotel is filled with unusual guests. Which guest would you most like to meet? Captain Rickenbacker, Mr. Yancy, Jane Yancy, Ms. Pompadore, or Theodore Bump? Why?

-The Captain because it signals that he is a captain, which is awesome. That is what I'd like to do.
-I would like to be Miss Sparks because she said "I will return!" I want her to return so that I can kick her in the shins.
-I think that I'd like to meet Captain Rickenbacker because he seems weird and insane.
-Same as the top comment.
-I want to be Jane Yancy because she is so rich and can afford an island.
-I would most like to meet the Captain because I'd like to go to his room and play the pinball there. I want to visit him because he sounds awesome and insane.
-I would like to meet Remi because he's cool. And he smells like enchiladas.


If you could live in any room in the Whippet Hotel, which room would you choose?
-I would like to stay in the Flying Farm Room because I get to see a flying pig.
-I would like to live in the giant pinball machine.
-I would like to live in the pinball machine because I want to play the really big pinball.
-I'm not sure. Maybe the robot room. Or the flying farm room. Or the cake room.
-Pinball.
-I want to live in the cake room.
-I would like to live in the Flying Farm Room because it has cute little animals.
-I would like to live in the Haunted Room or the Pond Room. (changed mind to Library)
-I would like to live in the Robot Room because I would have Blop around and it would make homework so much easier.
-I would like to live in the Library (Mr. Whippet's Room) because I love to read.
-Many people changed their minds to Cake Room. And the Robot Room.


Why do you think Merganzer D. Whippet chooses to leave the Whippet Hotel to Leo Fillmore? Would you have made the same choice? Why or why not?


-I think that I wouldn't have left the hotel to Leo because I don't know what Merganzer has been through. In terms of life experiences.
-I would not give the hotel to Leo. I wouldn't ever give it away.
-I would have given it to Leo. Merganzer knows that Leo loves the hotel just as much as he does.
-I think I would have given it to Leo. Leo went through a lot. Although he didn't know that the hotel was intended for him, Leo almost died in order to be considered as an heir to the hotel. His father being the janitor is also helpful.
-It would be rude to not give it to Leo.


For Book Club in December, we will be reading The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm. "Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter." Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, December 10. 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!

December Recommendations for Grades 5-6 Book Club

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
 With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.


The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry


As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.


The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

All aboard for an exciting tale of steam-powered automatons, a bloodthirsty sasquatch, colorful circuses, and magical paintings. Aspiring artist Will Everett knows he's not cut out to follow in the footsteps of his railroad manager father, but his pampered life leaves little opportunity for adventure. Then he boards The Boundless, the world's largest and most luxurious train. After acquiring the key to the railway owner's funeral car, Will is running for his life, pursued by deadly enemies who will do anything to possess the car's valuable contents. He is rescued by Mr. Dorian, ringmaster of the famed Zircus Dante, and an escape artist called The Miraculous Maren. These two performers, however, have their own secret agenda for helping Will. As The Boundless thunders toward its destination, Will must decide who to trust, if anyone. Along the way, Will is on the adventure of a lifetime. With its imaginative plot, cast of colorful, well-rounded characters, and nonstop action, Oppel's latest is a delight to read from the first page right through the satisfying conclusion.

June Grades 5 & 6 Book Club: Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor

  For June's Book Club, we read the book  Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor   by Ally Carter.  Nicole, Natalie, and Julianna were...