Wednesday, September 19, 2018

September Grades 5-6 Book Club: The Evil Wizard Smallbone



For September's Grades 5-6 Book Club, we read The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman. Anthony, J.T., Madison and Reagan were present. Here's some of what we talked about!


Did you like Nick at the beginning of this book? Is he someone you might want to be friends with?
-I'm not sure I'd want to be friends with a manipulative liar.
-Yes, I would want to be friends with him because I can relate to him. I lie a lot to my brothers.



Why did Nick lie to the wizard about his name and abilities? 

-He didn't trust him.
-Anything he did wrong would be put under Jerry's name.
-Because he didn't want to learn anything he wasn't supposed to know.



How does Dinah use science? Are you interested in science?

-Yes. When I grow up I want to be a marine biologist or a biochemist.
-I want to be a nuclear engineer.
-I want to be a paleontologist.
-I want to be an animator.


Why doesn’t the wizard fix Miss Rachel’s legs?

-Maybe he doesn't know how.
-Because she didn't deserve it.
-Maybe the other Evil Wizard did it and the new one didn't know how to fix them.


Why is Nick’s totem a fox? If you had a totem, what would it be? 

-He's sly and clever.
-He can manipulate people.
-A Persian cat, because I've always wanted to be sleeping.
-A raven, because 1. my name almost rhymes with raven 2. I love the dark too much 3. I love to be alone, like ravens 4. Ravens love to play in the snow, as do I 5. ravens are big birds, as am I (tall)
-A rock because 1. I would be able to see everything 2. rocks can be big and I'm really big 3. Rocks are everywhere, as am I



What kind of Contract would you have made with the Evil Wizard?

-One that lets me sleep forever. My agreement is not snore.
-Turn me into a house pet and I'll be cool.
-If you teach me magic for three months, you'll never have to see me again.




What were the sentries that protected Smallbone Cove? Why have the townspeople stopped taking care of the Sentries? 
-They forgot.
-Fidelou stopped attacking Smallbone Cove so the people didn't think there was any reason to do so.
-The Wall, the Stream, the Lantern and the Weathervane 



Invent some sentries of your own. How would you keep Smallbone Cove safe?

-The bed. The werewolves would sleep in it.
-A minigun with lead.
-For Earth, I would make a tree. Whenever the leaves started to die, the people would have to start caring for it so the leaves wouldn't fall off. Or make it like the Whomping Willow. The Wind sentry would be a bird. A statue that sensed werewolves or howling coyotes presence, it would alert the town. It would have to be sparkling clean all the time. For Water, it would be a huge Koi pond that, if it sensed werewolves, it would send a wave in their direction. Fire sentry would be a campfire with a fire pit. The people would need to put a magical ingredient under the wood to keep the fire burning.
-The element of annoyance (making farting sounds).


The people of Smallbone Cove are really seals. The Evil Wizard has their sealskins, which keeps them in human form. In Gaelic mythology, such seal-people are known as selkies. Selkies were not always good. Can you think of a mythological creature that is similar?

-Centaur
-Unicorn (think of its horn and how many things it can impale)
-A harpy (half bird half woman)
-Griffin
-Dragon



Why don’t all the transformed apprentices want to stay human? 

-Because they are used to being what they were as an animal.



Was the Evil Wizard really evil? 

-Weeeeeellllllll
-The current Smallbone was not too bad compared to past Evil Wizards.
-Smallbone was into transformation but not for a long period of time. He didn't have the willpower to transform them for long.



Rank book 1-5, with 1 being one of the worst books you've ever read and 5 being one of the best.

-One 3
-Two 4s
-One 5

For October's Book Club, we will read Posted by John David Anderson.


When cell phones are banned at their school, students start communicating through sticky notes left all over the school, triggering a wave of bullying activities in the wake of a new girl's arrival.

Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk roughly 4 days after this book club. Please be sure to register for the club and pick up your copy of the book!




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If you liked The Evil Wizard Smallbone, you might enjoy:

Gidwitz, Adam. A Tale Dark and Grimm. Puffin Books, 2011

Goldman, William. The Princess Bride. Harcourt, 2007

White, T.H. The Sword in the Stone. Philomel Books, 1993.

Monday, September 17, 2018

October Grades 5-6 Book Suggestions

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds.

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.




Once Was a Time by Leila Sales

In World War II England, ten-year-old Lottie is transported via a portal to present day Wisconsin, where she must find her way back to her family and her best friend, Kitty.



Posted by John David Anderson

When cell phones are banned at their school, students start communicating through sticky notes left all over the school, triggering a wave of bullying activities in the wake of a new girl's arrival.



Restart by Gordon Korman

Chase does not remember falling off the roof, in fact he does not remember anything about himself, and when he gets back to middle school he begins to learn who he was through the reactions of the other kids--trouble is, he really is not sure he likes the Chase that is being revealed, but can he take the opportunity amnesia has provided and restart his life?



The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence

Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies.
 
Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond—and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.



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...