January Grades 5-6 Book Club: Swim That Rock

For January's Book Club, we read Swim That Rock by John Rocco and Jay Primiano. Anthony, Claire, J.T., Linden, Madison, Maida, Reagan, and Ryan were present. We were joined by author Jay Primiano and his friend, poet James Geary.

Mr. Primiano shared readings from Swim That Rock, and posed questions to the kids about those specific chapters and the book itself. There were many insightful comments made by the readers, particularly about whether or not Jake is a good person even though he does some bad things. 

The kids were particularly interested in Mr. Primiano's writing process and inspiration. He compared the outline of his book to the border of a turned over puzzle. When the characters start to be fleshed out, the color begins to be introduced into the puzzle, enabling the greater picture to be seen.

We were treated to a reading from the first chapter from Mr. Primiano's next solo book, Where the Road Isn't. The group is very much looking forward to reading this companion novel to Swim That Rock.

Thank you again to Mr. Primiano and Mr. Geary for sharing Book Club with us!

We will be meeting on Wednesday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m. in order to discuss Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen.

"When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds himself in possession of an ancient amulet filled with magic once reserved for the Gods, and becomes the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and destroy Rome." Please be sure to register for Book Club and to pick up your copy of January's book at the library Circulation Desk.