Wednesday, December 16, 2020

December Grades 5-6 Book Club: 24 Hours in Nowhere

For December's Book Club, we read the book 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling. Julianna, Lucy, Natalie, Nicole, and Rileigh were present. This is what we discussed!


1. The home lives of the four main characters are all very different. Which one do you think is most like your home life? Why?


2. Why do you think Bo is a bully? What do you think you should do when you see someone being bullied?

 

3. What do you think Rossi means when she asks Gus if he’s going to let someone else’s actions define who he is? Has anyone ever made you feel bad about yourself? How do you handle those feelings?

 

4. What examples of teamwork can you find in the story? Do you think any of the four characters could have survived if they’d been alone?

 

5. Why are Gus, Rossi, Jessie, and Matthew so poor? Have they made choices that have caused their poverty?

 

6. Rossi collects scrap metal from the desert and sells it to the scrap yard so she can maintain her dirt bike. Do you have to pay for any of your own things? If so, how do you earn the money to pay for them?

 

7. Do you think people look down on others due to their poverty? How do you view others who have less than you?

 

8. The story is told in the first person, from Gus’s point of view. How do you think the story would change if it were told from Rossi’s, Jessie’s, or Matthew’s points of view? What if it were told from Bo’s point of view?

 

9. Can you find an example in the story of a time when Gus, Rossi, Jessie, and Matthew each sacrifice something to help someone?

 

10. Gus often uses humor when talking about his living situation. Why do you think he does this?

 

11. Why does Gus believe acing the SAT is his only way to get into college? What does this reveal about the extra challenges people face when they are born into poverty? What do you think it means to be born with privilege?

 

12. Think about the setting the author has chosen. How does it affect the way you read the story?

 

13. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story in an hour-by-hour format?

 

14. The Gus we meet at the beginning of the story is different from the Gus at the end. How is he the same, and how has he changed? How have the other characters changed?

 

15. How do the relationships between the four main characters change from the time they enter the mine to when they finally make it out of the cave? What do you think caused these changes?



Rank this book from 1-5.

-Two 3s
-One 3 1/2
-One 4 1/2
-One 5


Our next Book Club will be held on Wednesday, January 20 at 3:30 p.m. We will be meeting via Zoom. We will be reading The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

"After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door."


Please be sure to register for book club via email (jamlibkids@gmail.com) or call 423-7280. Miss Lisa will get a copy of the book to you. You also need to register so that Miss Lisa can send you the Zoom link and password the day of Book Club!

January 2021 Grades 5-6 Book Club Suggestions

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart


Five years.

That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.

It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.

Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.

Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...

Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”



Rules by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public" -- in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors.

But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?



The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

November Grades 5-6 Book Club: The War I Finally Won

 


For November's Book Club, we read the book The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Cooper, Dylan, Mark, Rileigh, and Sarah were present. This is what we discussed!


In chapter 1, Ada tells the reader “You can know things all you like, but that doesn’t mean you believe them.” (pp. 1) What do you think this phrase might mean?

 

“Eleven years into the war between the rest of the world and me.” (pp. 2) The rest of the world is at war with each other but Ada is at war with the rest of the world. Why is Ada at war with the world? Why does she have a negative relationship with the world?

 

“Lady Thorton could upset just about anyone. When I’d first met her, before I knew her name, I called her the iron-faced woman. She was sharp like an ax.” (pp. 5) How are Ada’s initial judgments of Lady Thorton proven wrong?

 

“I would have to think hard to find any good memories.” (pp. 26) In the early chapters of the novel, Ada is reflecting on the end of her relationship with her mother. Based on Ada’s emotions and reflections, what kind of relationship did Ada have with her mother?

 

“I sat in front of the fire and practiced breathing, in and out, to keep myself calm.” (pp. 75) Ada struggles throughout the story with her emotions. In what ways does she learn to manage her emotions?

 

“It made me feel calmer that the food was so bad.” (pp. 85) Christmas is a difficult time for Ada. Why does she find it difficult to enjoy nice things?


“I needed a doll a long time ago,” I said. “It’s too late for me to have one now.”’ (pp. 93) What purpose do dolls have in a child’s life? Why is it too late for Ada to have a doll? What might the doll symbolize?

 

“Oban had a grace and elegance Butter could never touch. It was like the difference between the Honorable Margaret Thorton and me.” (pp. 101) Is it important to consider the personalities of the horses and ponies in the book? How do the personalities of the horses reflect the personalities of the humans in the book?

 

“Education is a luxury in war-time. Jonathan left Oxford to fight. I do not see why this girl’s education should be ahead of his.” (pp. 127) Do you agree with Lady Thorton? Should Ruth still be entitled to an education when Jonathan and other men are away fighting in war?

 

“I’ll tell the boys at the airfield about you. You’ll give them courage, you will.” (pp. 235) Why does Ada’s story inspire Jonathan?

 

“I don’t think I’d better share the details. But I can say that we’re learning things about Hitler, and what he’s doing in Europe, to capture civilians and even to his own countrymen, that make this war seem extremely necessary. More than necessary. Right.” (pp. 375) Using the appendix to guide you, what job with the army did Lord Thorton do at Bletchley Park during the war?

 

“Ruth needs horses the way I needed horses.” (pp. 281) Why do Ruth and Ada need horses? What effect does horse-riding have on the girls?

 

“So your mother was a monster. It doesn’t mean mine is. It doesn’t mean Lady Thorton is.” Ruth prodded me with her foot. “People are complicated. You, yourself, are not the easiest person to love. But you are still my sister.” (pp. 316) How does Ada’s relationship with her birth mother impact the way she views other maternal figures in her life?

 

Why does Ada travel back to her old home at Elsa Street with Lady Thorton? Why is it significant that she visits her old home? What does this communicate to the reader about her physical and emotional journey?


In the novel, Ada has a fascination with learning new words and their definitions. She becomes quite upset when Jamie begins to call Susan ‘Mum’ despite at the end of the novel, Ada also calls Susan ‘Mum’. How do you think Ada’s personal definition of a ‘Mum’ changes over the course of the novel?

 

Can Mam ever be forgiven for her treatment of Ada and Jamie? Like Ada and Jamie, is she too a victim of her circumstances?


“You’re eleven years old,” Susan said. “You get to be the child now, Ada, for once in your life. I will be the adult.”’ (pp. 92) What are the roles and responsibilities of children and adults? Should there be different expectations for different age types? Or should expectations be leveled with a person’s maturity and experience? 


Rank this book from 1-5.


-Two 4.5
-5


Our next Book Club will be held on Wednesday, December 16 at 3:00 p.m. We will be meeting via Zoom. 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling.

"Welcome to Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the United States. For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere's biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of the best racers in Nowhere, comes to his rescue--but in return she has to give Bo her prized dirt bike. Determined to buy it back, Gus agrees to go searching for gold in Dead Frenchman Mine, joined by his old friends Jessie Navarro and Matthew Dufort, and Rossi herself. As they hunt for treasure, narrowly surviving everything from cave-ins to mountain lions, they bond over shared stories of how hard life in Nowhere is--and they realize this adventure just may be their way out."

Please be sure to pick up your copy of the book and register at the Circulation Desk so that Miss Lisa can send you the Zoom link and password the day of Book Club!

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...