Wednesday, April 8, 2015

April Grades 5-6 Book Club: The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill


For the April Book Club, we read The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill. Cecilia, Courtney, Isabella, Julia, Kelsey, and Rileigh were present. We used the Algonquin Young Reader questions to lead our discussion: 


1. Ned is always compared with his brother and referred to as “the wrong boy” by everyone around him. Even Áine’s mother, who never meets Ned, calls him that on her deathbed. Have you ever felt unfairly compared with another person? Have you ever compared one person and another, perhaps unfairly?

-I've been treated unfairly by my sisters because they usually take over my playdate. Everyone votes for them because they are so cute.
-If I have a playdate with Kelsey, everybody wants to play with Kelsey.
-I'm not super-sporty. In gym, no one ever picks me first. All the same people get picked first.


2. At the end of chapter 2, Tam’s soul is stitched to Ned’s body. What did you think the consequences would be for Ned? Were you surprised by what happened to him?

-He was stuttering, not matter how hard he tried to talk.
-I was not surprised. His stuttering words are mixed with his brother's. He has double words; hence, the stutter. And he can't read because he has double vision from being mixed with brother.


3. Many characters, such as Sister Witch, the Queen, and the Bandit King, are never called by their actual names. Why do you think Kelly Barnhill chose to name her characters this way? Can you think of people in your life or in other stories that aren’t often referred to by their given names?

-I call Jayden Jay-Dog.
-I call my brother Cam, not Cameron.
-Murph, Ri-fi, Smurf, Izzie, KK, Kelpie
-My grandma Margaret is Peg
-I only learned that Cassia given name is Pennington


4. While Áine is a very pragmatic girl, Ned is timid and clumsy. How do their personalities complement one another on their journey? Did you identify with either Áine or Ned as you were reading?

-I am timid.
-Áine was brave and daring while Ned was always questioning things. When it came to Wolf, the roles were reversed.
-I am like Áine and Ned mixed together. I am timid but not clumsy.


5. When Áine first meets Ned and the wolf, she’s mistrustful of both. But by the end, all three are friends. At what point do you think her opinion of Ned, and her opinion of the wolf, changed? Have you ever changed your mind about someone the more you got to know him or her?

-The first day of school, I sat in Kelsey's spot at lunch. Kelsey was mad at me. I thought she was mean but the more I got to know her, I realized she's nice.
-When I first met her, I thought Julia was poor. I just wanted another friend so I overlooked it. And I thought she was annoying. But now we are better friends.
-There's a kid in the class who was really annoying and bossy. He's not as annoying anymore.


6. Why do you think the Queen and King Ott behave so differently? In the beginning of chapter 6, it’s mentioned that even when the Queen took the throne at the young age of seventeen, she displayed her famous sardonic humor. Do you think that an older King Ott would also act as he had in youth?

-A young King Ott doesn't know what he's doing. An older King Ott would be less greedy and more in control.
-He would have acted way differently if he had been older because he would be wiser.
-He would have acted differently because he would have been more mature and thinking ahead about what he was doing. When you're a teenager, you're less mature.


7. Consider the pros and cons of Sister Witch’s small portion of magic. Would you ever want to possess this kind of magic in your day-to-day life? Why or why not?


-I would not want to possess the magic because it has consequences. Sometimes having a cool thing isn't always the best thing. When a man touched the magic and wished for gold, it filled up his body.
-I would want to possess that magic because the consequences could be good. When the man died from the golden nuggets, the witch gave the gold to a poor family so it was a good consequence for someone else.
-I would not want to possess it because there would be deadly consequences.


8. At the end of The Witch’s Boy, the Bandit King frees himself from his obsessive greed and makes the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter. Do you think the Bandit King was a villain or a hero—or both? Are there other characters in the novel that seemed either good or evil when you began reading but changed as the novel progressed?

-He was a bit of both. He tried to steal the magic but then he helped his daughter.
-I think in sacrificing yourself for your daughter, you would be a good person. However, most people weren't able to see the Bandit King's good qualities.


9. In the beginning and end of The Witch’s Boy, Ned longs to go out to the sea. Why do you think that is?

-He wants to go in the beginning because it's him and his brother. At the end, he wants to finish what he started.
-I agree with Rileigh, because in the beginning, he wants to go to sea with his brother. In the end, he's finishing up what he started.

10. What would you rate this novel, with 1 being the worst and 10 the best?

-7
-9
-10
-10
-9.5


We will meet on May 13th to discuss Honey by Sarah Weeks.

For a girl like Melody and a dog like Mo, life can be both sticky and sweet.

Melody has lived in Royal, Indiana, for as long as she can remember. It's been just her and her father, and she's been okay with that. But then she overhears him calling someone Honey -- and suddenly it feels like everyone in Royal has a secret. It's up to Melody and her best friend, Nick, to piece together the clues and discover why Honey is being hidden.

Meanwhile, a dog named Mo is new to Royal. He doesn't remember much from when he was a puppy . . . but he keeps having dreams of a girl he is bound to meet someday. This girl, he's sure, will change everything.



As always, snacks will be served. It is expected that kids finish the book before arriving. Also, bring ONE suggestion for the next Book Club discussion.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

May Recommendations for Grades 5-6 Book Club

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”
 
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label.



Jinx by Sage Blackwood

A young boy named Jinx encounters magic and danger as he grows up in the deep, dark forest known as the Urwald and discovers that the world beyond--and within--the Urwald is more complex than he could imagine.



The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer

Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.

After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.

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...