April Grades 5-6 Book Discussion: Paper Wishes

For April's Book Club, we read Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban. Cadence, Grace, Lily, Michaela and Sophia were present. This is some of what we discussed.

We first looked at a Paper Wishes classroom guide provided by Macmillan in order to get some historical context on the book that we just read: http://www.loissepahban.com/pdf/PaperWishes-Classroom-Guide.pdf
 

What is Manami’s life like on the island when the story opens?

-it was peaceful and she liked going down to the beach

-she loved her dog and hanging out with her dog
-Yujiin

Manami compares her “not normal” morning to her “normal” morning. What is the difference between the two?

-she wakes up and goes to school in her normal. The not normal is that her grandfather is too sad about the dog and he doesn't take her anywhere.

What details in the story tell you how the islanders feel about Manzanar?

-they want to go back home
-they were miserable and depressed 
-her grandfather didn't want to do anything because he was depressed

What details in the story show you how the family feels about Ron’s arrival? 

-they want him to go back to college because they are concerned that once he is at the camp, he'll have to stay
-they are glad to have him with them but concerned about his safety

What is the author trying to show when Manami goes out to save her mother’s garden?

-she is trying to show that she is excited about the garden
-the garden represents their home because they brought the bulbs and seeds from home. They all work to protect it from the rain.

How does Manami decide to use the paper Miss Rosalie gives her?

-she paints and draws pictures
-and she writes to her dog and sends them in the wind

What do you think happened to the paper wishes Manami sends into the air?

-they got to the other dogs
-they went into the ocean
-they went up to space
-they got stuck in trees

How would you describe the relationship between Manami and Ron? 

-good
-he always tells her the secrets, the things that her family and grandfather won't tell her
-Manami trusts Ron more than anyone in her family
-Manami is sad when she finds out Ron's secret

Describe Mother’s garden in October. Was the garden ultimately successful?

-Manami spent so much time keeping the garden

Why does Grandfather think Manami is ready for a new dog?

-she really misses her old dog
-because she's still not talking
-the garden showed them that she is responsible

How does Manami respond to the bus driver when he tells her no dogs are allowed on the bus?

-she screams "no..no...no!" 
-because she found her voice again

Did you like how the story ended without a “and they lived happily ever after?” We don’t know what happens to the family when they arrive at the next internment camp. Do you think that they are now equipped to do well there after their experiences at Manzanar?

-no because it's a story. Things would not have ended up well.
-I was expecting a real ending to the story with her finding the dog 


How would you rate this book, with 5 being the best and 1 being the worst?

-3+
-4
-5 (lots of details, months as chapters). It was peaceful and I liked the way it was presented.
-almost a 4
-3 1/2


We will meet on Wednesday, May 17 at 3:00 p.m. in order to discuss The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.

 
"Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . ."-amazon.com


Please register and pick up your copy of the book at the Circulation Desk!

May Grades 5-6 Book Suggestions

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Regan Barnhill

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.
Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson

Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you'll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She's the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don't even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one-of-a-kind.

Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won't be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan, more of a quest, really, to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them—and what the three of them mean to each other.