December Grades 5-6 Book Club: The Giver

For December's Book Club, we read The Giver by Lois Lowry. Claire, Emma, Kamea, Madison and Reagan were present. Here's some of what we discussed.

We had such an amazing conversation today centered on The Giver. It was so thoughtful and insightful that I didn't want to break the flow by typing what we discussed. The questions below formed the basis for our conversation but we went into a lot of philosophical "stuff" that can't be covered here. Needless to say, these kids put a lot of thought into the book and what it means to have free will. I am so impressed with these guys. :)

If you were attending the Ceremony of Twelve with Jonas, what Assignment do you think the Elders would select for you?

Jonas’s community has a lot of rules. Do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

What do you think of how families in Jonas’s community are formed?

Would you rather be selected, as Jonas was, or assigned, as his groupmates were?

Can you imagine giving up such things as snow and hills because they are impractical?

Do you agree with Jonas that people have to be protected from wrong choices? 

Do you agree that painful memories are made easier when they are shared? Do you think it’s fair that one person in the community—The Receiver—should have to be burdened and pained by memories so that no one else is?

Do you think the elderly should be part of the community, or separate, as in Jonas’s community? 

What do you think of what Jonas’s community calls “release”? Were you surprised at what it was?

Jonas knows that if his plan fails, he could be killed. But he believes that if he stays, his life is no longer worth living. Do you agree?

Jonas briefly wonders whether he made the wrong choice when he decided to run away. What do you think?

Although most of the memories have left Jonas, the feelings have not. Why do you think that is?

How do you think the story ends?

Rate this book between 1 and 5:

-Three 4s
-Two 5s

For January's Book Club, we will be reading Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk.

"Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn't until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger." -- (Source of summary not specified)

We will meet on Wednesday, January 17 at 3:00 p.m. Please remember to register for Book Club and pick up your copy of the book at the Circulation Desk a few days after the previous month's meeting.

January Grades 5-6 Book Suggestions

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk JANUARY

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.

Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin

Ben Coffin has never been one for making friends. As a former foster kid, he knows people can up and leave without so much as a goodbye. Ben prefers to spend his time with the characters in his favorite sci-fi books…until he rescues an abandoned mutt from the alley next-door to the Coney Island Library. Scruffy little Flip leads Ben to befriend a fellow book-lover named Halley—yes, like the comet—a girl unlike anyone he has ever met. Ben begins thinking of her as “Rainbow Girl” because of her crazy-colored clothes and her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day.  Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her.  But as their story unfolds Ben’s life begins to unravel, and Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home.



The Wonderling by Mira Bartok FEBRUARY

Welcome to the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an institution run by evil Miss Carbunkle, a cunning villainess who believes her terrified young charges exist only to serve and suffer. Part animal and part human, the groundlings toil in classroom and factory, forbidden to enjoy anything regular children have, most particularly singing and music. For the Wonderling, an innocent-hearted, one-eared, fox-like eleven-year-old with only a number rather than a proper name — a 13 etched on a medallion around his neck — it is the only home he has ever known. But unexpected courage leads him to acquire the loyalty of a young bird groundling named Trinket, who gives the Home’s loneliest inhabitant two incredible gifts: a real name — Arthur, like the good king in the old stories — and a best friend. Using Trinket’s ingenious invention, the pair escape over the wall and embark on an adventure that will take them out into the wider world and ultimately down the path of sweet Arthur’s true destiny.