The Book Club Shelf

Shooting the Moon

Author: Frances O'Roark Dowell

Lexile Score: n/a

Genre: realistic/ historical fiction

Maturity level: 4th/5th grade - nothing too mature here, some understanding of the Vietnam war would perhaps heighten the understanding?

Pages: 176   Chapters: 15  Average Chapter Length: 12 pages

Theme: war, family, photography, how people change, the symbol of the moon

Project ideas: Moon photography (and/or actual film development vs. digital photography); study of Vietnam; Gin Rummy

First Line: The day after my brother left for Vietnam, me and Private Hollister played thirty-seven hands of gin rummy, and I won twenty-one.

Main Character: Jamie Dexter, and to a lesser degree her absent-but-present-through-photographs brother; also her friend Hollister

Review in 25 words or less:  Simple, brilliant story powerfully and precisely told.

Grade: A

On the recommendation of Fuse #8, I ordered a copy of this small, unpretentious book and had a read-through.  It is wonderful!
Jamie Dexter is a military brat whose father is a colonel and whose brother has enlisted to be sent to Vietnam.  As the story progresses Jamie, who has been pro-war and battle-ready her whole life, begins to reconsider things as she sees her brother's photos from Vietnam.  Instead of sending her letters to describe the war, he sends her his undeveloped film rolls to show her.  No words, just photos.  And in each roll, a photo of the moon.
I feel that this book would work better with older elementary students, only because a coinciding study of Vietnam would be much easier to get into more deeply.  The reading level is probably a bit lower than 5th grade, making it an ideal book for a book club who can handle more complex subject matter and high level mature discussions, but perhaps requires a shorter, less dense text.  Great themes to explore here, and (at least for this reader, who never even had any siblings gone to war) strong emotional connections.

Chasing Vermeer

Author: Blue Balliett

Lexile Score: 770

Genre: mystery fiction

Maturity level: 3rd grade, unfortunately the allusion to art and math concepts need lots of explaining at the 3rd grade level.  I'm putting it on the 5th grade list.

Pages: 260 if you include all maps and forwards and postscripts, which you should.   Chapters: 24  Average Chapter Length: 10 pages

Theme: math, art, friendship

Project ideas: I've always got out the pentominoes sets during the reading of this book.  I think that's fairly obvious.  I've also asked the art teacher to do a mini-unit on Vermeer, which she has always been more than happy to do!  Last year I purchased the complete works of Charles Fort as well, and had students read some selections from it.  I think Ms. Balliett does a fine job of illuminating Fort's work within the story, but reading the original text can be a motivator.

First Line: On a warm October night in Chicago, three deliveries were made in the same neighborhood.

Main Character: Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee

Review in 25 words or less:  Did not hold up to a second reading.  Balliett is trying a little too hard.

Grade: B-

On paper (which I guess is a phrase that doesn't work quite as well in regard to books), the concept of this book thrills me!  Geometric puzzles, art history clues, and natural phenomenons?  I love it all!  And even when I first read this book, I was totally gripped by the story and all the layers of mystery and curiosity.  It was in my second reading that this house of cards flattened out on me.

This book frustrated me much in the same way that Harry Potter has.  The author just takes too many liberties to allow the reader to feel part of the story.  It feels unfair when an author gets to have a surprise hidden panel in the wall at the end of the story.  I don't know if this is so much true for all genres.  A mystery, however, should be tight.  It needs to feel like a completed puzzle at the end - either leaving you feeling satisfied that you called it right, or amazed at how well it all came together.  When it feels like a jumble that nobody could have pieced together except the author (and even appears that the author took pains to make it more complicated than necessary) it just doesn't work.  In some cases of literature (and art!), when you think "I could have made that," it is a compliment on how easy the creator made it look.  In the case of Chasing Vermeer, and knowing full well my limitations as a writer, thinking "I could have written that" is not a good thing.

For a book club book, I think this will still be a delight to young readers.  If the club is given all the extra ingredients to completely lose themselves in a world of mathematical and artistic mystery, fall in love with Chasing Vermeer.  I have only read this book aloud with students.  To independently read it as a book club, students would probably need to be older and have strategies for figuring out the references the book makes.

The Willoughbys

Author: The Lois Lowry

Lexile Score: not yet available, probably in the 900s due to length of words but - alas! - there is a glossary

Genre: fairy tale of the dark and irreverent variety, parody

Maturity level: 3rd grade, although the kindly old man does consider "patting the nanny's behind affectionately as she bends over."  (gasp!)  At what maturity level can children safely discuss offing their parents?

Pages: 174 if you include all postscripts, which you should.   Chapters: 20  Average Chapter Length: 6-7 pages

Theme: parody, fairy tale, love and hate, child-parent relationships

Project ideas: write a subversive fairy tale

First Line: Once upon a time there was a family named Willoughby: an old-fashioned type of family, with four children.

Main Character: No real main character, the story is quite evenly divided between the cast

Review in 25 words or less:  Not sure about this one.  Fun to read, but not Lowry at her best. 

Grade: B

The Willoughbys was really fun and fast to read.  Lois Lowry has stuffed it full of wonderful words and a fast-paced plot.  (The part where the parents die is literally an aside within a sentence it moves so quickly.)  The darkness of the story about children who want to be orphans and parents who wish to be free of their children certainly held my attention, much in the style of A Series of Unfortunate Events. 

I don't know if there is a literary term for this genre - meta-literature?  It is a story that is about stories; in that it pokes fun at fairy tales, refers to classic literature, and constantly calls itself old-fashioned.  For some reason, while reading this, I just felt like these ideas were somewhat tired.  It's almost like the book is too pleased with itself for me to join in on the pleasure.  I certainly think it is clever, and I still think Lois Lowry is the master of middle-grade fiction.  Obviously she wrote this book for the sheer enjoyment of writing - even putting it right on the cover "nefariously written by..."  I have come to expect her work to be so tight, and this book is wildy scattered and full of gaping holes.  She is too good to leave unanswered questions, so there is an epilogue, but it just quickly patches everything up so it can be over.  Thank god she didn't have the candy-inventing old man name his new candy bar "Baby Ruth" as she set up the reader to believe would happen.  That would have ruined it.

As a book club book, I am just not sure what to do with it.  I can definitely say that it has given me a lot to think about, as has every Lowry book, but it isn't because of the themes.  This book has left me considering how I feel about its style.  Would it give students that same discussion fodder?  Will they catch the allusions (well, actually, direct references) to classic literary characters?  Will discussing how to get rid of their parents lead to high level talk?

While reading the story, my mind kept wandering to one question.  Are all children's books tools for teaching reading?  I mean, at some level, all books help us all become better readers.  But, specifically, are children's books - when read by students who are still increasing vocabulary and understanding of literary styles and flexing their comprehension strategies - always tools for improving reading?  I really am having trouble finding what a student would gain from this.  It certainly is a great exercise in vocabulary building, what with its Very Own Glossary.  But beyond that, I think other Lowry books fit the book club shelf better.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Author: Richard and Florence Atwater

Lexile Score: 910

Genre: realistic fiction  (OK fine, not-so realistic fiction.)

Maturity level: 3rd grade

Pages: 137   Chapters: 20  Average Chapter Length: 7 pages

Theme: Dreaming big, travel, science themes of penguins or antarctic exploration  

Project ideas: Study penguins, mail-order a live one and keep it in the refrigerator

First Line: It was an afternoon in late September.  (um, no offense, but maybe not the best first line ever?  How about, "Mr. Popper filled an ice-cube tray, jamming it into the freezer amongst all the frozen fish."  Just off the top of my head.  OK that's pretty boring too, but you get the idea.)

Main Character: Mr. Popper, and Captain Cook the Penguin

Review in 25 words or less:  Stands the test of time, the story moves along nicely, lots of good juicy words and imaginative scenarios.

Grade: B+

I have read this book five times now with 3rd graders.  For some reason, I always dread rereading it.  But then, during the story, I get back into it.  Some stories are like that I guess.  Some are Re-readers and some are not. 

A few things I somehow forget between readings I would like to write here and hopefully remember for next time:

1.  Mr and Mrs. Popper live in Stillwater!  They also visit Minneapolis.  A study of major cities and states would not be entirely out of place paired with this book.  The penguins visit Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and New York.  i asked the students what states these cities were in as we read, and I did not get a lot of correct guesses.

2.  The book is filled with fabulous alliteration!  Making note of this early on gets the kids looking for it as we read and cements the concept for them.  Popper's Performing Penguins

3.  This time through, I paused when the penguins made noises: "gook!" and "ork!" were some of the more common ones.  On cue, the students would make the sounds.  It really kept them on track following along, and they seemed to really enjoy attempting the sounds in various intonations.  (How does a penguin ask a question said as "ork?" versus making an exclamation of "ork!")

4.  A few years ago, I attempted to read the entire book as though it were "Mr. W's Penguins."  Each time it read the word Popper, I substituted my last name.  Well, I ended up forgetting fairly regularly, and the kids were more concerned with reminding me than with comprehending the story.  I guess they were paying attention at least.

A great book for book club; not a lot of deep, high level themes to pore over.  A good 3rd grade starter book, perhaps.

Being Teddy Roosevelt

Author: Claudia Mills

Lexile Score: none yet, my guess = 600

Genre: realistic fiction

Maturity level: 3rd grade (the kids in the book are 4th graders)

Pages: 90   Chapters: 10  Average Chapter Length: 9 + an illustration or two per chapter.

Theme: Overcoming obstacles.  My book club students had several other themes that only fit for a chapter or two, such as biographies, music, & forgetfulness

Project ideas:  Research a famous hero and have a biography tea party!

First Line: Riley gave up.

Main Character: Riley, who is studying Teddy Roosevelt.

Review in 25 words or less:  Wonderful middle grade fiction, good themes and fun story lines, personal connections come easy and learning about biographies along the way is a bonus!

Grade: A

This is an absolute must-have for the 3rd grade book club shelf.  Riley is a forgetful 4th grader with a life full of challenges.  He desperately wants a saxophone, as his class will soon be starting instruments in music.  His parents are divorced and there is very little money for such extravagances.  In class, his teacher has assigned the students a famous person to study, report on, and ultimately dress up as for her annual "Biography Tea."  Riley gets Roosevelt and throughout the story finds connections between Teddy and himself - ultimately transcending his obstacles and getting what he wants most.

This book is SO CLOSE to perfect!  I really wish it had more connections between the historical figure biographies and the students studying them.  Specifically, I wish the pairing of Riley and Roosevelt worked out better.  He ends up having to rely on his friends (was that a theme of Teddy Roosevelt's life?) to accomplish his goal.  Some of the connections for the other students are actually quite wonderful - his best friend, Grant, is studying Ghandi and has some brilliant episodes of humility, poverty, and compassion.  One of the girls in class studies Helen Keller and her attempts at blindness and deafness add some interesting scenes, however lacking in actual deep connections.  It would have made for such great discussion to have some more conflict with the students and their biographies. 

I shouldn't take anything away from what is really a wonderful story.  My students enjoyed it thoroughly and had wonderful discussions about earning money, emulating their heroes, and friendship.  I won't put it in the top 5, but it is definitely a staple of the 3rd grade shelf.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Author: Linda Urban (her first!)

Lexile Score: none yet, my guess = 600

Genre: realistic fiction

Maturity level: 3rd grade (some talk of boys having crushes on the girls, all very innocent)

Pages: 211   Chapters: not numbered - many short chapters, often only a single page, some even a single word!  Average Chapter Length: beats me, maybe 1-2 pages

Theme: perseverance, friendship, music, disapointment

Project ideas:  piano lessons?  learn an instrument?

First Line: I was supposed to play the piano.

Main Character: Zoe Elias

Review in 25 words or less:  Fun, light read - classic theme of parents-jut-not-understanding. 

Grade: A

I think this would make a wonderful book club book.  Zoe has the unique situation of having her dad buy her an organ when she actually wants a piano.  Urban's diary-like writing style really hooks the reader into feeling empathy for Zoe.

I'm sure most students would be familiar with pianos, but I wonder how many would need to see an organ or at least a picture of one to get an idea of how it works.  Much of the story and plot are dependant on at least an acquaintance with the organ, so there would need to be some background knowledge.  Zoe plays several classic TV hits from the 70s and I also wondered if young readers would follow what was happening, but I suppose those parts are just funny on different levels of understanding.

Zoe interacts with boys at school and one of them "likes" her.  I don't think it is at all inappropriate for 3rd grade or older students.  Other complicated issues present are divorce and agoraphobia.  It should make for some interesting discussion!

The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Lexile Score: 760

Genre: Fantasy

Maturity level: 5th-6th grade.

Pages: 180   Chapters: 23  Average Chapter Length: 9 pages

Theme: free will, society/community, love/hate, utopia, euthanasia, equality, pain/pleasure, the importance of memory, individualism

Project ideas:  Discussion, discussion and more discussion

First Line: It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.

Main Character: Jonas

Review in 25 words or less:  An absolute must-have for upper elementary book club shelves.  Unsettling, thought-provoking, heavy.

Grade: A

If the ultimate goal of book club is to develop deep comprehension and critical thinking skills, then this book is the perfect tool.  There is so much for students to pour over in search for meaning.  It is unsettling at several different levels, and I would expect a fairly mature book club to find their way into conversation without much prodding from the teacher.

I would not start book club rookies out on this for their first book.  I think the group would need to be fairly comfortable with each other and have a high level of trust and acceptance - students (and even teachers!) would need to feel confident to try out ideas without judgement and be able to sort out their thoughts in an open, caring atmosphere.

In my experience, many book club books often have very superficial themes that students grasp and extract connections from.  I don't think such books propel them to higher levels of thought and understanding.  I often hear something like, "This book is about a brother and sister fighting, and I sometimes fight with my sister too."  There just isn't anything for them to take their ideas a step futher.  When the book clearly presents thought-provoking themes that students grab onto and want to discuss, it is a wonderful thing.  Book clubs are for books that MUST be discussed and CANNOT be read and understood (quite as fully) by yourself.  This is exactly the type of book that is made for book club.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Author: laura Amy Schlitz

Lexile Score:

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Monologues

Maturity level: Hmmm, I really wish I could have my 3rd graders make a movie out of this RIGHT NOW! - but I have to admit it would work much better with maybe 5th-7th graders.  All allusions to mature subject matter are handled brilliantly so as to be both factual and realistic, yet in no way inappropriate for young students.

Pages: 81  Chapters: n/a - 19 different monologues, two two-person poems Average Chapter Monologue Length: 2-3 pages - all are very similar in length - indeed, that was the whole point!

Theme: Medieval history, celebrating differences, classism,

Project ideas:  Let's see, I know there must be something you could-- HOW ABOUT PERFORM THE PLAY!?

First Line: The Feast of All Souls, I ran from my tutor - Latin and grammar - no wonder!  (each piece has a delicious mouthful of a first line)

Main Character: equally divided between 23 main characters - can you count the vilage itself as the main character?

Review in 25 words or less:  A joy to read and how much more to perform!  Good Masters, Sweet Ladies, get yourself a copy and 22 friends and find a stage!

Grade: A

I guess the question that seperates this website from the rest is, would this book make a good book club text?  How close to you have to come to the original purpose of a text for it to be an authentic read?  Laura Amy Schlitz even adds sidebar notes as to pronunciation and when to breathe - hardly directions for silent independant reading!  I will put it thusly: if I were to get a set of these for use in book club I would certainly put the question to the students - both before and after reading - as to how they feel the text should most appropriately be interacted with.  Then I would force them to perform it. :)

It is a delight to read both as entertainment and as information.  I learned at least one new thing from each master and lady of the village.  The sidebars were always helpful, both for direction and for historical note.  They were never wasted or overused - one even withheld information and promted me to go brush up on my saints knowledge.  (and yes, Erasmus's martyrdom was disgusting)  Schlitz has made a masterpiece here, and was completely deserving of the Newbery.  Even if I don't have six copies on my book club shelf, I'll always have a copy available to students!

I Was a Third Grade Spy

Author: Mary Jane Auch

Lexile Score: 510

Genre: Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Maturity level: 1st grade+

Pages: 86  Chapters: 17  Average Chapter Length: 4-5/ with pictures

Theme: Keeping secrets, Communicating with animals, Caring for animals

Project ideas:  Teach your pet a new trick

First Line: Today was my first day of school and could have been my last.  (says the talking dog, Arful)

Main Character: Arful the dog and his owner, Josh

Review in 25 words or less:  Solid cheap paperback, no downsides but also no real upsides.  Bread and butter of the 3rd grade book club shelf, but definately not the beef Wellington

Grade: C (as in, average)

Not every book choice in the book club shelf can be a literary masterpiece.  Or can it?  This book (and it's prequel -I Was a Third Grade Science Project) are definately on the list of books to be preened when better choices are available.  I'm not saying it is a bad book, but it just doesn't have easy discussion material the way a Despereaux or a Frindle does.  I asked the students what lessons were learned and how the characters changed from the beginning, and they responded: "They learned to never teach your dog to talk."  Well, great, but applicable to real life?  Several students mentioned that they enjoyed the book because it was "easy and fun to read."  I can't argue with that logic, but I am not so sure it's the food growing readers thrive on.

Links:

Author's web site

Leepike Ridge

Author: N.D. Wilson (his first?)

Lexile Score: Seriously Lexile people, get with the program, this book has more buzz than a reanimated housefly in January

Genre: Adventure of the high variety

Maturity level: Hmmm, 3rd grade?  The death toll piles up near the end, but none are graphic or unwarranted (wait, did I just write that?  Could I ask a book club if the character deserved to die?  Does that somehow lower the maturity reading level?  "Yeah, it's really for upper elementary, but since the bad guys were asking for it, 3rd graders would be cool with all the gore.")

Pages: 240  Chapters: 13  Average Chapter Length: 18 pages, no illustrations

Theme: Survival, Perseverance, Hope, Friendship

Project ideas:  Prapare a baggy of supplies you'd like to have with you if you were stuck in a cave for three years?  Feidl trip to the local spelunking facility?

First Line: In the history of the world there have been lots of onces and lots of times, and every time has had a once upon it.  OK can we start giving out medals for first lines?  That is brilliant.  Made even more brilliant when one has finished the book and rereads the first page.

Main Character: Tom (the kid) and then Elizabeth (the mom) and then Reg (the skinny cave-dwelling comedian)

Review in 25 words or less:  Instant classic, required on your shelf, Adventure, humor, well-written, social studies connection, edge[ridge]-of-your-seat suspense.

Grade: A

I need to add a category of somehow ranking the titles according to their usability in book club - i.e. how well do the themes allow for discussion?  is the main character easily connected to?  Does the plot have controversial (or at least discussion-stimulating) twists or decisions?

This book has it all.  I definately recommend it for any student book club.  I am a little unsure about what grade level to recommend it for.  I need to get some advice on that.  It would be great to look at research of early North American explorers in conjunction with this read.  Maybe have a look at Who Was First?  by Russell Freedman or something similar.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am certain that students would as well.  I found a great thematic discussion PDF file on the publisher website that I will post to the pages list.

Links:  Discussion sheet