Monster Video Trailer

The Nook Hunger Games

The last two Thursdays were SAVAGE at MPL with middle schoolers fighting to the death in our very own Hunger Games. Ok, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we did have fun competing in Hunger Games inspired events. :)

The meeting started with a discussion of the book. We found that splitting the club into two groups made for much deeper discussion and more chances for everyone to be heard. The book evoked discussions about right and wrong, basic human rights, our culture's fascination with "reality TV," and what our future could hold.

After the discussion, we split into two-person districts and competed in the Nook Hunger Games. We started with a physical challenge (wheelbarrow races), and then we competed in a Cornucopia Challenge. Just like in the book, we raced to claim survival items including everything from crackers and water to weapons (don't worry, all plastic) and anti-venom medicine. Wearing flag football belts, we had to be careful to dodge the other tributes. If they stole one flag, you were "wounded." Two, you're dead! Most survived the Cornucopia Challenge, but a few unfortunate didn't survive for the last round, the intellectual challenge. This was a four minute book trivia quiz, and it was HARD! There could be only one winning district. Mariah P. and Shyan D. were the seventh/eighth grade winners while Chad S. and Christina D. won for the fifth/sixth grade. CONGRATULATIONS TRIBUTES!

See you on the 10th (7th and 8th grade) or the 17th (5th and 6th)! And remember, you must FINISH THE BOOK!

Here are a couple pics from the Cornucopia Challenge. Go to the Nook's facebook's page for more!

Hungry For More??

Phew! I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of The Hunger Games! I stayed up until 1:00am this morning finishing the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire. Now it's on to the final book, Mockingjay! Speaking of which, how would you like to have your very own hardcover copy of Mockingjay? Become of a follower of this blog, and your name will be entered in a drawing to win the book. Click "LIKE" on the Nook's facebook page, and you'll be entered twice. The winner will be announced at our March meetings, so enter now!

We had our 7th/8th grade meeting last night to discuss The Hunger Games, and it was a blast! I won't spoil the activites for the 5th/6th graders who meet next week, but let's say that I was impressed by the deep discussions and greatly entertained by our very own version of The Hunger Games. Let's hope next week is just as fun!

Two new members joined last night bringing our total for both groups up to 27! WOW! Who said kids don't like to read? HA! Way to go!

We made the newspaper!

Click here to see the front page article in the Maryville Daily Forum about our book club! (Forgive the awful photo of me!)

The Hunger Games trailer

The Hunger Games Movie Gets Release Date

NEW MEETING TIMES!!

Due to the large number of members in book club, I have decided to split our meetings up by grade. Seventh and eighth graders will meet the second Thursday of the month as usual, but fifth and sixth graders will now meet the THIRD Thursday of the month. We will keep it this way until further notice. Hopefully this will allow for better discussion!

Sooooooo......

Our next meetings discussing The Hunger Games will be:

Thursday, February 10 for 7th and 8th grade
Friday, February 17 for 5th and 6th grade

May the odds be ever in your favor! :)

Our January Meeting is History!

And history is just what we talked about. We found that many kids were a little out of their comfort zone when reading historical fiction, but for the most part, were glad to be introduced to a book they never would have picked out on their own. We were exposed to what slavery was really like- more than just the surface information we learn from our history textbooks. We had some serious discussion, and then we lightened the mood with a competitive trivia game. We ended the night with some Revolutionary War era "turtle soup." :)

Our next book (voted on by YOU) is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I just started it, and I can honestly say that it is a page-turner!

Our next meeting is Thursday, February 10 from 4:00 to 5:30. Happy reading!

First Nook Meeting

Our first book club meeting was a success with 21 kids attending. Even though they had less than two weeks to read the book, almost everyone had finished Harris and Me! Way to go!

The group had a great discussion about the book and played some fun games. Lucky winners received some crazy Christmas prizes. We ended the night with snacks and a vote of what books we wanted to read next. The ballots have been counted... you will find out the results at the next meeting.

We also passed out copies of our next book, Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. You can check out its book trailer and book review (written by yours truly) below. If you missed the meeting (and have a good excuse), you must contact me at the library (I work Thursday and Friday) or just e-mail me at jill@maryvillepubliclibrary.org in order to receive your copy of Chains. Mrs. Nolte will NOT have extra copies, so don't bug her about it. :)

THE NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011! WE WILL MEET FROM 4:00 UNTIL 5:30.  Please let me know IN ADVANCE if you cannot make it to the meeting (please e-mail). See you then and have a Merry Christmas!

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Nook Book Club is officially underway!

We had our first informational meeting about the new middle school book club today at the middle school. Over THIRTY kids attended! WOW! It was announced that our first official meeting would be Thursday, December 9 from 4:00 to 5:30 in the basement of the public library. We will be reading the book Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen. This is a hilarious book! If you've already read it, oh well, read it again! (Just don't spoil any key parts for the other kids!) To claim your copy of the book, you must turn in the parent permission slip that was handed out today to Mrs. Nolte by TUESDAY! (We originally said Wednesday, but then I found out that you don't have school on Wednesday.) Mrs. Nolte will make an announcement when the books are in. (I can't order them until I get permission slips in for a final count.)

Happy reading!

Review of Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I have been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson ever since I read her first novel, Speak. I had never read a book which so perfectly captured modern teenagers’ sarcasm and angst. When I picked up her novel, Chains, a 2010-2011 Truman Reader Award Nominee, I had my concerns about how well an author who used 21^st century teen slang could transition to a historical fiction account of a young slave girl during the American Revolution. I expected a lovable, yet semi-believable heroine dropped into a watered-down version of this time in history.  I underestimated this author’s writing chops.

Anderson proves to be a writing chameleon in Chains, melding her marvelous prose into a 1700s setting as convincingly as she creates her modern-day settings. Anderson didn’t just throw in some 18^th century jargon here and there to earn the label of “historical fiction.” By telling the story from the perspective of Isabel, she captured the historical diction in the thirteen-year-old slave’s every thought. Impeccably researched without feeling like a history textbook, she throws the reader into a brutally realistic nation in the grips of war. Chains keeps the reader captivated from page one when orphaned siblings Isabel and Ruth, expecting to be freed as promised upon the death their owner, are instead sold to an affluent and cruel New York couple. My heart broke as their new owner, Mrs. Lockton, treated their physical and emotional abuse as a sport. Anderson does not shy away from showing the brutal ways slaves were treated as some young adult novels may; she shows the truth in a tactful way that no one—child or adult—can take lightly.

I couldn’t read this book without thinking of all the teaching opportunities it held. Each chapter began with an excerpt from an authentic newspaper article, speech, or book from the time period, each foreshadowing what was to happen in the chapter and making the book hard to put down. Chains also made this reader who isn’t a big fan of history want to go out and learn more about the American Revolution. I found myself questioning the role of slavery during the Revolutionary War. When I think slavery, I think Civil War. Anderson teaches the reader that a staggering number of Americans owned slaves during this time that they were fighting for “freedom for all people.” Slaves actually fought for both sides of the war, often promised their freedom for doing so.  It was a harsh reality that neither the British nor the Americans were interested in freeing the slaves for any reason other than helping their side win the war. Can you imagine all the classroom discussions this book would evoke?

Even though it sits on the Young Adult shelf, Chains is a book for any age. It is not just a story about the American Revolution or slavery; it is a book about basic human rights and the difference between right and wrong. Readers will not feel detached from this main character by centuries or skin color; they will simply feel pain for a fellow human being who has lost her family and been deprived of her God-given rights. Chains is one of those books that I will never forget, and it deserves every award it will surely receive.

Coming soon to the library... Forge, the sequel to Chains.