Woohoo! Summer is almost here, Rattlers!

I finished Divergent-- loved it!-- and am now reading Bitterblue, which is the sequel to Graceling.  It's different.  It's not as action-packed as Graceling was; it's more about court intrigue and mysteries in the castle.  And politics in a monarchy.  And love, of course.  :)  I'm about two-thirds finished, so I'll let you know what I really think at the end.

What are you guys reading?

Happy almost summer!
:)
Mrs. P

Book Club is suspended for this year. :(

It is with heavy heart I announce that, due to a lack of participation, I'm suspending book club for this year. We'll try again next year. I will probably pick up right where we left off with Watership Down as it is a completely awesome story. So keep that in mind.
I'll do summertime posts as always, so if you want to chat about what you're reading, feel free to stop in and we'll talk! I'm in two YA book clubs this summer, and here's what I'm thinking I'll be reading:
 Scorpio Races by Steivfater
 Bitterblue by Cashore
The Blood Lie by Vernick
Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (editor)
Wonder by Palacio
Possessed by Cann
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Riggs
Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Smith
Divergent by Roth
 Darth Paper Strikes Back by Angleburger
 Looks by George
Liar, Liar by Paulsen
 Anyone else have any books on the docket they're excited about? Hope to hear from you guys... :) Mrs. P

2nd round of Watership questions-- to Part II

There's some confusing language in this book, so I'm very surprised that you guys haven't posted here or even come talked to me in person. Anyway, here are the questions for this week's reading:

1. Cowslip's warren is very, very strange. Discuss the ways this warren is different from Hazel's.

2. Fiver compares Cowslip's warren to "trees in November" (ch. 14). What does he mean?

3. Both Dandelion and Silverweed recite in the great burrow. How are the two different?

4. Why does Strawberry join Hazel's group?

5. WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?

Read. Discuss. Next page goal-- Jacob, Matthew and I figured it out, and if we want to finish this book by the 14th, we have to read 87.25 pages a week. Therefore, our next page goal is to page 217, chapter 25, "The Raid." It's a little short of the actual goal, so we'll have to make up for that next time. It's good stuff, though! I hope you enjoy reading it. And if you need to, get caught up!

:)
Mrs. P

1st round of discussion questions for Watership Down

There's a lot of setting and character building at the beginning of this book-- very heavy on the exposition, but you'll be glad for it later. So, let's start with some pretty basic questions:

1. How does Hazel end up being the group leader? What are his personality traits that allow him to lead? Does Fiver have something to do with Hazel being leader?

2. Rabbits are creatures of habit. How is it that such a relatively large group of rabbits is willing to leave with Hazel and Fiver?

3. Who's your favorite rabbit so far? Why?

4. We get our first El-ahrairah story in this section. Does it remind you of anything you've read before? Describe similarities and differences!

That's it for now. I have a conference to go to Thursday, but you guys will still meet with Mr. Custis. NEXT PAGE GOAL: It's a big one-- let's push to Part II, page 132. We gotta get motivated if we're going to finish this in six weeks and still have time to watch the movie!

:)
Mrs. P

Surprise! Bookies, we have a new book ready for you to check out!

You guys were super-enthusiastic, so I went to the book room and grabbed copies. Come on up and check one out ASAP-- The reading goal for next Thursday is p. 59, "The Road and the Common." This is long, so we're going to have to crank it out if we want to finish before school's over (Woohoo!). Questions will be posted soon; until then, feel free to discuss here. The blog should be fixed! If not, shoot me an email or come up and let me know.
Yay! I love this book. It's also one of Mr. Mehsling's favorites, so maybe we can get him to come in and talk about it with us. Regardless, you guys will be able to talk to him when you see him about it-- he would like that.
:)
Mrs. P

What's next?

What book should we read, Bookies? Here are the suggestions I have so far:

1. Hunger Games to prepare for the movie release

2. Grimm Legacy

3. Three Cups of Tea

I've linked each of them to Amazon so you can read the summaries and reviews; look them over and vote today!

Keep in mind that I don't know if I'll be able to get enough copies for all of us; if that's the case, you may have to get your own either from the bookstore (new or used!) or from the public library. We'll figure it out!

:)
Mrs. P

Last discussion questions for this book!

All right, Bookies! We'll begin watching the movie version on Monday, and you will be welcome to attend as long as
a. you've participated on this discussion post, and
b. you have gotten a parent permission slip turned in to me before the movie begins.

Here are some questions for us to discuss:

1. Why did Bruno betray Schmuel? Why was their friendship able to survive this?

2. How would you describe the friendship between Bruno and Schmuel? What makes it a good friendship?

3. When Bruno dresses in the filthy striped pajamas, he remembers something his grandmother once said. "You wear the right outfit and you feel like the person you're pretending to be." (p, 205) How is this true for Bruno? What about his father? What does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the story?

4. Discuss the moral or message of the novel. What new insights and understandings does John Boyne want the reader to gain from reading this story?

5. Does The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas fill you with despair or hope? Why?

6. Rate this book: 1 stripe (not good) to 5 stripes (excellent, instant classic). Explain why!

6. Questions? Comments?

All right-- let's talk to each other about this!
:)
Mrs. P