Our facilitators’ comments are so good that we couldn’t resist sharing them with you:

Northern Lights Books & Gifts, Duluth, MN, led by Linda Glaser: We had our largest crowd yet at Northern Lights Books in Duluth. Eleven people showed up.

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN, led by Heidi Hammond and Natasha Thorager: Eleven people attended the Chapter and Verse at The Red Balloon, including Natasha and me. Natasha shared an article from the New York Times “The Kids’ Books Are All Right” about adult interest in young adult literature.

We also took time to talk about current books we are reading. Some of the books members shared are The Red Pyramid (Riordan), Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Lewis), and The Enchanted Castle (Nesbit).

Natasha attended Camp Read-a-Lot this summer and introduced numerous books. She did a lot of reading! You can link to all the Camp Read-a-Lot book lists.

Heidi Hammong brought several books the 2011 Caldecott Committee has been sent to consider. One of them is Debra Frasier’s A Fabulous Fair Alphabet. Debra will have a booth at the Minnesota State Fair and families can play her Fabulous Fair Alphabet game.

The Red Balloon staff shared a booklet of photos Debra created after her visit to their store to celebrate her book.

As they do every time Chapter and Verse meets, The Red Balloon provided one copy of each of our reading selections for next month, and we had a drawing with two lucky, grateful winners.

P.S. We had chocolate bugs for our treat!

Redbery Books, Cable, WI, led by Beverly Bauer: We had popcorn in stadium cups since we were doing the Play Ball story of Ace Lacewing.

The Bookcase, Wayzata, MN, led by Vicki Palmquist: For the group of 8 at The Bookcase, the evening’s discussion revolved around what books are becoming. We had two elementary school librarians, one public librarian, and one college librarian with us last night. The elementary school librarians (one public school, one private school) commented that graphic novels are increasingly popular among all kinds of readers in their schools, even though some parents don’t consider it “reading.” The public librarian commented that graphic novels are now shelved separately in their libraries so patrons have ready access to this type of reading material. We discussed graphic novels, the book Meanwhile (which allows the reader to choose an outcome on every page), e-books, online reading, the Internet experience, television, and gaming … and how all of the multi-tasking experiences of young people is leading to a change in books. We all agreed this is neither good nor bad, just different than what we’re used to thinking of as books. When I first booktalked graphic novels five years ago, roomsful of librarians and teachers would sit with their arms crossed, emphatically certain that graphic novels were a momentary aberration. Today, we find far more willingness to talk about this book form. Although I still hear a good deal of association between graphic novels and reluctant readers, more people are admitting that all kinds of readers enjoy graphic novels and illustrated novels (even adults).

written and illustrated by David Biedrzycki
published by Charlesbridge, 2008
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, August 19, 2010

The Bookcase, Wayzata, MN: Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective (David Biedrzycki, Charlesbridge) was chosen to discuss what a graphic novel is and isn’t. Ace Lacewing has many characteristics of a graphic novel, but it isn’t one. Our group discussed how it would be different if it had been done in graphic novel format. The book’s trim size would have to be different and the impact of the tiger beetle dominating Ace Lacewing would lose its impact. In graphic novels, a great deal happens between the frames. The reader can fill in the background and the “then what happened” before we take up the story again. Ace Lacewing is more of a straight narrative with setting and emotional details supplied by the text. Our readers commented on the puns, the variety of accurately-depicted insects (well, except for the trench coats), and the movie-like paintings. Several people commented that this felt like a movie in a book. This picture book also led to a discussion of cultural literacy. Young children won’t be familiar with film noir and the Humphrey Bogart-like narrator’s voice, but once it’s modeled for them, this could be a good way to open their minds to this aspect of American history and culture.

Northern Lights Books & Gifts, Duluth, MN: Most people really enjoyed Ace Lacewing. They loved the humor, the puns, the drawings that added to the humor, the fact that there was a strong female character who was not only beautiful, but smart, and the fun in general. Our group thought parents would enjoy reading this to their kids because it has adult appeal as well as kid appeal. Our 7th grade teacher in the group thought her seventh graders would enjoy it because of the humor and all the information about insects. We were impressed with the insect information that was included. All in all, most people thought it was a great choice for kids.

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN: We also enjoyed Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective. It was an old-time private eye novel for children and we heard Humphrey Bogart or Guy Noir as the narrator. If you go to David Biedrzycki’s website, you can view the movie of Ace Lacewing with the bluesy jazz soundtrack that fits the book perfectly. We thought the color palette was wonderful, and like SSA, the reader could learn about science (bugs) from the book. The book was compared to Marjori Palatini’s books with the word puns. It’s a book written on two levels for kids and adults to enjoy. We passed around a second Ace Lacewing book – Bad Bugs Are My Business.

Redbery Books, Cable, WI: We discussed both Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective and Ace Lacewing, Play Ball so we discussed both books. We loved the play on words and the clever illustrations. In some instances we thought the humor would be lost on children as in the names of the ballplayers Mickey Mantis and PeeWee Reeks. It does resemble a graphic novel in the fact that the illustrations do have a lot going on. It could be read straight through or by examining the action in the background.  It combines science and humor. The author’s web page is a nice addition to the science piece where each bug is given a profile card, including facts of the bug plus description of the fictional version.  We thought the structure of the hardboiled detective story set up suspense but the real point of the story was not the mystery so much as the vehicle of it for the clever use of words. We had an actor present who had just played Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. She could read the story with her accent in just the perfect Guy Noir voice.

written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis
Bloomsbury, 2009
ISBN 978-1599903965

The Bookcase, Wayzata, MN: In our discussion of Secret Science Alliance (Eleanor Davis, Bloosmbury), comments ranged from the busy-ness of the pages and trouble discerning what was happening to delight with all there was to look at. The book can be read for the plot, but it’s also enjoyable for readers to stop along the way and scrutinize maps, diagrams, signs, and inventions. Our college librarian particularly felt the double-page spread on pages 34-35 was one of the best parts of the book: a reader could spend 20 minutes discovering everything offered on those pages. We felt that the three main characters are distinct personalities with discernable interests and quirks. Although the plot of Big Evil Guy vanquished by our heroes was familiar, it was the details of how it was done that were intriguing and kept us reading. This book created the biggest amount of discussion about reading “text books” versus graphic novels and how things are changing … what do we as adults prefer and what do young readers prefer? Many of our group were comic book readers from way back, watched TV while reading, but we agreed that the Archie and Jughead experience was not the same as today’s graphic novels.

Northern Lights Books & Gifts, Duluth, MN: Secret Science Alliance also had a good response from the group. Though most of us aren’t drawn to graphic novels, we commented that the busyness of the illustrations is the way kids’ minds work nowadays. And we thought that kids would want to spend a lot of time engrossed in the illustrations–similar to a Where’s Waldo experience. Most of us were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the book. We liked the humor, the strong message against bullying, the three strong characters, the fact that the characters weren’t stereotypes. We liked the father and how he was supportive of his daughter. We also thought the plot worked well–including all those inventions that came into play at the end. There was a discussion about how graphic novels work well for struggling readers. We thought this book had a lot of merit and that a wide variety of kids would probably like it.

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN: We started our book discussion with The Secret Science Alliance. One of our members couldn’t be there, so she sent an email stating how much she loved the book. She would like to see the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award nominees include a graphic novel. We thought children grades 3 up through middle school would enjoy the book. We appreciated how all the details in the illustrations extended the story, but that as more linear readers, we sometimes have difficulty stopping to examine illustrations that carry much of the narrative. We don’t think children of this generation have trouble with that, though. We liked how the author/illustrator sometimes provided guidance in the order the panels should be read. Natasha cautioned us about doing an author search of Eleanor Davis as her website includes some of her illustrations with adult content (http://doing-fine.com/). We liked that the book dealt with science and that one could actually learn some science by reading the book. Each of the main characters was distinctive, but their parents didn’t always understand them. Also, Ben’s father had a low opinion of Ben which probably contributed to his lack of self-esteem. We are looking forward to a sequel!

Redbery Books, Cable, WI: We felt the busy graphics were a distraction for us but understood that kids are comfortable with this format and it’s video-game like. We are an old-fashioned group and are more comfortable with the old fashion linear text and the comic books from our day. If you are concrete sequential, it’s hard to know what to read first. Also, graphic novels are not a quick read and a plus is that it can be revisited many times with new insights. The characters were likeable, well-defined and we liked that they did not reflect a stereotype.  The rest of the conversation reflects much of what the other groups have shared.   The story happens independent of adults, who are not all that supportive. That was a positive message for readers. One member thought it was a lost opportunity to reframe the concept of nerd. But maybe that happened indirectly.

We looked at the people involved in the production and their job descriptions. Created, written, and drawn by Eleanor Davis seems straightforward but we wondered how inked might be a different job than colored. We were especially intrigued that “lettered by” was listed. Is that lettered by computer and fonts created by the letterer?  With technology it’s hard to tell what might be lettered by hand and what by machine—a funny thing to get intrigued by.

Split

written by Swati Avasthi
published by Knopf, 2010
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, July 15, 2010

At Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, the book group thought:

We had a split decision on this book between being too violent or being authentic. Split is a good title for the many kinds of splits that happen—split from home, split lip, split relationships, etc. We liked the cover with the dual image although the emphasis was on the keys and not everyone saw the face profiles.

While there was a lot of heartache in the story, it was satisfying that the boys could transform their lives and had other adults in their lives that they trusted. The author was clear about the boys having the potential of continuing the cycle. The ending was what one could expect:  a happily tied-up ending would have been unrealistic as it takes years to come to terms with a life of abuse.

Miiriam became a mother figure to Jace and his anger management but had a more difficult time with blending it into her relationship with Christian. The educators in the group felt that another dimension that was left out would be Miriam’s sidestepping the legal, ethical, and professional aspect of reporting. This would be a whole different story line but did she have any conflict with her role as a teacher in this situation?

Some felt it would be reaffirming to anyone who was in a similar situation. The aspect of abuse is so often portrayed as a socio- economic issue with poverty and chemical abuse that this spin was needed. Reality of both boys′ difficulty in revealing that part of their pasts is interesting to think about how it changes people′s perception of who you are.  The chess game with the queen being the authority figure and its role in Jace′s life was nicely done.

When the group at The Bookcase, Wayzata, Minnesota, discussed Split, they were curious (aghast?) about the circumstances in which the main character found himself. People realized they had their awareness of domestic violence raised in a way that made the readers quickly understand how a “normal” family and an average teenager could be torn apart by a situation of family abuse. It was very disturbing that the father, and abuser, was a highly respected judge. The slow build-up of trust between Jace and his brother Christian was a powerful aspect of the story, although some people were bothered that Christian had simply walked away from the situation. It was good that Jace had such a full life away from his family … this helped the book club understand him as a whole person. And that fortified readers when Jace faced his toughest challenge. Overall, this group felt that teens would avidly read this book, learning about an aspect of life that still isn’t talked about much, but primarily because it’s a well-told story.

Over at The Red Balloon Bookshop, we began discussing Split before Swathi arrived at 7:30. It was a book that some couldn’t put down and others could only read a bit at a time because it was such a difficult topic. We liked the book and are happy it is receiving positive reviews. The book’s realism is what made it so hard to read. That the father was a powerful judge and knew how to beat the system as well as his wife and children (he knew where to hit so the bruises wouldn’t show and deliberately bruised his wife’s face as a test) was frightening. The scene is the garage was brutal. Swathi said she chose a male for her main character because we learn what we see, and boys who witness abuse grow to become abusers. She also discussed learned helplessness and society’s “blame the victim” mentality. She said that, as a society, we tend to treat men better than women and cited Mel Gibson’s latest fiasco as an example. We did not think Miriam was as believable a character as Dakota. We felt Miriam was a little contrived, but she helped move the plot along. We liked that Dakota looked out for herself and at the end was uncertain about being able to be with Jace. We talked about the cover and Swathi showed us some of the other possible choices that had been suggested to her and we agreed with her that the cover chosen was the best. We wondered if the paperback version would have the same cover. Swathi also talked about the book trailer. She was delightful and we were so happy that she visited us. She kindly drew the names of the book club members to win next month’s books, a gift from The Red Balloon.

At Northern Lights Books & Gifts in Duluth, Minnesota, the group agreed with Judy Sheriff who said, “I don’t know when we’ve read two such totally different books!”  Linda Hagstrom, who facilitated the group in Linda Glaser’s absence, wrote, “We all agreed with this wholeheartedly, but both books generated lively, good discussion.”

Bad to the Bone

written by Lucy Nolan
published by Marshall Cavendish, 2008
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, July 15, 2010

At Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, we’ve talked before about writing for kids requires you to think like a kid but have the insight of an adult. This was pure fun in which the author seemed to think like and have the insight of a dog. We felt it was entertaining for all ages and good for reluctant readers as well. Some felt that the humor was higher level than the reading level.  It is great skit or reader’s theater material. It could also be used to teach point of view. Poking fun at the adults through dogs instead of a sassy child was refreshing. The house painting scene is good for prediction. The dog obedience school was reminiscent of Abbott and Costello and “Who’s on First?”.

The Red Balloon Bookshop group in Saint Paul, Minnesota had this to say about Bad to the Bone: Bad to the Bone was considered cute by the children it was read to, but that was all. The illustrations were playful and the dog’s point of view could be enjoyed by all ages, and could be used to teach voice or point of view to older children. Pinkerton, Behave! and The Great Gracie Race might appeal to those who liked this book.

In Wayzata, Minnesota, at The Bookcase, the group talked about all the great classroom possibilities for this book. Teaching point-of-view, doing a readers theater or short skit, and animal empathy were discussed. They couldn’t think of too many books for this reading proficiency level that are so funny or entertaining. “Why didn’t I know about this book?” asked one of the elementary school librarians. The book club members are delighted to add this to their bag of book tricks.

Emma's Poem

written by Linda Glaser
illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, June 17, 2010

At Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, we liked Emma’s Poem and felt that it could be used with a wide age range of students. The illustrations are reminiscent of Barbara Cooney. We recalled memories of studying or visiting the Statue of Liberty.  Knowing some of this information at that time would have enhanced the experience.

Linda Glaser is the facilitator of the book club at Northern Lights Books & Gifts in Duluth, Minnesota. She’s also the author of Emma’s Poem. Here’s what she had to say about her group’s discussion:

In my group, everyone liked both books very much (to my relief because Emma’s Poem was mine).

Mainly teachers and librarians attended. A kindergarten teacher and a 7th grade teacher both read Emma’s Poem to their classes and said that the students seemed to get a lot out of it–at their age level. The 7th grade teacher had her class do a “chunking” exercise. She divided the book into 4 sections and had each student fold a piece of paper into 4 parts. She read the first section of the book and then asked them to “chunk”–to reflect on it in some way (drawing a picture or using words to express: how it relates to their life, what it makes them think, what they think will happen next, or whatever reaction they have). She read us some of the more insightful, imaginative, or thoughtful “chunks.” I was very impressed.

Here’s a sampling:

“When I see the scene of Martin Luther King Jr. giving his I have a dream speech to all those people, I imagine Emma reading her poem to that same big crowd but instead of the Washington Monument, behind them I see the Statue of Liberty.”

“Emma is like Lady Liberty The two are symbols of what America stands for–freedom, fairness and integrity.”

“Emma sees that the people who have no material things are people just like us. This is kind of like the recession we are in. Good, smart people are losing their jobs. Good, smart people in the book don’t have jobs because they are judged too quickly.”

She gave me the whole collection. What a gift!

Meanwhile, at The Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota, no discussion took place in June. There were tornado warnings! They discussed the book at their regularly scheduled meeting in July:

Everyone said they learned so much from the book Emma’s Poem. We felt that by writing her poem, Emma proved the power of the pen. One member read this book to her four children (10, 7, 4, and 1) and they requested it again and again. They poured over the pictures. We enjoyed the simplicity and rhythm of the language and appreciated Linda’s letter to the book clubs. Thank you.

Daddy-Long-legs

written by Jean Webster
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, June 17, 2010

Redbery Books had a small group. However, one of our members on vacation sent her comments for the group. Instead of sending her comments via email, in the style of Daddy Long Legs she wrote a snail mail letter. Very fun.

We liked the book, although one member first listened to it and did not enjoy the audio version. The members felt that teens today would be able to relate to the universal nature of the coming of age.  Judy’s joy of discoverying a whole new world after leaving the orphanage might be more difficult for today’s teens to comprehend with the saturation of media. One member suggested it would be interesting to pair with a contemporary author for comparison. The illustrations enhanced the story and showcased Judy’s wit and humor.nced the experience.

At Northern Lights Books & Gifts, Linda Glaser said Daddy-Long-legs was very well received. “We mused on the fact that it was written in the early 1900′s and was so progressive for its time. We wondered about the author and were grateful that she had pursued her writing career before getting married and having children (since, tragically, she died after the birth of her first child) We also reflected on why the book has withstood the test of time. We decided that it’s because her main character is strong, feisty, and funny. Most of us really loved the book. We read some passages aloud. We read her last letter—her first love letter aloud and all got teary-eyed. Others made us laugh out loud. We wondered what type of child would appreciate the book in this day and age. We believe there are kids today who would.”

The crew at The Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota discussed the book a month later. They were avoiding tornadoes in June! Here’s what they had to say after their meeting in July:

We loved Daddy Long Legs and thought it would still appeal to children today because the book was not quaint, had stretching vocabulary, and a plucky heroine. It would be interesting to children who may have never written a letter before. Much like it’s difficult for them to understand life without computers and cell phones, this book might seem like ancient history to them. We suggested Dear Mr. Henshaw, P.S. Longer Letter Later, Snail Mail, No More, and Sorcery and Cecilia as books that could be offered to those who enjoyed Daddy Long Legs as well as other books by Jean Webster such as Dear Enemy. We talked a little bit about orphanages and how they’ve disappeared with foster care, and we also discussed the author’s life a bit. The movie and graphic novel version of the book from Japan were also mentioned.

written by Megan Whalen Turner
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, May 20, 2010

The people who were at this evening’s Chapter & Verse at The Bookcase in Wayzata, Minnesota, weren’t fantasy readers! By and large, they weren’t sure about the nature of this book—fantasy or political thriller. We decided it was both. One of us had read books two, three, and four in the series before reading this book, book one, and felt that the later three books stand on their own and might be even better than this one. We had a good discussion about why the Newbery Committee gave this book an Honor … it seems unlike most books for teens and the writing is exceptional. Although a few readers felt the “journey” to find the stone went on too long, others thought this allowed character development. There were many surprises along the way and we didn’t feel they had been telegraphed earlier in the book. Overall, it was felt that this would be a good book for older Harry Potter follow-up suggestions.

The group of readers, librarians, and teachers at Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, felt that the descriptions were excellent, especially the landscape. They found the thicket of olives to easily visualized. Although all the names and locations made it more difficult to follow, several people thought it was worth reading this book again to watch the foreshadowing. This is a book that needs to be read carefully to watch the story unfold slowly, which makes it different than many books published today. There was unrest about the beginning of the book when Gen, a thief and braggart was thoroughly unlikeable, but his wit eased the tension and his character developed through the rest of the book. In fact, we didn’t know who to trust, but the characters were multidimensional. For the political aspect, one reader wanted to be able to pinpoint a time and place, rather than having it set in never-never land, although discussion led to agreement that this probably made the book more universal. The story is well-crafted with much to discuss: interspersed myths, the deception, the philosophical and psychological aspects. Worthy of a Newbery.

Most people at Northern Lights Books & Gifts in Duluth, Minnesota, liked The Thief and thought it was well executed with strong characters and engaging plot. Most of us didn’t figure out the ending beforehand.  Our discussion covered a lot of ground, including talk about fantasy in general, and what types of fantasy each of us likes. We compared The Thief to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon because both have tales or legends scattered throughout the story. We also compared it to the Harry Potter books. We thought that kids probably wouldn’t see themselves in Gen the way they see themselves in Harry Potter. However we could see a certain type of kid really liking the story. One person has read the entire series and recommends all of them.

At The Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the discussion began by wondering which book had won the Newbery in 1997, when The Thief won an honor. The Red Balloon staff graciously looked that up for us and it was The View from Saturday. While many of those in attendance don’t consider themselves fantasy readers, we had one person who read the book in one sitting! We brought the other three books from the series, and most of us didn’t think we would continue on, but we were curious as to what happened to the characters and thought we’d at least read summaries of the remaining books.  We discussed Gen and thought he had a good sense of humor. We couldn’t quite pinpoint his age, but figured he was mid to upper teens. We were taken by surprise to find that he had conceived a plan to achieve stealing the stone well in advance. He must also have been patient.  We thought this would make a good movie and would appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. We also thought girls would enjoy the romantic aspects promised in future books.

Although The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont was to have its inaugural Chapter & Verse Book Club on this evening, several unexpected events conspired to delay the meeting. Their first discussion will take place on Thursday, June 3rd.

Conversations with Writers of Comedy
Candlewick Press, 2009
edited by Leonard S. Marcus
discussed by Chapter & Verse Book Clubs, May 20, 2010

At The Bookcase in Wayzata, Minnesota, the club members felt this book would be useful for teachers, students teachers, and librarians who wanted to know more about the thirteen authors interviewed in the book. Although we were disappointed that we didn’t have a better understanding of the comic writer’s mind once we’d finished the book, we enjoyed reading what some of the authors said about their childhoods and others had to say about their writing process. The big favorite in the book was Daniel Pinkwater’s interview!

At Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, we felt there were several threads that could be pulled out and analyzed individually,.i.e., humor, how imagination is nurtured, approaches to writing. It was apparent that storytellers are important when we are growing up.Those writers who were included seemed to be award winners, high-quality writers. It would be interesting to follow up with picture book writers such as Mo Willems. We didn’t necessarily identify the authors who were included as humor writers even though parts of some of their books are humorous. The interviews showed that writing is not effortless. One has to work hard at it. Authors who write humor for kids have to have a real understanding of what it means to be a kid.

The group at Northern Lights Books & Gifts in Duluth, Minnesota, reports that they found Funny Business very interesting—especially the aspiring writers in the group. However, we questioned whether it would be a book children would read. A teacher in our group said that she could see using it when reading a book about one of the featured authors. She’d present that chapter as part of the lesson. This sounded like the best way to use the book with kids. However, for adult readers, we felt it had a lot to offer.

In discussing Funny Business at The Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the facilitators report, “While we didn’t think any children would sit down and read this book from cover to cover, we thought they’d be attracted to the title. But, writing is work, even if what you write is humorous. We liked how some authors emphasized how much they rewrote and the importance of revisions. We thought teachers could share that with children. And we thought children would be interested in reading the book or parts of the book after they’d read a book by a particular author.  We appreicated the quotes and the manuscript pages were interesting. We also like the abbreviated bibliographies, and though we could have wished them to be longer, we realized that would take up too much space in the book.  We thought there were some humorous authors that didn’t make the cut, for whatever reason, and we listed some of them: Paula Danziger (but, of course, she’s deceased), Dav Pilkey, Andrew Clements, Barbara Park, Richard Peck, Robert Newton Peck, David Shannon, Mark Teague. We wondered if children could write to some of these authors and use Leonard Marcus’ questions.  If they received replies, it would sort of be like a sequel!

Although The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont was to have its inaugural Chapter & Verse Book Club on this evening, several unexpected events conspired to delay the meeting. Their first discussion will take place on Thursday, June 3rd.