The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN

There were eight of us at The Red Balloon.  Karen Clark, author of Sweet Moon Baby, joined our group for the first time.  She kindly found her book on the shelf and showed it to us.

We liked The Fault in Our Stars and A Butterfly Is Patient very much and thought of several ways the books could be connected.

• “I believe the universe wants to be noticed….the universe enjoys its elegance being observed.”  We felt we were observing and appreciating the beauty and elegance of the universe in the lovely illustrations of Sylvia Long.
• Hazel came out of her cocoon, much like a butterfly.
• Augustus led a short and beautiful life.
• Cancer patients are patient with their disease.

One of our members is a cancer survivor, and liked The Fault in Our Stars for a number of reasons, one of which was that while she had cancer, she felt much like Hazel in her desire to cocoon, just be at home, not relate to the world.  Perhaps the medical references were not always accurate, but we felt Green’s portrayal of the suffering seemed authentic, especially the loss of bodily sovereignty.

Gus had the strongest voice, even though he wasn’t the narrator.  (Oh, I’m grand.” Augustus Waters smiled with a corner of his mouth.  “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.”) All the voices were a little mature, but these were bright and witty kids.  We felt they were real, and we were happy to see them participate in life like normal teenagers, despite the inconveniences of their disease.

We liked that Hazel and Gus had both parents, and we were particularly struck by Hazel’s concern for her parents’ welfare.  She feels she’s a grenade and her parents will be the casualty her inevitable early death, possibly divorcing as many parents do after the death of a child.  She watches T.V. with her parents, and she is truly delighted to learn that her mother is pursuing a M.S.W. and will have a life after Hazel is gone.

Metaphorically, Peter Van Houten is a roadblock preventing Hazel and Gus from learning what happens after the end of his novel, and cancer is a roadblock preventing Hazel and Gus from leading  normal lives.  He, or rather, his book, is also a device the author uses to bring Hazel and Gus together.

What does happen to characters after the end of the story?  John Green, in an interview, said that nothing happens.  It’s a work of fiction.  The book ends.  What happens to us after death?  Gus believed Something with a capital S happens, and Hazel believed Gus was Somewhere with a capital S.

Besides A Butterfly Is Patient, we looked at other books illustrated by Sylvia Long.  We discussed collaboration between the author and illustrator and wondered if Aston at least offered suggestions to Long about the placement of illustrations.

We so appreciated that this picture book was a circle that began with the great purple hairstreak and ended with it.  We would have liked an author’s note about the habitat of each butterfly.

Suggestions for how to use this book:

• Read the cursive writing and ask students what they already know, or ask them to research to fill in the other text.
• Match caterpillar with butterflies on the end papers.  All can be matched, but they are not in the same locations in the front and the back.
• This would be a good book to read one-on-one though we’ve seen it read to a class studying butterflies.

We had Dutch apple pie for our treat, and Mary and Stacy won The Red Balloon drawing for the two books for next month’s Chapter and Verse.

Redbery Books, Cable, WI

The Secret Box:  We had a fascinating discussion with lots of ideas of what this book was about. Everything from time travel to ghosts, orphanages to schools. The adventure and the simplicity of the illustrations give it a timelessness of the adventures in childhood.  Students could create their own secret time capsule. Older kids are a better audience for this book. It’s interesting how the box contains just regular things that lead to discovery. We didn’t understand the illustration that has the three kids with their hands as if they are signing. Knowing the signs would unlock the mystery of the book, we think. The design of the endpapers to give the appearance of opening the box is creative.

The Flint Heart: We had mixed reactions to this book. All agreed that it is a beautifully packaged book—the illustrations, the paper, the heft, the white space to text. We felt that we would not have connected it to Katherine Paterson had we not seen her name on the book. It’s so different from her other books. It seemed more like a Kate DiCamillo book.

DR said it seemed distant emotionally to her and she didn’t connect with the characters but loved the illustrations. B liked the humor, the turn of a phrase. It felt a bit like an allegory with lots of possibilities for discussion with upper elementary students.

The main story was about the misuse of power. The discussion turned to overtones of politics today.  We think Governor Walker is the current owner of the Flint Heart.

The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, MN

We had 7 participants this evening.

Our discussion of Lighthouse Christmas led to a discussion of other lighthouse books including Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, The Stormy Adventures of Abbie Burgess, and Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter. We agreed that all these books give readers a fuller understanding of the difficult and lonely life of those who live in lighthouses—especially the children.

Our discussion of The Flint Heart led to a broader discussion of Katherine Paterson’s books. We shared our favorites. One of our members read us a passage from Spying Heart by Katherine Paterson. The group as a whole felt that Flint Heart wasn’t a “true” Katherine Paterson book and most weren’t as fond of it as others of hers.

However, some liked various aspects—the humor, the language, etc.

We then took another look at the Caldecotts for this year since one of our members, a kindergarden teacher, had read them to her students and asked for them to vote for their favorite. As it turned out, most of the children voted for Blackout. In that discussion we talked about ways to read a wordless book—A Ball for Daisy. Some of us admitted that we find it challenging.

We compared the illustrations of John Rocco in Blackout to his illustrations in The Flint Heart. It was inspiring to see his versatility—especially since both books were published the same year.

[submitted by facilitator and author, Linda Glaser]

The Bookcase of Wayzata, Wayzata, MN

What fun we had tonight! Sally Mays was thoughtful and brought a cake to celebrate CLN’s 10th Anniversary. Thank you, Sally!

We began our discussion of The Flint Heart by each choosing one word that described the book for us. That led us to a round-the-table of explaining our reasons for choosing those words. PH felt that the book was all about finding the lost. She felt the story was told in a legendary way. MHH thought the language, the book’s physical appearance, the story, the characters were all “scrumptious.” SM thought the book was “odd” in the sense that it was weird, not like most books we see today. AP felt the characters, the story, the magic was “mischievous.” We all agreed with WW that the language was “lyrical.” VP felt the book was so different in its language and appearance that it was “astounding.” SP found the feel of the book and the story in the book to be “smooth.” Later, he decided the story was told in the “bardic” tradition.

None of us took the time to search out Eden Philpotts’ 1910 version of this story, but you can find different formats here.

We commented on the high quality of the book: the varnished pages, the trim shape, the saturated artwork in this illustrated book, the gilt on the embossed boards, the crisp black line of the fonts. It’s an incredibly heavy book but we all felt special for holding it and experiencing the texture of the reading.

We all agreed this is an ideal read-aloud book … referring back to the Bardic Tradition. The language is so lyrical and carefully crafted that there was no sense of getting tired of the humor and cadence, which sometimes happens in other books that use a particular voice.

Would we recommend this to kids? You bet. It will probably work best as a read-aloud (TRY THIS AT HOME) but kids who like “weird” books would respond well to this. Kids who understand the hero’s journey (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson) would recognize it here. It’s an exploration of evil and many kids will resonate with that. It will fit into the gamers’ sphere of interest.

Read this New York Times review and insight.

Next up, we discussed the wordless book by looking at and attempting to interpret Barbara Lehman’s The Secret Box. We all agreed that you’d have to have a copy of the book for every two kids if you’re going to use it in a class or library. Young kids will not get this book, we felt, because it’s fairly complex in its deciphering of the story.But from fourth grade and up, this will be an ideal book for examining, discussing, and writing. A good way to show that people look at the same thing and everyone will write a different story.

In examining the illustrations, we wondered about the brick building that doesn’t change throughout the book. Is it a boarding school, a hospital, an orphanage, a school for the deaf? MH said it reminded her of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. SM brought The Red Box by Barbara Lehman, which she said she has used very successfully with her students in the library. We felt that the palette of The Secret Box illustrations is more sophisticated than the palette for The Red Box. We liked it.

How fascinating that a wordless book can engender this much discussion.

[filed by Vicki Palmquist, facilitator]

This is the night we discussed all of the year’s ALA and ALSC award winners, which were announced on January 23, 2012.

The Bookstore at Fitgers, Duluth, MN

We had a small group of 5 tonight including me. But we still had a lively discussion. No one had read all the books. So we recapped for each other.

Two teachers thoroughly enjoyed Dead End in Norvelt. They said it was packed with fifth grade boy humor. In fact they read some aloud to us and could hardly stop laughing. They also said they’d read portions to their husbands who also thought it was very funny. We had a discussion about “what is funny” and agreed that since the two teachers had both taught fifth grade, they had probably developed that particular sense of humor more than some of the rest of us. They also appreciated all the interesting historical information included and thought boys would enjoy that as well.

Those of us who read Inside Out and Back Again loved it and highly recommended it to the others. We particularly appreciated learning about another culture. And we found it remarkable that the author was able to convey deep complex emotions with such spare language. We thought the challenges of being an immigrant and the prejudice faced by the characters were done very well and would provide opportunities for interesting classroom discussions.

None of us had read Breaking Stalin’s Nose. But we did look through a copy during the group and were impressed with the illustrations and the subject matter. We commented on the fact that the Newbery committee chose three autobiographical novels this year.

For the Caldecotts, we shared the most enthusiasm for Blackout. We loved the feeling of magic that John Rocco captured during the blackout.

We also shared our appreciation of Me…Jane which we had enjoyed very much in a previous meeting.

We admitted that most of us are more story and text oriented than visual. So the other two choices held less appeal for our particular group.

Only two of us had read Where Things Come Back. We talked about what type of readers might find the two divergent plots appealing. We thought it might be intriguing for readers who like suspense and enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how all the pieces will eventually fit together.

We were disappointed that some of the books we read this year were not selected for these awards. We mentioned Girl of Fire and Thorns, Wonderstruck, and Okay for Now as all being worthy of honors. We speculated about the process of selection but, of course, will never know.

[Submitted by Linda Glaser, author and group facilitator.]

The Bookcase of Wayzata, Wayzata, MN

There were 11 of us last night so we took over most of the Caribou Coffee which shares the space with The Bookcase. Talking over the espresso machine, we worked our way through the ALA/ALSC Awards list posted on the CLN website.

First we talked about the ALA Awards that didn’t get included on the list but will soon be there. The American Indian Library Association selected The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood, written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve; Free Throw and Triple Threat, both written by Jacqueline Guest; and Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School, written by Adam Fortunate Eagle, as recipients of the fourth American Indian Youth Literature Awards.

And somehow we missed the Pura Belpré Author Awards, the list of which Donna Nix brought to the group that night. Those will be added to the Awards list as well.

We had fun sharing what we knew about the award- and honor-winning books that we hadn’t previously read. Of course we felt smug about the books we’d read during the last year that were honored with an award. We also found our heads shaking as we wondered where some of these titles come from.

Wendy Woodfill said she wishes someone would do a study (Are you listening, Somebody? Send us your findings!) of whether the award winners are more likely to be released in the fall rather than the spring.

Our most lively discussion was about Where Things Come Back. Several people had read it but didn’t understand how it would appeal to children or teens. This launched us into the “children’s books published for adult readers” discussion that we’ve had on several occasions.

Many of our members were shocked that A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness didn’t receive any awards and they felt the same way about Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt.

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is a book that our group has an adult theme and very sophisticated illustrations; our elementary school librarian tried it out with her students and they couldn’t understand the book’s message.

We all enjoyed the art in Blackout by John Rocco but felt that this was a book that children in New York City will resonate with most closely. This being said, the illustrations are beautiful.

We congratulated Donna Nix for choosing A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka as her pick for the Caldecott Medal. Go, Donna!

No one had read Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin before the Awards were announced, but several people had read it afterwards and found the story and illustrations to be top-notch. We felt it would pair well with Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, both books being set in the less familiar Reign of Terror under Stalin’s regime. Our high school librarian said her students are loving Between Shades of Gray.

We questioned inclusion of I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen in the Geisel Award category as an early reader. We felt this was a book you either loved or didn’t love at all but we didn’t feel the text qualified as an early reader.

At the end of the lively evening, we all agreed that our reading lists had grown—we have a lot of catching up to do—and that’s a good thing.

We reviewed our Chapter & Verse process for reading possible award winners and conducting a mock discussion at our December meeting each year. Many people have felt challenged to read so many books for one month’s meeting. Our group suggested that we all nominate at least one book for the awards at our June meeting, thereby giving people a chance to read ahead for the December meeting.

[Report submitted by Vicki Palmquist, group facilitator.]

Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN

This month we had a small group of only three people. We discussed the Books for Breakfast event held earlier this month. We also mentioned that the Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference will be held at the end of the month.

Heidi announced to us that she is on the Margaret A. Edwards committee this year. The Margaret A. Edwards is an ALA award given to a young adult author for one or more of their works that help portray young adults and their place in the world. She shared with us the list of potential authors as well as past winners. We quickly discovered this is a hard award to give out as you are looking at various works of literature by authors. We had fun browsing the stacks at the Red Balloon looking for authors and titles we would recommend. We look forward to hearing more from Heidi about her experience throughout this next year.

We really enjoyed Dead End in Norvelt. It was a fun book to read and we are sure that students will enjoy it as well. We also talked briefly about Balloons over Broadway. This is the story of the Macy’s Parade puppeteer. Heidi read Where Things Come Back. This book is told in alternate chapters. She said it reminded her of When You Reach Me in that there are so many pieces that the author has going on in the book and it isn’t until the end that you see how they intersect. Me, Jane has been a favorite of our group. We like how the first illustration of the story matches the end photograph of Jane as an adult with the chimps. Blackout and A Ball for Daisy were also hits. There was some disappointment that Okay for Now did not get an award.

We enjoyed having this month to discuss the books that won the award and comparing it to the books we read in December. It was nice to have a month devoted to reading the new award winners.

We ended the evening by giving away a copy of the book for next month donated by the Red Balloon Bookshop. Thank you to them for generously once again providing a copy of the selections for the following month.

[report submitted by Natasha Thorager, co-facilitator]

The Bookcase, Wayzata, Minnesota

Wow! What a cold night. Although we shouldn’t complain—it’s the first cold night we’ve had this winter. We weren’t sure anyone would show up for Chapter & Verse this evening. Staying warm and cozy by the fire had its appeal.

Lo and behold, we were a lobby of librarians tonight: public, academic, high school, and middle school. We gathered to discuss Anne Ylvisaker’s The Luck of the Buttons and Toni Buzzeo’s and Nancy Carpenter’s Lighthouse Christmas. I think it’s the first time we all unanimously liked both books for the evening.

We first discussed Lighthouse Christmas. People were interested to learn that the author lives in Maine and has probably seen lighthouses firsthand. Other than Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior and some lighthouses in Michigan, none of us has seen an ocean lighthouse. We were interested in the isolation, the loneliness, and the feeling of needing to stay constantly on the job. We all agreed we wanted to know more about Mr. Dunlap. Where did he come from and why was he out in the storm? Frances is a wise, capable, and loving sister and daughter. We talked about “sweet” books with happy endings. They’re very important to many readers and this one certainly made everyone feel good by the end of the story. We’d never heard of the Flying Santa project. We felt this would be a good way to talk about celebration of holidays that aren’t what we’re used to, whether it’s Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or Eid or Christmas. The writing was spare but the story was filled with tension and kept us turning the pages. We didn’t feel that it was predictable—the ending surprised us all. Everyone agreed that we admired the illustrations. Nice job, Nancy Carpenter!

Next, we talked about The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker. Everyone enjoyed Tugs Button, who could have been a rapscallion, but wasn’t. She is earnest, honest, and she really tries to overcome her family’s opinion of itself as luckless. We all found the story of Harvey Moore intriguing. How did Tugs guess his number so quickly? We were intrigued by her use of the town’s library. When asked the question who the hero of the story was, most people felt it was Tugs, but one of us felt it was Lucy the Librarian! She was a power for good. This book prompted a good discussion about familiar themes and new readers, as well as current readers’ preference for zombies and violence (a middle school perspective). Our school librarians feel that historical fiction has to be booktalked–kids don’t naturally gravitate toward the genre.

During our third half-hour, we engaged in more ALA-awards speculation because the awards will be announced next Monday. We had an animated discussion!

[Summary submitted by Vicki Palmquist, group facilitator]

The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, MN

This group deferred our December reading until this January meeting so more people had a chance to read the nine books.

Our group of 6 enjoyed a lively discussion of the potential Newbery and Printz choices tonight.

We all agreed that Wonderstruck was an extremely creative and well executed story—especially unusual because the protagonist is deaf.

Most people felt that Breadcrumbs was an excellent story—very well written with its multitude of literary illusions.

Those who read Island’s End enjoyed the fact that it introduced readers to an unusual culture with a strong female protagonist.

Those who read The Friendship Doll enjoyed the historical settings and the fine array of characters.

Miles From Ordinary we found terrifying and extremely well written. We speculated that it could help readers understand children who grow up with mental illness in their family.

Most felt that Anya’s Ghost would really appeal to many adolescent girls who routinely deal with peer pressure, wanting to fit in, and manipulative friends.

We found A Monster Calls unusual and interesting. We thought that those looking for actual monsters in a book would be disappointed but that it deals with emotional monsters very well.

Most of us hadn’t read Blink and Caution. The one who did convinced us that it was well worth reading.

[Summary submitted by Linda Glaser, author and group facilitator.]

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN

Lighthouse Christmas

Because many of us had not had the opportunity to read this book, Natasha read it to us. While we enjoyed the illustrations, there were some things we questioned. There were gaps in the story, such as what happened to the little boy when he sister was minding the lighthouse so her father could perform the rescue? Did he put himself to bed? Suddenly he appears in his pajamas the next morning. We wondered how the cat got to the island. Probably it was the cat of the previous lighthouse family. We also wondered about the age of the little girl who seemed so responsible. We guessed she was between 10-12.

We did enjoy the story, though. We appreciated the author’s note about The Flying Santa, and Natasha brought more information. We love a story that makes us want to do research! That the Flying Santa flew overhead on Christmas Day was a total surprise to us, and it made for a very happy ending to the story. Children are intrigued by true stories, and we are, too.

The Flying Santa made one member think of the book Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot about parachutes filled with chocolate that were dropped for the children during the Berlin Airlift in the late 1940s. Someone else mentioned the Christmas tree trains of long ago. We also learned that the wood from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is used to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. The Carpenter’s Gift is a story about the first Rockefeller Christmas tree. These three stories would work well together.

The Luck of the Buttons

Everyone declared that they loved this book. Even though it was predictable, we loved it. The setting, pre-depression, figured prominently in the story with the Brownie cameras. We discussed how Tugs viewed the world differently through the lens of her camera. She grew dissatisfied with herself and her parents were very supportive of her desire to change.

We liked the characters. Two of our members met the real Miss Lucy the previous weekend at the MLA Mock Printz Award discussion at St. Kate’s. We thought Aggie was quite resourceful, and was not class conscious like her mother. We loved Tugs standing up for herself, choosing not to be a loser and accept the defeatist attitude of her family. This led us to believe that both Aggie and Tugs could resist the temptation to fall into a family pattern of behavior.

Though there was no trouble at our Chapter and Verse meeting, we still had pie! Our choices were blueberry lemon buckle pie or peach praline. We had six members attending counting our new member. It was cold outside, but it was very cozy inside The Red Balloon.

[Summary submitted by Heidi Hammond, library science instructor and group co-facilitator.]

We look forward to this month all year. We discuss the year’s books that we feel are likely to be considered for three ALA/ALSC awards: Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz. We chose four books to read in each category. This year, not all of the books were chosen because they were likely to win, but because they were worthy of discussion. Will Eric Rohmann’s Bone Dog win the Caldecott? He’s won or been honored many times before. As one of our librarians commented, “The committee is only supposed to consider the books in front of them. They are not supposed to think of the books that have won before.” What do you think about that? Will Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick create the same stir that Hugo Cabret did? We’ll let each of the book clubs tell you what transpired at their meeting.

Here are the books on our list:

Caldecott: Me, Jane by Patrick McDonnell, I Must Have Bobo by Eileen Rosenthal and Marc Rosenthal, Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann, and Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes

Newbery: The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson, Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman, Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Printz: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones, Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams, Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgoi

We would have loved to include many more books on the list, but book club members have only two months to read all these titles … we have to be realistic.

The Bookcase, Wayzata, Minnesota

We asked our group of ten to bring other books they felt should be considered in each category.

They arrived with arms loaded. Here are the other books they felt should be considered for the Caldecott: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, The House That Baba Built by Ed Young, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka, Stuck by Oliver Jeffries, Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five by Valorie Fisher, Perfect Square by Michael Hall, Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson and Pamela Dalton, I Want My Hat Back by J. Klassen, Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman, and Mine by Shutta Crum and Patrice Barton.

A lively, vocal discussion ensued. It was hard to keep it to half-an-hour. We referred to the Caldecott criteria several times, talked about the illustrations versus text-and-illustrations, and had a really good time. One of our school librarians read all of the choices to her kids and they hands-down chose Bone Dog as their favorite. We each voted by assigning points to three picks, then adding up the points.

Our choices? Medal: Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes. Voters feel it’s a masterpiece, an incredible feat of illustration. Honors: Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson and Pamela Dalton. Again, an absolutely amazing job of illustrating a book with cut paper. Me, Jane by Patrick McDonnell. Our voters felt the detailed drawings and the focus on the child were excellent in this picture book biography.

For the Newbery discussion, other books were: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt (which we’d read earlier this year), Hound Dog True by Linda Urban, The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (National Book Award winner), The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker, and Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor.

We talked over the merits of each book, everyone weighing in on how much they’d enjoyed the books, found them unusual, valued the characterizations, and primarily whether or not we felt the books should be of interest to kids. Again, we checked the award criteria, which could be interpreted that way, but several of the school librarians in the group weighed in by saying the recent winners didn’t interest kids. Again, we could have talked for much longer than half-an-hour.

Medal: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (comments were that this is even better than Hugo Cabret). Honors: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman.

We added the Printz books this year because we have several high school librarians taking part in our book clubs. We talked about the different criteria established by YALSA, one of them being that the author need not be an American citizen. In addition to our list of books, members asked that we consider Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman and Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt. One of our members predicts that A Monster Calls is a shoe-in for the medal.

Medal: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Honors: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones (this already won the Boston Globe Horn Book award for fiction).

Next month we’re discussing The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker and Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo. In February, we’ll talk about who did win the awards.

Report submitted by Vicki Palmquist, facilitator.

The Bookstore at Fitgers, Duluth, Minnesota

We had a group of seven teachers, librarians, and authors.

Of the Caldecott possibles, we all loved Swirl by Swirl. We thought the text and illustrations work magnificently together. We discussed how this could be used with a variety of ages—from young children to teens. An art teacher spoke about exercises she does with her students to find shapes and forms in nature. We agreed that the possibilities for using this book abound.

We also found Me, Jane very appealing. One of our members brought in The Watcher, Jane Goodall’s Life with Chimps which was also published this year. We found both books appealing in different ways. We were all charmed by Me, Jane—both the text and illustrations and thought it would inspire young children to pursue their dreams and enjoy nature. The Watcher has more information about Jane Goodall as an adult which we thought added to that book. Bone Dog we found interesting but questioned if children might find it scary. I Must Have Bobo had some appeal. We agreed that kids would enjoy seeing and knowing what the child doesn’t know. We also observed that the child looks angry throughout.

Since we left the Newbery and Printz books for next month, we read The Luck of Buttons for tonight. We all agreed that is was somewhat reminiscent of Richard Peck books.

We also “read” The Secret Box. Interestingly, people in the group had different interpretations for the story. This lead to a lively discussion about using wordless books with kids.

Along those lines, one of our teachers was very excited to share The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg—a new book that features short stories based on 14 black-and-white illustrations originally published in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. The teacher had used the original book with her students years ago to spark original writing. It was very successful and she could hardly wait to read The Chronicles of Harris Burdick with stories contributed by many distinguished authors.

Recap submitted by Linda Glaser, author and facilitator.

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Here are our choices.

Caldecott. Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. We felt this demonstrated excellence in execution of the artistic medium: scratchboard. We also felt this was the right medium for this book. It offered texture, like nature, and the colors were brilliantly contrasting. We appreciated that the plants and animals were labeled. Each page causes the reader to want to linger. Great child appeal.

Newbery. We couldn’t come to a consensus.

Breadcrumbs: This coming of age story recognized the need for practical learning and imagination. It was magical realism incorporating several tales well.

Island’s End: This book showed respect and appreciation for traditional ways/culture.

Wonderstruck: Two storylines, one in words and one in pictures, told separately until they intersect near the end was masterful.

Printz. Again, no consensus.

Anya’s Ghost: Loved the plot twist of the ghost, who the reader sympathizes with along with Anya, goes from good to bad. We also liked the clever resolution.

A Monster Calls: Things we liked: interwoven stories, story within a story, suspense, and good character development.

We all liked Sparrow Road.

Report submitted by Heidi Hammond, uber-librarian, St. Catherine’s University instructor, and co-facilitator.

Chapter & Verse book clubs discussed the picture book Snow by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer, and the YA novel The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Read about the various groups’ discussions below. We’ll add them as they filter in. We were fortunate to have Lauren Stringer send all the groups a beautiful description of how she became engaged with Snow and how she added many elements from her own life into the book. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a book by a debut author and our groups felt she hit a home run her first time up to bat. A good way to start off the Winter Reading Season.

Join a Chapter & Verse group in your area (or start one) and join us in December as we hold our mock Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz discussions. Learn more about the booklist here.

Redbery Books, Cable, Wisconsin

Snow by Cynthia Rylant and Lauren Stringer: Our group really appreciated  the notes from Lauren Stringer as they added to the experience. We took turns reading aloud from the book. The verse that includes  ”nothing lasts forever” seems like it could be the ending of the book. But the way it continues and  brings it back to present and ends on joyful note was appreciated. We liked the illustration which showed that snow isn’t always white  and does included other colors. We always look at the end papers front and back and liked how the one snowflake in the front is joined by multitude of snowflakes by then end. It’s a beautiful book.

We also looked at other books by Cynthia Rylant and enjoyed her varied body of works.

One of the first snowfalls of the year

We marveled at how we carry out the theme as it was snowing outside. How did Vicki know it was going to snow when she picked the book?

We liked Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns. This was even liked by members who normally don’t like fantasy. If you took the Godstone out of the story would it still be  a fantasy or would it just be medieval history? There were more parallels to our world than there were differences. There was the longing for love, values, self worth, also corruption, greed, fighting over borders. The detail of landscape creates a good sense of place and grounds the story. Elisa didn’t buy into the power and corruption. She was good with working with people, communicating with them, and looking for the best solution for everyone. A quiet leader.

Getting into the snow mood

Girls would definitely enjoy the variety of directions including the longing for romance and her courage. There was a good male character so boys might enjoy it.

Some parts are very graphic but it makes you think about killing and what that really means.

In a movie it would be like Lord of Rings. It correlates to Game of Thrones on HBO with medieval, power, and intrigue. She doesn’t fully understand the power she has. The amulet was a form of godstone.  The spiritual piece was a little bit of religion but it was more about a code of conduct. The books that were used as religious guidance were ways to life your life.

The book did have enough mystery and plot set-up to keep you reading with anticipation and soon became a page turner. Little Boy Rosario is likable character, like stepson.

Elisa  is a good military strategist who uses her wits to attack. She is very imaginative. The door is open for a sequel even though the ending stands on its own.

Felt there were similarities to The Golden Compass.

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Discussing Snow at the Red Balloon Bookshop

We had a small group today.  Treats were orange cranberry scones.

Before we starting discussing books, we talked about St. Kate’s Booked for the Evening event. Two of our members were able to attend the night. There we were treated to a night of many quick booktalks on picture books, middle level readers, books for older readers, and non fiction books. We also talked about Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Allsburg, who will be coming to the Fitzgerald theatre on November 20.

We began with Snow by Cynthia Rylant and Lauren Stringer. We felt that the illustrations were very powerful. One of our members felt sad after reading this book that all things must end. The illustrations we felt showed movement throughout the book. It seemed like all the illustrations and words were toned down. The colors and words made it feel warm and soft. One comment that was made was that the text switches from talking to children to an audience more of adults. We compared this book to Alison McGhee’s new book Making a Friend. They are both similar with the concept of snow and things ending.

We were excited to start our discussion on Girl of Fire and Thorns. We felt that Elisa developed a lot through the book. We almost felt she was too naive to begin the story, but loved how she grew throughout the experiences. One question we had was why couldn’t her father and sister come to visit at the end and they only send wishes in a letter. We had a good discussion on religion. The different cultures had different views on the importance and place of religion in their lives. We were curious why the author chose to be graphic about violence, but brushed quickly over any sexual references. How much say does the editor have in the content? Was it the author or the editor that was responsible for that decision? We were amazed by how much she learned about warcraft. We were surprised by the characters.

Before we were done, we talked about next month’s books. We will, along with the rest of the Chapter and Verse locations be talking about possible Newberry, Caldecott, and Prinz award contenders.  We will continue our discussion in February after the awards are given to get thoughts about the committee’s choices.

The Bookcase, Wayzata, Minnesota

We began our evening by talking about Snow by Cynthia Rylant and Lauren Stringer. We were glad there was no snow outside but we felt that the book showed snow in its many guises. Everyone agreed that the “pink snow” spread was our favorite. We all fondly remember days that are colored in pink. We talked quite a bit about the illustrations and we were pleased that Lauren chose to share the inspirations for her illustrations with us. That made the experience of the book more meaningful.

When we discussed Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, everyone agreed that this was one of the best fantasy novels they’ve read lately. Even our members who don’t enjoy fantasy enjoyed this book. There were a few quibbles. One of us thought the main character was too focused on her body faults. Another person thought that religion was too much a part of the book. But a number of readers enjoyed the politics, the religious aspects, and the main character’s moxie. She is a strong female character and our high school librarian felt that girls who enjoyed Graceling by Kristine Cashore would gobble up this book.

For the upcoming September, October, and November discussion books, visit the CLN website.

This month’s Chapter & Verse Book Club selections were Pink by Nan Gregory and Luc Melanson (Groundwood Books), Almost Zero: a Dyamonde Daniel Story by Nikki Grimes and R. Gregory Christie (Putnam) and Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion). This month’s theme was “socioeconomically disadvantaged children” and books that might help them find their place in the world.

The Bookcase

We began our evening by asking how each book handled our theme for this month. With everything that’s going on in the world, an increasing number of children and teens are facing reduced circumstances … and some of them weren’t good before.

It disturbed a number of our members that the little girl in Pink didn’t get what she wants at the end of the book. The doll stays in the store and (some thought) her parents were cavalier about it. They were also disturbed that the storekeeper was so mean. This gave us an opportunity to talk about another book representing another culture, this time Canadian. This is a highly acclaimed book in Canada. Does our reaction have anything to do with the American view that you can get what you want if you work hard enough? And the Canadian’s more stoic viewpoint? One member was glad because the little girl didn’t get her wish … it seemed more realistic that way. What she did have was a lot of love. We were mixed on our willingness to recommend this book.

Almost Zero, a Dyamonde Daniel story was approved by everyone. We all thought it was well-written, a good balance of humor and challenges, and a fairly complex story for an early chapter book. Donna noted that each of Ms. Grimes’ Dyamonde Daniel books has been getting more complex, growing along with her readers’ capabilities. Our teacher librarian said this would make a good service learning book and she appreciated that it was factual—schools themselves can’t take up a collection, but students and families can organize an effort like this. Some wondered if Dyamonde’s lesson wasn’t a bit drastic on her mother’s part but those of us who’d read the other Dyamonde Daniel books felt this was in keeping with mother and daughter personalities.

When we got to Okay for Now, there was a collective sigh. Several people said this is a shoe-in for a Newbery something. Our high school librarian said, “I want to hug this book. It’s very literary. I loved it because I loved it.” Many people found the Audubon art storyline to be breathtaking: the language, the metaphor, the way it’s fully integrated into the story.

We had a number of people say how much they enjoyed that there were many adults present in the book.The boss, the librarian, the grocery store owner, the collector; they’re a varied cast who have an impact on Doug’s life. He wouldn’t have changed the way he did without them.

The librarians discussed how difficult it is to get their readers interested in The Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now. We talked about what might have been done differently to make these books more intriguing for kids. Ultimately, we had a talk about Schmidt’s recent books being appropriate for all ages to read and we’ hope they’re promoted that way.

We concluded our evening by talking about who had the power in each of the books. Whether we put it in those terms or not, a book is often about who holds the power at the beginning of the book and who holds the power by the book’s conclusion. In Okay for Now, Doug held the power at the end of the book. He’d outwitted his father and he’d changed … so did his brothers and his entire family. Dyamonde Daniel had her own power because she’d helped Isabel of her own volition and earned back her closet of clothes. In Pink, it could be said that the family has the power at the end of the book: they share love and they have that no matter their socioeconomic condition.

—reported by Vicki Palmquist, facilitator

The Bookstore at Fitger’s

We had a lively discussion tonight. We had a nice-sized group of 9—large for us.

Not everyone had read Pink. Of those who did, most of us appreciated that the girl didn’t get what she wanted which is often true to life. We thought that the larger message was a good one.

Most thought Almost Zero was well done and that the generosity of the children was real and authentic—that when given the chance, children are very caring. Most thought the message was a very good one—the difference between need and want and, also, helping others who are less fortunate. Some of us questioned if the illustrations would appeal to children.

Okay for Now sparked a great deal of lively discussion. We all shared our favorite parts. We talked about Doug’s growth, the use of metaphor with the bird drawings, and all the challenging elements that were woven in—domestic violence, war, cancer, poverty, disability, literacy. We felt that the voice of the main character was authentic, likable and very engaging. The one thing that people questioned quite a bit was if the father would have truly changed as he did at the end. Most people thought that was too much of a stretch and not true to life in domestic violence situations. That aside, we all came away feeling that the book tackled many complex issues really well.

—reported by Linda Glaser, facilitator

Red Balloon Bookshop

It was an exciting gathering for us this month as we had three new people join us.  We were ten in all!  Natasha very kindly stopped by with pink frosted cookies and pink lemonade, but was unable to stay due to a family obligation.

We began by sharing what some of us are currently reading: Numbers (Ward), The Amulet series (Kibuishi), Sparrow Road (O’Connor), and Flipped (Van Draanen).

We discussed Okay for Now first. Perhaps we got a little hung up by wondering how Doug ended up getting the baseball hat in The Wednesday Wars in the first place. It’s losing that hat that starts off the story Okay for Now. We knew why Holling Hoodhood and his friend Danny were included for the visit with the baseball players and the gifts they were given. We weren’t quite sure why Doug was.  Did Gary Schmidt know he was going to write a book about Doug after The Wednesday Wars? We’d like to ask him.

Though we didn’t think kids would be interested in books that included Shakespeare (The Wednesday Wars) or Audubon in the books’ descriptions, we think they would like Okay for Now. It’s got the “bad kid” who is able to survive and thrive.  Doug has an accurate young male voice.  Lots and lots of things happen in the book, but Schmidt makes the implausible seem believable.  All the plot threads are easy to follow, and all’s well that ends well. As Schmidt said in an interview on YouTube, this is a novel about wholeness. Doug gathers the missing Audubon plates so he can make one thing whole in his life.  In the process, a lot of people become whole, too.

It may seem improbable that everything would fit together so neatly. Christopher and Doug’s father redeem themselves, Lucas finds a job, and the gym teacher and Doug start to get along. But, we thought kids would like to think the world could work that way, even if adults might think, “Yeah, right.” We felt it was a wonderfully positive book, even though there were difficult situations: abusive father, Lil getting seriously sick.  We discussed how authentic it was that Doug’s mother didn’t leave his dad because women in the 1960s just didn’t consider that an option.

One of the most poignant moments in the book for us, as adults, was when the family picked up Lucas.  They didn’t know he lost both his legs in Vietnam. And then, on the way home, they had to deal with war protesters. That might not have as much impact on middle school students, and they may note how the current Middle East veterans are treated so differently than the Vietnam War veterans were.

We’d like to think this book is on a fast track for the Newbery Medal.

Not everyone was able to find a copy of Almost Zero.  We did think Diamonde Daniel’s mother was very clever, removing all the things she didn’t need to a neighbor’s home.  We did wonder if the family that was victim of the fire might have had insurance, but decided they probably didn’t.  This was considered a good addition to the early reader books.

We liked that Pink was a book with feeling. We liked the use of colors: green on the page where the little girl is green with envy, blues when they are singing the blues.  But, mostly, it’s pink.

We were glad that this was a book that had both parents present. Though the dad was often gone and always busy when he was home, we thought that rang true, at least from our childhoods. And, this book was a little retro, so maybe it was supposed to take place in the past. Little girls now don’t yearn for bride dolls; they all want princess dolls.

The book didn’t include much, if any humor, and the shopkeeper was a bit harsh, ushering the little girl out of the store, assuming she was not a potential buyer. There will always be the haves and the have-nots.  But, wishing for things, even things that are out of our reach, is sometimes fun. We likened it to looking at the Sears, Montgomery Wards, and J.C. Penney Christmas catalogs when we were children. We knew we couldn’t have everything we saw in those catalogs that we wanted, but it was fun to look.

Though boys might not select this book, we thought they would enjoy it. We did.

—reported by Heidi Hammond, co-facilitator

For the upcoming August, September discussion books, visit the CLN website.

This month’s Chapter & Verse Book Club selections were Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse) and The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert (First Second). This month’s theme was “steampunk,” a movement that has a firm grip on a large number of people. You can see more about steampunk on Wikipedia, at Steampunk.com, and at Steampunk Magazine. Scott Westerfeld’s website has been re-designed in a steampunk fashion. Reports were filed by four of our participating book clubs. We feel The Professor’s Daughter fits the theme because it’s all about Victorian England and the morés of the time, along with an anachronism (Monsieur Imhotep IV).

The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, Minnesota

We had 6 participants last night–2 librarians, 1 teacher, 3 writers.  Most of us agreed that we wouldn’t have picked up either selection on our own. However, we were glad we read them.

We enjoyed The Professor’s Daughter very much. Some comments were that it was clever, funny, and appealing. We had a discussion about graphic novels and concluded that, from the selections we’ve read, we can now understand why they have a large following. We also discussed being a visual reader vs. a text reader and how that affects our enjoyment of graphic novels.

After reading Leviathan, one participant said she has decided she’s a steampunk fan. Most of us weren’t familiar with the term and she explained it. Most of us fully enjoyed the book.

We talked about the various themes in the story—including environmental. We thought the author did a good job of showing two cultures both thinking that theirs was better. Most agreed that it was interesting to present an alternate history. One history buff said her knowledge of history added depth to her enjoyment of the book.  Some found the jump from one character’s point of view to the other somewhat jarring. We also agreed that the illustrations were extremely well done.

Interestingly, the book spurred a lively discussion of current technology—especially focusing on e-books vs regular books.

—Report filed by Linda Glaser, facilitator and author

The Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, Minnesota

We had great attendance (seven) for such a warm evening, and we had a new member!  Her name is Sheri and we are delighted to welcome her to our group.  We miss Ann who moved to Kansas City, and we wish her well.

We spent a little time talking about the State Fair Alphabet Forest and the Ann Rockwell and M.T. Anderson visits to the Twin Cities.  Heidi related her trip to ALA in New Orleans. You can view a video of the 2011 Caldecott Committee celebrations with the illustrators.

The Professor’s Daughter

Our Minnesota nice response to the book: interesting. Other responses included crazy and bizarre. We wondered if this was dry French humor that we didn’t quite appreciate. Perhaps kidnapping Queen Victoria and throwing her in the river is funny to the French. There were a lot of outrageous events! It seemed like a melodrama, yet we were surprised there was so little emotion when the father died and the family viewed him as a mummy.

The plot starts immediately without providing background information. We liked the setting and the illustrations were fun. Had this not been a graphic novel, much more information would need to have been provided, but that’s the nature of graphic novels. The illustrations convey as much or more than the text.

We knew this was a love story, a strange love story. But, we didn’t think it would appeal to Twilight readers. We felt this was a book for high school students and young adults who liked offbeat stories.

A recent high school graduate, one of our member’s daughters, happened to be in the bookstore during our discussion, so we asked her to read the book. She read it right then and there and graciously provided us her feedback. She did not find the book interesting. She saw no point in the story, no moral value. She did not think it was humorous but found it weird. She didn’t think this was a book for the vampire audience.

At this point we had a surprise guest visitor! Derek Anderson stopped by with his lovely wife and told us about a new book he’s working on, written by Jane Yolen. It’s an illustrated poem titled Waking Dragons and Derek said, “It going to be a really cool book.” Then he showed us his book Story County and talked a little bit about it. He asked us to say “hi” to Steve and Vicki.

Leviathan

We liked that both the male and female main characters were strong. There was a reversal of gender roles, though. We are presented with a klutzy prince who cries. How much would that appeal to young boys? We also wondered about the cover art and whom that would appeal to.

This is very different from Westerfeld’s Uglies series and it reminded one member of Airborne. But, while it was steampunk, and it provided an interesting world, we didn’t think it included enough detail. It seemed to need the illustrations to understand some of the beasties and Clanker machinery. We would have liked more information about the philosophy of the Darwinists and the Clankers.  We did appreciate the author’s note to explain that this was alternative history; some of it was accurate and some of it was fictional.

This almost seemed like a screenplay, a movie waiting to happen. There wasn’t a complete story arc. Rather, the reader was left with a cliffhanger. One member who had listened to the audio version of the book (and needed the book, also, to view the illustrations) was eager to begin the second book in the series, Behemoth. However, once she started, she found she didn’t really care about the characters any longer, and she didn’t finish the book. Perhaps it was all the war. Another member mentioned that the book seemed to glamorize war, and we felt bad about a quote she found: “Nothing important ever happened to common people.”

We couldn’t think of a treat related to either story, so Natasha brought a delicious cheesecake that we enjoyed very much.

—Report filed by Heidi Hammond, co-facilitator

The Bookcase, Wayzata, MN

We had a large crew on hand to discuss steampunk in the guise of Leviathan and The Professor’s Daughter.

A number of our members really enjoyed Leviathan and were looking for the follow-up books, Behemoth and Goliath. The last title isn’t available until the end of September. We discussed alternate history, the number of authors who write that type of book, and how it works. People were fascinated by the Darwinists, wanting to know more about the genetically engineered creatures. We felt strongly that anyone who is interested in military strategy and machinery would find this book exciting. The female character was strong, and the sheltered male character became stronger.

This prompted a discussion of both steampunk and trilogies. People find trilogies frustrating when the story in the book doesn’t have its own arc. This book had quite a cliffhanger, which is good if you’re the publisher and want to generate sales, but bad if you’re the reader. Steampunk intrigued a number of people and the list of websites to look things up (see above) interested them.

The Professor’s Daughter bewildered people. They didn’t quite know what to make of it. We talked about French humor and a taste for the absurd. Thinking about Jerry Lewis, Donald Duck, Ionesco, and Moliere, all of whom are honored in France, started to put things in perspective. Everyone agreed that Sfar’s watercolor illustrations were beautiful. It was felt that young people could be introduced to this book with a discussion about other cultures and humor … something we don’t often have a means of studying. That would certainly work well for an English class.

—Report filed by Vicki Palmquist, facilitator

For the upcoming July, August, and September discussion books, visit the CLN website.

This month’s Chapter & Verse Book Club selections were One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin (Hyperion) and The Many Faces of George Washington by by Carla Killough McClafferty (Carolrhoda). CLN member Joanne Rocklin, author of One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, provided an interview for our facilitators, which you can read here. Reports were filed by four of our participating book clubs.

Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, MN

Treats: Candy orange slices for One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street and candy cherry balls and candy cherry coins for The Many Faces of George Washington.

We had a small group of only 5 of us this month. We bid a fond farewell to one of our group members who is moving to Colorado. Hopefully once she gets set up in her new home and school she can help establish a Chapter & Verse group there.

The Many Faces of George Washington by Carla Killough McClafferty: The overall consensus was that we found the book to be very interesting. The only concern was that it may not interest a lot of the intended audience. It was discussed that it could be used in parts for classroom instruction as well as being interesting to those students who are interested in biographies, forensics, history, and George Washington.

One member noted that it never occurred to her that we wouldn’t know what George Washington would look like. He is such a famous American icon. His portrait by Gilbert Stuart that was used for the dollar bill has been seen by every American. It is rather impossible to believe that may not be how he looked.

We also discussed the George Washington exhibit that had been at the Minnesota History Center.  None of our members had been to that exhibit, but we wondered if it at all showcased any of this work.

One member questioned why the family didn’t want his body exhumed. It seems that his family would like to know as well what he looked like. We discussed the hardships of being a national icon. It is hard to have much privacy at all. Sometimes there are things that the family does not want to share with the rest of the world for all of history.

We were disappointed that we could find no mention of how long it took to make the models. It would have been nice to have a timeline included in the book. That brought up the question of whose idea came first—the author’s or the publisher’s. Did the author come to Carolrhoda with the idea for the book or was it the publisher that went in search of an author to explore this project?

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin: We agreed that the long title for this book is a tongue twister!

We began by reading the interview by Joanne that was sent to the facilitators by Vicki Palmquist.

There are many characters in the story. We, as readers, found the map at the beginning of the book to be helpful, however we would have liked to had house numbers on the map. We also thought it may not be an accurate map. In the story it says that there was a house on the lot with the tree. Looking at the map, we didn’t see how this would have been possible. Many in the group found the mysterious stranger to be disappointing. We did not think he was well developed at all and left us with many questions about him. We also thought that the problem regarding the tree was too easily resolved. Why did he want the tree taken down? We feel Mrs. Snoops was the character was the most developed.

We also discussed the phrase that was used in the book by Joanne Rocklin “Things you knew but you didn’t know you knew.”  There is a lot to think about with that phrase.

After the below selection of the interview was read, a member commented it that this was the book’s strength.

It was important for me to express the longing we all have for something magical and “amazing” in our daily lives.  Sometimes amazing things do occur during seemingly everyday moments, especially when experienced as a community.  I did not want to write a fantasy.  I wanted the moments of my story to feel as true and possible as anything that happens in real life.  I hope I accomplished that.

Some books that would be good pairings are: Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, and Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox.

This book is well paired with The Many Faces of George Washington.  Both books talk about the many different perspectives of different people about the same subject.

We ended the night with a drawing sponsored by the Red Balloon of next month’s books.  Thank you, Red Balloon!!

—Report filed by Natalie Thorager, co-facilitator

The Bookcase, Wayzata, Minnesota

We had eight people participating on a hot and steamy June night. Even Lake Minnetonka looked hot!

Many of our members liked the information they found in The Many Faces of George Washington. They found it fascinating that a face could be reconstructed after several hundred years. One of our members was particularly taken by the different faces created by the different artists who painted portraits of Washington, particularly the father and son who painted completely unlike portraits even though they were painting Washington at the same sitting! We felt the forensic information was interesting, as were the details included in the text, but we would have liked even more explanation in sidebars. The photography was fascinating, but we wanted to know more about the people who conducted the research and reconstruction. It’s a good book to include in a library so students can research their reports; we didn’t know that someone would read the book from cover to cover. It’s a volume that covers an aspect of Washington’s life that we hadn’t encountered before, so it’s a good addition to the canon.

For One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, we discussed the interview with Joanne Rocklin, all the aspects of community, the variety of ages in this neighborhood and how they were portrayed, and the use of multiple character perspectives. Having read Because of Mr. Terupt with its multiple viewpoints, it was interesting to compare the two books. We talked quite a bit about using an older woman with dementia as a character who holds the key memory for the mystery. Our members wanted a way to keep all of the characters straight; we wished the map had been more detailed and that we could have had a better idea of what the lot with the orange tree on it looked like. Some of us saw it as a park and others saw it as a neighborhood lot. The wonders of interpreting fiction!

—Report filed by Vicki Palmquist, facilitator

The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, MN

We had 5 people tonight.

We were impressed with the interesting approach of The Many Faces of Washington—mixing history and art.

Although we questioned if children would choose it for reading on their own, we thought that it would be selected by middle graders for research with school proj

We especially like the descriptions and use of language in One Day and One Amazing Morning. We felt the book captured the feeling of kids in a neighborhood. For some of us it had a nostalgic quality. We felt readers would be able to identify with the characters and would enjoy the fact that they found the extraordinary in the ordinary.

—Report filed by Linda Glaser, facilitator

For the upcoming June, July, and August discussion books, visit the CLN website.

This month’s Chapter & Verse Book Club selections were One Thousand Tracings by Lita Judge (Hyperion) and Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (Delacorte Press). CLN member Lita Judge, author and illustrator of One Thousand Tracings, provided an interview for our facilitators, talking about her family’s history, how and when she was inspired to write the book, and the process of working with her editor, Namrata Tripathi. A question sent to Rob Buyea via e-mail revealed that his name is pronounced Boo-yeah and that of his fictional teacher is pronounced Tare-upt. Mr. Terupt found his name because “it’s a dollar word”! Reports were filed by four of our participating book clubs.

From Redbery Books, Cable, Wisconsin:

One Thousand Tracings

Illustrations: Lots of movement, authentic feel, collage of actual items give a sense of the past. The photos used on the end papers put a face to real people affected by the war.

Text: It reads like a story. It’s a great way to learn and get a sense of the past and historical eras. Very emotional. It gives a sense of how important letter writing was then compared to our communication today. It also required patience.

The power of the story is in its brevity.

The fact that the parties continued a pen pal relationship and a lifelong friendship speaks to the power of reaching out to help others.

It shows what we take for granted. It is a story of gratitude and would be good to use at Thanksgiving.

Because of Mr. Terupt

Most agreed that it was hard to keep the characters straight at first, especially if you put the book down and then came back to it later. Some felt it seemed at first that the boys had less of a distinct personality and perhaps a little stereotyped – the brain, the clown, etc. Their chapters were generally shorter so perhaps the author intended to show the girls as being more verbose and the boys were more inward. The different voices were annoying to some at first but eventually found that it was those voices that gave the story energy and it would be hard to see it working any other way.

This demonstrates how important belonging is to learning. We explored the idea of using this as a staff book club pick. The teaching strategies, setting up the room, Mr. Terupt’s manner and style would be worthwhile to examine in more depth. Plus the behaviors, group dynamics, etc., could be a good springboard.

Much of the story is of universal nature and would be of interest in diverse cultures. We got to know the characters first in their school setting before the home life emerged. This was an effective way to get to know the kids and have their circumstances unfold gradually. There is a bit of innocence about them. The closed community to outsiders or those with different values is universal as well. The line about “we won’t try to change grandma’s opinions but we don’t have to adopt them” is right on. Demonstrates the ills of triangulating and manipulative behavior, bullying, judging those who are different.  On the positive side is forgiveness and compassion.

Even with the cover of the book being what it is, we didn’t see the injury to the teacher coming. The cover doesn’t convey the power of the snowball and its turning point in their lives. It’s a very low-key cover. We knew tragedy was coming but we all had different anticipations of what it was.

The book speaks to the power of a teacher. Give the book to a special teacher with an inscription.

The differing values of families are a good discussion point.

This book is ripe for a sequel.

Classroom connections:

Students who have read the book thought it was great. They could see themselves in the behaviors and they appreciated the hopeful message.

Good for all readers including the reluctant reader.

This would be a great reader’s theater adaptation.

Chart the characteristics of the characters and decide who would be your friend.

Dollar words – We played with this trying to make dollar words using our names. Some of us had to use first, middle, and last to get close. Others did it with just last name.

Techniques and classroom strategies that were effective.

Structure of the book – by month, by character.

Moral comes across pretty strongly.

Topics we didn’t get to: Literary references in the book including Summer of the Swans. Time period: When did it take place and would today’s technology change some of the interaction?

Other discussions: Three Cups of Tea as a humanitarian effort.  Both books use chronological order as format and follow from month to month.  Both deal with ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Redbery Books (Report filed by facilitator and bookstore owner, Beverly Bauer)

From Red Balloon Bookshop, Saint Paul, Minnesota:

There were mixed reactions for Because of Mr. Terupt. One person couldn’t put it down, one thought it was very predictable and contrived, another was underwhelmed, particularly after the John Irving testimonial. We wondered about testimonials and how they are solicited.

Keeping the names straight proved difficult at first, but the front jacket and the fonts for each individual name helped if you associated something with the font. For example, Danielle’s was a fancy font which reminded us that she was artistic. We didn’t think the characters rang true for 5th graders, especially with regard to some of of their expressions. We thought they sounded too mature at times: “no stranger to trouble,” and “sweaty palms and dry mouth syndrome.” We thought their level of compassion was fine, but we wondered about the other kids in the class. So few were mentioned. We thought the Collaborative Classroom was represented authentically, but wondered why it was in the basement.

We thought this would be a good book for a discussion group for grades 3-5.

It would also be a good read aloud or reader’s theater with the different voices and short chapters. Some of the things that would be discussed would be speculations about Mr. Terupt. Why does no one know anything about him? Where is his family? Was he running away from something tragic? Perhaps one of his wrestling opponents died. We think some of these things will be revealed in the sequel. We also think a new student will appear and Mr. Terupt will have a romance and reveal his history.

We were all impressed with One Thousand Tracings. We passed around lots of material from Lita Judge’s website. We liked the color palette which was somewhat somber and muted which matched the tone and the time. With regard to time, we thought there was a dearth of children’s literature set in the late 1940s, early 1950s. A little research revealed only three titles: Bat 6, Harris and Me, and In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.

We enjoyed the juxtaposition of photos of real items from the time period with the illustrations. One item was a list of articles sent overseas. It listed one “sloppy joe” and we didn’t know what that was. I looked it up and it was defined this way: “Sloppy Joe Sweater—long, baggy pullover sweater, commonly worn with blue jeans. Typically worn by teenage girls in highschool or college.”

The format of the book as a picture book in free verse (?) worked well.

Red Balloon Book Shop (Report filed by co-facilitator and St. Catherine’s University instructor, Heidi Hammond)

From The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, Minnesota:

Everyone agreed that One Thousand Tracings is a moving and inspiring story that could be shared in many ways with a variety of ages.

We all felt there is a need for books like this one that feature pure human kindness. Another suggestion for a companion book is Six Million Paper Clips: The Making Of A Children’s Holocaust Memorial by Peter W. Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand (Kar-Ben Publishing).

Because of Mr. Terupt was less unanimous. Most people agreed that the voices of the children were, for the most part, authentic, although some teachers disagreed strongly about that. A few teachers were bothered by the emphasis on “blame” and “fault” in the story. The librarians felt this was realistic.

We discussed whether the story itself felt authentic. For the most part, the teachers felt that the teacher was too lax, They also felt that a whole class would not visit a teacher in the hospital and that there would be counseling from the outside for such a serious accident. The teachers said they’d be uncomfortable reading the book aloud because of scenes such as the one where Mr. T says, “tie it in a knot” or where the principal slips.

The librarians weren’t bothered by those aspects. They felt it was a good story with strong characters. We all agreed that having a special ed class in the story and in the “healing” was a very strong aspect of the book.

The Bookstore at Fitger’s (Report filed by Linda Glaser, author and book club facilitator)