I think this is a wonderful addition! Kudos to Jackie and Melissa.

We began 2 book clubs this year, well actually 3 if you include the one with faculty. The student clubs meet during 2nd and 5th hour clubs on the first Wednesday of each month. They are small but growing. The 5th hour group I think is the most interesting. There are 7 members and they are all boys! They attend religiously every meeting and have always read something. We have decided to not read the same book for every meeting. This way everyone shares what they have read and we are introduced to new books and authors. Last time however someone had read an Agatha Christie and everyone thought that souned good--so we all are reading And Then There Were None for next month.

Teachers read The MemoryKeepers Daughter last month. Great discussion!!!
This month we are reading two books by a southern woman--Celia Rivenbark: We are just like you :Only Prettier and Bless Your Heart, Tramp.
Next month is Water Like Elephants. A couple have said this may be the best book they have ever read.

Margaret

Teachers are reading Water Like Elephants, correct? Have any students read it yet? Memory Keepers Daughter is excellent but Water Like Elephants is even better. [Rather poignant, too!]

Have you read The Loud Silence of Francine Green?
by Karen Cushman, 2006, is a departure from Cushman’s other books set in medieval England. Francine, who lives in Hollywood, dreams of being a movie star and meeting Montgomery Clift (a clue to the 1949-50 setting) but she is stuck in a Catholic school where her father advises her, “Don’t get involved”. Francine doesn’t ‘get involved’ until she becomes friends with Sophie Bowman who protests injustice and questions authority – rather rare for that time period. Loud Silence is targeted to grades 5-9 (by the publisher); however, I think older teens will enjoy the humor and thought-provoking plot and come to care a lot about both Francine and Sophie. [I read an uncorrected proof so there may be some changes.] ~ Jackie

I am reading ''The Thirteenth Tale'' by Diane Setterfield. It is about an author who wants to tell her life's story before she dies. She was a twin and I am just getting into it. It was suppose to be a really good read. I am about a third of the way through it and it is just starting to get good. ~Darlah
Darlah

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Other Margaret has already told you about our book discussion groups and I have to say, I get fired up talking with both the students and our staff about any and all books. The Memory Keeper's Daughter kept me interested but sometimes I wasn't sure why. If you were to ask me if I liked it I would say yes, however, the characters weren't all that likeable. I guess the storyline is what intrigued me...secrets ruined almost everyone's life. I am going to start reading Water for Elephants this weekend...after I get back from the Book Fair!

Thanks, Melissa, for affording me the opportunity to participate in a Wiki! I've just finished reading Lunch Money (2005) by Andrew Clements for the purpose of the KBA 3-5 Nominee list for 2008. As usual for Mr. Clements, it was great. Perfect for boys and girls in 4th or 5th grade. The gist of it is that Greg Kenton, beginning 6th grader, learns that money isn't everything and that he might actually like his neighbor, Maura (a beginning 6th grade girl), more that he thought.

I added a new page so you'll have to look there to see my two books that I've just finished. Twilight by Meyer and Wild Roses by Caletti. Just look for the page that says "Terri's books".

I just finished The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick,2007. I loved it! Hugo Cabret is a young boy- "orphan, clock keeper, and thief". He lives within the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. He meets an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man, and events puts his undercover life and his most precious secrets in jeopardy. The story is a mystery created around a cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father. The book is a combination of picture book, graphic novel, and film! It is very nicely done, and although I didn't think I would like it at all, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is being considered for the 2008 KBA, Grades 3-5 List of Nominees. Feel free to comment as to its appropriateness for the list...