The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Joyce Sidman and Red Sings from Treetops by Jacqueline Kelly

Novel -- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Joyce Sidman
Picture Book -- Red Sings from Treetops by Jacqueline Kelly

We had great discussions about our two books last nite.....differences of opinions on some things, and complete agreement on others. Most of us loved the novel, and our reactions to the picture book were divided.

Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson and We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Novel -- Fever 1793 by Laure Halse Anderson

Picture Book -- We Are the Ship: Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Note:

Fearless: An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson

Read the full article at:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6660876.html

I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier and a favorite picture book by Kevin Henkes

Novel: I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier

Picture book: Your favorite one by Kevin Henkes

 

We had a great discussion about I Am the Cheese at our last meeting, and all agreed that it is the best book we have read so far (after The Book Thief!!)...and that even though it was published in 1977 it has withstood the test of time and is a true classic. We had fun sharing Kevin Henkes picture books, and agreed that some were better than others, and that we each had our absolute favorites.

 

We decided to take a bit of a summer break, since many people had conflicts due to conferences, trips. etc.

 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Twenty-one Elephants and Still Standing by April Jones Prince

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twenty-one Elephants and Still Standing by April Jones Prince

We had interesting discussions of our two books on Thursday, and delicious food provided by everyone!!

We pretty much all agreed that the picture book, although very beautiful left a bit to be desired in the language area -- it tried to be poetic -- but wasn't....and some questioned that it would be well-received by elementary-aged kids. We thought the art was beautiful, but not really kid-like, and that there was too much kids needed to know before they could truly enjoy it.

As for Twilight -- One of our members, Michelle, who often says, "Gee - I wish I'd written that line," said of Twilight, "There wasn't a single line in the book that I wish I'd written!" We agreed that it was relatively formulaic, very pure and 'clean' at the beginning, and then as it progressed it seemed to be less and less about a high school kid. We understood why 11-year-old girls would go ga-ga over this series.....not so sure about adults.......oh, well.

Paper Towns by John Green and Brave Potatoes by Toby Speed

 Paper Towns by John Green and Brave Potatoes by Toby Speed.

 

We had (as usual) great discussions at our last meeting. We pretty much agreed that neither book was particularly terrific, although we did find a few good things in each one.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman and Meilo So, and What to Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman and Meilo So, and What to Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley

 

We had very lively discussions at our last meeting! It's so great to hear each person's 'take' on a particular book or on illustrations -- we are all so different, and yet so alike because we are lovers of great children's/YA books. It's wonderful!!

Freak Show by James St. James and Hawaiian Lullaby by Erin Eitter Kono

Freak Show by James St. James and Hawaiian Lullaby by Erin Eitter Kono

 

We had a great discussion about our January books. All agreed that Freak Show by James St. James was definitely a book with a unique voice and a story that needed to be told, and we had varying opinions on our picture book, Hula Lullaby by Erin Eitter Kono.