We had great discussions at our last meeting, combined with
delicious pizza, since that played such a big part in our novel, Bang,
by Barry Lyga. We all liked this book -- some of us more than others. We agreed
that there were some interesting plot twists, and we liked the portrayal of the
relationship between the 14-year-old protagonist, Sebastian, and his new friend
Aneesa as they produced a pizza-making online video log. We thought that felt
very natural and realistic. Some of us felt that making her a Muslim might have
been a bit grauitous, given the times we live in, but we agreed that it was
dealt with in a positive fashion without being 'preachy'. We talked at length
about what it means to keep a big secret, as Sebastian did in the story while he
planned the exact moment of his (possibly impending) suicide as the guilt of
accidentally having shot and killed his baby sister when he was only four years
old consumed him. We also talked about the necessity of communication, which
seemed to be missing in Sebastian's life until he met Aneesa, and we were
especially struck by the scenes in which Sebastian and his mother, and then
later, he and his father finally let all of their emotions out, including the
enormous guilt that each felt. The only thing we unanimously didn't
like was the inclusion of an essay that a teacher had assigned -- against
Sebastian's wishes -- where he asserted that his thoughts and feelings were
nobody's business. We felt that essay added nothing to an otherwise gripping
read, and a heartfelt glimpse into the mind of a troubled young teen. We also
liked the addition of resources at the end that could possible be helpful to
young readers in a similar situation.
We didn't agree on our picture book, Sleep Like a Tiger,
by Mary Logue, and illustrated by Pamerla Zagarenski. A couple of readers
didn't like it at all. They thought the illustrations were terrible, and would
not be appealing to young children, and they thought the story was dull, not
really saying anything, and not so much fun to read. Others however had a
different opinion: that the story was an almost perfect circle as the little
girl who 'wasn't sleepy' asked her parents about how various animals went to
sleep, and then mimicked the same actions as she fell asleep also. We liked that
the illustrations showed that all of these animals were actually her own toys.
We agreed that this book wouldn't be so great as a read-aloud to a group, since
the illustrations would be difficult to enjoy from a distance, but that an adult
sharing it with a child at bedtime could help the child notice various nuances
in the pictures which were more visible close-up. Mixed feelings and opinions
always make for a good discussion.
