Newbery Night

Thursday, March 17, was Newbery night for book group.  We talked all things Newbery including the history of the medal, the man the mental was named for, some "winners" and some "losers" and some controversies.  We lamented the fact that although adults generally LOVE the Newbery books, often kids don't (depending on the book).

A list of the Newbery winners can be found at http://is.gd/jAvtsW

We then had an enthusiastic discussion based on the following questions of one of the stellar Newbery winners, The Giver, by Lois Lowry.
 

Discussion Questions

1.Why wasn’t the title of the book The Receiver rather than The Giver?

2.What were some of the good things about Jonas’ society?

3.What are some of the things you would miss most living in Jonas’ society?

4.What is the significance of the eye color?

5.Sameness was an important goal in the society.  Lowry made an effort to make the gender of a character insignificant.  What are some examples of this effort, and what are some examples where the differences in gender retained their stereotypes?

6.Euthanasia is controversial. Did Jonas’s society condemn, promote, or conditionally accept the practice?

7.What on EARTH happens at the end of the book?

8. Describe to a partner what your perfect world would be like.

 We also discussed the great work the Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) does in picking Beehive award books for the state.  A poetry book, chapter book, non fiction book, and picture book is picked each year in January.  You can see their list at:

http://www.clau.org/books

Fire in the Bones by S. Michael Wilcox - February 2011

Brenda Lovell guided our discussion of Fire in the Bones by S. Michael Wilcox.  An invigorating discussion, great quotes, provocative pictures and some fun activities sparked the interests of all.  These well designed questions lead to a heated discussion.

How was Tyndale prepared for his life’s work?

What kind of a person was Tyndale?

What was Tyndale’s grand obsession?


What reasons were given for not wanting the Bible to be in the common tongue?
Were there other reasons?

How does Wilcox compare Tyndale to Joseph Smith?

Did the people want the bible in their own language?

What were some of the doctrines that Tyndale supported that were the most offensive to
those opposed to the translations into English?

What did we loose because of the death of Tyndale?

What was something you learned while reading the book that especially impressed you or
interested you?

How strong is my testimony of what I believe? Am I willing to stand up for it?

What lessons can we learn from the life of William Tyndale?

“I call God to record against the day we shall appear before
our Lord Jesus, to give a reckoning of our doings, that I never
altered one syllable of God’s work against by conscience, nor
would this day, if all that is in the earth, whether it be pleasure,
honor, or riches, might be given me.”
-William Tyndale

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone -- January Book Group

Deborah Hanson pulled the invisibility cloak off our minds and revealed to us all the secrets of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling.  She bewitched us with information about Rowling's life and the process she went through to get her series published.  Deborah shared with us a multitude of facts including that Rowling was paid $10,000 for the rights to Harry Potter from the British publisher and later Scholastic paid her $105,000 for the American publication.  This was the highest amount ever paid to a first time children's book author. 

One of the most fun parts of Deborah's lesson was learning about the names in the books.  One of the most popular characters is Minerva McGonagall.    Minerva was the Roman goddess of war and wisdom.  Minerva also happens to have a famed reputation for morphing herself and others into clever disguises.

We also learned that Rowling is a fan of anagrams.  The most important is, of course, Tom Marvolo Riddle is I Am Lord Voldemort.  But we all agree that Dursley is rude and sly!

The most touching story of the evening was this:  

Natalie McDonald is the only real person named in the entire Harry Potter series.  In the summer of 1999, the books provided an escape from the nine year old girl’s struggles with leukemia. Knowing how much Natalie loved Harry Potter, a friend of the McDonald family contacted JKR’s publisher who passed along the message. The author wrote an email to Natalie and her mother, including not-yet-known details about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but sadly, it arrived the day after Natalie died. Her mother wrote back to thank JKR for her kindness and the two struck up a friendship. In the book, JKR paid tribute to Natalie by making her a first year and sorting her into Gryffindor.

The Harry Potter series brought the muggle world together and revived our love of reading and sharing what we read.

By the way, did you know that so many fans visited King’s Cross station to take a photo of platforms nine and ten, that they erected a bricked in archway that reads Platform 9-3/4?