Fortunately, Fourth Graders Find Out How to Save the World with ... Milk?

Hello Readers!

Can you imagine traveling through time and space simply to get a little milk to put on your breakfast cereal? That will be the topic of discussion this week when fourth graders meet to talk about the book Fortunately, The Milk by Newbery Medalist Neil Gaiman (author of Coraline and The Graveyard Book). This fantasy is full of time travel, tall tales, and dinosaur police, and it is a perfect read for fans of Roald Dahl, Lemony Snicket, and the Flat Stanley series.

As the story begins, Mom is leaving to present at a conference, and Dad is in charge of the important things that have to happen while she is away.  Unfortunately, on the first morning, the kids are out of milk and cannot eat their cereal. Dad decides to walk down to the corner shop to get milk, and little does he know that going to the store for milk has never been such an adventure. After Dad walks out of the store with milk, he proceeds to be abducted by aliens, held captive by pirates, rescued by a time-traveling stegosaurus, and threatened by vampires.

When Dad finally returns home, he recounts his incredible adventure for his son and daughter, describing how - still managing to save the milk - he ultimately saved the world. As his children listen with disbelief, they wonder whether their father could be telling the truth about why he was gone so long. Fortunately, along with Dad's astonishing account, they now have milk for their cereal.

You can watch the video trailer for the book below. To preview our discussion questions, click here. Please visit the Grade 4 page for more links related to this book and author.

Happy reading!

Third Graders Travel Back to Times of American Slavery with Search-and-Rescue Dog, Ranger

Hello Readers!

This week, third graders are meeting to discuss book #3 in Kate Messner's Ranger in Time series: Long Road to Freedom.

Meet Ranger! He’s a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day! Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can’t officially pass the test because he’s always getting distracted by squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious first aid kit in the garden that transports him to important moments in history!

In Long Road to Freedom, Ranger heads back to a plantation in Maryland during the days of American slavery to help a young girl named Sarah and her little brother, Jesse, as they attempt to escape to freedom in the North. This story is full of struggles, hope, courage, and history. It is a great introduction to the Underground Railroad. 

To preview our discussion questions, click here. You can visit the Grade 3 page to link to web sites and an interactive game connected to the story. Please remember to bring your book to our meeting.





Please check out these other amazing picture books as well:

• Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine
• Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
• Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold
  
  

Happy reading!

Detective Chickens, a Scaredy-Squirrel, and a UFOh-My!

Hello Readers!

This week our 2nd grade book club members are discussing The Chicken Squad: The First Misadventure by Doreen Cronin (author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type).

Meet Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie: the shortest, yellowest, fuzziest detectives in town. These four chicks who are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they’re too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime. They’re darling. They’re daring. They’re chicks on a mission—and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad launches a galactic backyard expedition.

When Tail the not-so-brave squirrel comes barreling into the chicken coop, the chicks know it's up to them to figure out what Tail is so afraid of. But when he describes it as BIG and SCARY, that doesn't give much insight as to what is lurking beyond the coop. Good thing these chicks are professionals. But even professionals get worried. Especially once they see that round, shiny, green, BIG thing in the yard. What if it’s a UFO full of aliens who want chickens as pets? Can the Chicken Squad defeat something that just might be -gulp- from out of this world?

This hilarious backyard adventure is the first in a series of three books. To preview our discussion questions, click here. Visit the Grade 2 page for more links to Doreen Cronin's books and a web site about idioms - expressions that mean something totally different from the literal definition of the words being used.

Happy reading!

Crenshaw - Finding Strength to Fight Homelessness and Childhood Hunger

Hello Readers!

This week, 4th and 5th graders are meeting to discuss Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (Newbery Award winning author of The One and Only Ivan).  In this story, we meet Jackson, a fifth grader, and his family who have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

As we discuss this story, themes of friendship, family, and resilience surface. And more importantly, Crenshaw opens the door to a discussion of what middle graders (or any of us) can do to help combat childhood hunger and homelessness. Applegate does an excellent job of bringing these issues to the surface without making the book too "heavy".

For a preview of our discussion questions and links to ideas for ways we can help, please click here. Please visit the Grade 4 or Grade 5 page for links to the Crenshaw web site, national organizations that aim to address childhood hunger and/or homelessness, as well as local (Seattle/King County area) organizations that we can support. Let's make a difference!

Happy reading!