A Tale of Friendship, Family, and a Dog to Warm (and Break) our Hearts

Hello, Readers!

This week fifth graders are meeting to discuss When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin. Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, When Friendship Followed Me Home is a breathtaking story about life, loss and the meaning of family.

Ben Coffin has never felt like he fits in. A former foster kid, he keeps his head down at school to avoid bullies and spends his afternoons reading sci-fi books at the library. All that changes when he finds a scruffy abandoned dog named Flip, who leads him to befriend fellow booklover Halley. Ben begins thinking of her as "Rainbow Girl" because of her crazy-colored clothes and her magical laugh. For the first time, Ben starts to feel like he belongs.

Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her. What begins as a time-travel story ends up a mystery, one that has haunted Ben for as long as he can remember: If friendship is the greatest treasure of all, why can’t it last forever?  As their story unfolds, Ben’s life begins to unravel. Standing at the crossroads of happiness and loss, Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home.

Discussion questions can be found here. Visit the Grade 5 page for more links to information about author Paul Griffin, therapy dogs, and Coney Island, NY.

Happy reading!

Fourth Graders Explore Activism with Malala Yousafzai

Hello, Readers!

This week fourth graders are meeting to discuss Who Is Malala Yousafzai? by Dinah Brown. The book is an illustrated biography for elementary readers, and it is part of the Who Is ...?/Who Was ...? series.

Malala Yousafzai was a girl who loved to learn but was told that girls would no longer be allowed to go to school. She wrote a blog for the BBC that called attention to what was happening in her beautiful corner of Pakistan and realized that words can bring about change. She survived a violent attack and has continued to speak out for the right of all children to have an education. In 2013, she published a book entitled I Am Malala, and in 2014, she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Discussion questions can be found here. Links to videos, speeches and other information about Malala Yousafzai can be found on the Grade 4 page.

Happy reading!