Some Friendships Are Meant to Be

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Hello, Readers! 

This week 5th grade book club kids are discussing Hello, Universe by 2018 Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly. Told from intertwining points of view (two boys and two girls), Hello, Universe is  a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships. The novel celebrates bravery, being different, and finding your inner bayani (hero). 

In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so that he can concentrate on basketball.

They aren’t friends, at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Sometimes four can do what one cannot. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.

Source: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062414151/hello-universe

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. What is Virgil like as a person? When he describes the rest of his family, he says he feels “like unbuttered toast standing next to them” (p. 4). What does he mean by that simile? How does he think he compares to his brothers? How does his experience in the well affect him? 
2. How does Lola’s arrival help Virgil? What is she like, and what’s her role in the family? Describe Lola’s exchange with Valencia. What do Valencia and Kaori think of her?
3. In more than one instance, Virgil wishes he could act as the “Alternate Virgil” (p. 39). How would he change himself if he could? How does the book’s title relate to Virgil’s hopes about changing? What changes does he actually make by the end of the book?
4. Describe Valencia’s personality and her interests. What is her nightmare, and why can’t she ask her mother for help? How do people, including her parents, treat her differently because she’s deaf? Give specific examples.
5. Valencia explains that she prays to Saint Rene. Who is he and why does she pray to him? In the well, Virgil talks to Ruby San Salvador. Who is she and how is she helpful to him? What does this tell you about Valencia and Virgil and how they are alike? What else do they have in common?
6. Discuss Chet’s character and how he treats other kids. Why do you think he’s so unkind? What messages does he get from his father? How do you think those affect his actions?
7. Kaori likes to tell people that “her parents were born in the high, misty mountains of a samurai village” (p. 26). What does this reveal about her character? Describe her interest in psychic matters and how that interest is important to the novel’s plot. Talk about her relationship to Gen, how they interact, and how their personalities compare.
8. Talk about the main characters’ names and nicknames in the novel. Why does Valencia call herself Renee? Discuss Kaori’s observation that Valencia seems proud of her real name, and the fact that “Kaori was fond of her name as well”  (p. 265). What does Lola say about Valencia’s name? How does Virgil feel about his name and nickname? How does Chet’s last name lead to a nickname and relate to his character?
9. Identify the different points of view that the author uses throughout the novel. How do the points of view differ by chapter? Why do you think the author chose to focus different chapters on different characters and use different points of view?
10. The author uses similes and metaphors to create a vivid narrative. For example, Virgil’s crying is compared to a faucet, starting on p. 243 and picking up again on p. 245. Discuss the effect of the metaphor and why the author extends it. On p. 244, Virgil thinks of his family as speaking “in exclamation points.” What images does that create in your mind? Find other figures of speech and discuss their impact on the reader. 

Curriculum Connections:

• Life Skills (problem solving, communication, dealing with bullying, intergenerational relationships)
• Science (animals, snakes,)
• Disabilities (deafness)
• Writing (multiple points of view, text structure, narrative elements)

What 5th Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 4.1 out of 5.0
• "Why did Virgil's parents not care so much for Virgil?" --Vibha
• "My favorite part was Virgil got saved." --Aditi
• "My favorite part was when Ruby San Salvador convinced Virgil into getting brave." --Alex
• "My favorite part was when Virgil was saved from the well." --Vibha
• "One question I wondered was why is Chet so unkind?" --Alex
• "My favorite part was when they found Virgil." --Alexa

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A New Friend Could Be Sitting Right Next to You

Hello, Readers!

This week 4th grade book club kids are discussing Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. Not only is this story written by two authors, it is also told from the points of view of two fifth graders, Joe and Ravi. 

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they’re both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.

Joe’s lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.

Ravi’s family just moved to America from India, and he’s finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.

Joe and Ravi don’t– think they have anything in common – but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

Source: back cover of book

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever invited new kids to sit with you and your friends at lunch? Why or why not?
2. Dillon Samreen seems to be so well-liked. What problems does he have in spite of being so "popular"?
3. What problems did Joe have? What problems did Ravi have? How were their problems similar or different?
4. How did teachers, parents, and/or grandparents influence or affect Joe and Ravi? What role did they play in the boys' lives? Positive or negative?
5. What did Ravi mean when he said, "Assumptions are often wrong. There is more to me than meets the eye." How does that quote apply to other characters in this story (or other people in the real world)?
6. How many words do you think Joe and Ravi said to each other before they became friends?
7. What message do you take away from this book?
8. What is the best school lunch in your opinion?

Curriculum Connections:

• Life Skills (problem solving, communication, empathy, how to deal with bullying)
• Writing (multiple points of view, text structure)

What 4th Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 3.9 out of 5.0
• "My favorite part was when Ravi brought leeches into the class and made all of the girls scream." --Anjulia
• "One question I wondered was how bad was Ravi when he was in his old school?" --Theo
• "My favorite part was when Dillon said everything was an 'accident'." --Varun
• "One question I wondered was why is Dillon Samreen so mean?" --Anjulia
• "My favorite part was when Joe saw Dillon Samreen's peanut underwear." --Ryan
• "One question I wondered was did Joe ever become friends with Ravi?" --Ryan
• "Why does Dillon Samreen show his underwear?" --Jeb
• "My favorite part was the M&Ms." --Hailey
• "I want to talk about the M&Ms." --Addie

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Embrace What Makes You Different, and Don't Be Afraid to Show It to the World

Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry

Hello, Readers!

This week 5th grade book club kids are discussing Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry. The story is told from two points of view (Callie and Jinsong) an d in two different formats (free verse and prose) over the course of a school year. Ellie Terry captures the true personalities of middle school students in her well-developed, realistic characters. Especially significant in this book is the incorporation of a character with Tourette syndrome and the message that we should "embrace what makes you different, and don't be afraid to show it to the world."

It would be nice

to stay in one place

long enough to make a best friend . . .

Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn't mean to make. When she and her mother move yet again, she tries to hide her TS. But it isn't long before the kids at her new school realize she's different. Only Calli's neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her as she truly is--an interesting person and a good friend. But is he brave enough to take their friendship public?

As Calli navigates school, she must also face her mother’s new relationship and the fact that they might be moving—again—just as she starts to make friends and finally accept her differences.

Source: book flap; book design by Anna Booth; cover art by Oana Befort

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. What is Tourette syndrome? What symptoms of TS does Calli have? What advice does Calli's doctor (and mom) give her?
2. Describe Calli's background experiences and relationship with her family members.
3. What does Jinsong think of Calli? Does his thinking change? Why is he struggling with being Calli's friend?
4. Why does Calli's mom cut her hair, and how does Calli feel about it?
5. What role does Beatriz play in this story? Why does Calli consider Beatriz to be a beast? Why do you think Beatriz is so mean to Calli?
6. Where do you think Jinsong goes wrong in this story?
7. What surprised you as you read this story?
8. Author Ellie Terry has TS. How do you think that impacted this story?
9. What message do you take away from this book?

Curriculum Connections:

• Life Skills (problem solving, communication)
• Science (rocks and minerals, the moon, flowers)
• Neurological Disorders (Tourette syndrome)
• Writing (multiple points of view, text structure, free verse poetry)

What 5th Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 4.94 out of 5.0
• "One question I wondered was why did her mom come back from Vegas with a new HUSBAND?!" --Alexa
• "Did Calli know that Jinsong liked her." --Katie
• "I want to talk about Tourette syndrome." --Aditi
• "One question I wondered was why does Calli use poetry so much?" --Alex
• "I want to talk about how Beatriz was referred to as a beast." --Alex
• "One question I wondered was what other books the author writes." --Jordyn
• "I want to talk about how her mom cut her hair." --Katie
• "The message I took away from this book was: We all have differences, and that's okay." --Aditi
• "I would rate this book 777 out of 5." --Alex
• "I wondered why does Jinsong like Calli?" --Sophie
• "I would rate this book 200,000,000 out of 5." --Katie
• "The message I took away from this book was: Be yourself." --Alexa

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