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

If You Liked This Book, You Might Try Reading These:

What We're Reading Next:

Ten Kids in a Treehouse to Protest Parent Problems - The Ultimate Slumber Party, or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?

The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff

Hello, Readers!

This week, 5th grade book club members are discussing The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff. Are you ready for this epic "kids versus parents" showdown?

There are a lot of things you should probably know to understand why a bunch of kids decided to climb up a treehouse and not come down. But to really understand it, you'd probably have to go way back in time, and peek through the living room window of a girl named Winifred Malladi-Maraj, on her last day of fourth grade . . .

That was the day everything changed. The day Winnie's parents got divorced, the day they decided Winnie would live three days a week with each of them and spend Wednesdays by herself in a treehouse smack between their houses, to divide her time perfectly evenly. It was the day Winnie's seed of frustration with her parents was planted, a seed that grew until it felt like it was as big as a tree itself.

By the end of fifth grade, Winnie has decided that the only way to change things is to barricade herself in her treehouse until her parents come to their senses - and her friends decide to join her. It's kids versus grown-ups, and no one wants to back down first. But with ten kids in one treehouse, all with their own demands, Winnie discovers that things can get pretty complicated pretty fast! All th rules have been thrown out the window, but does Winnie have what it takes to hold her ground and keep everyone happy?

(Source: inner book flap)

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. Describe Winnie's parents' personalities. How do they cause a major problem for Winnie? What other options could Winnie's parents have tried instead of the "completely even" division of time?
2. Why does Winnie decide to stay in the treehouse instead of coming back down?
3. How do the kids "get away with" staying in the treehouse? What is the history of the tree that allows them to stay there?
4. Was the list of demands put forward by the "Treehouse Ten" reasonable, unreasonable, or somewhere in between? Why?
5. Some people thought the "Treehouse Ten" were rabble-rousers, and some people thought they were heroes. What do you think? Why?
6. What strategies did the adults use to try to get the kids out of the treehouse?
7. When and how did things start to turn bad for the kids? What position did Winnie find herself in when things started to turn bad?
8. Why do you think the kids began to leave the treehouse?
9. Which of Winnie's friends was your favorite character? Why?
10. What did you think of the format of this book (memoir, sticky notes, transcripts, letters, etc.)? Did you find it interesting, confusing, entertaining, etc.? What was your favorite type of writing to read?

Curriculum Connections:

• Visit Lisa Graff's website to learn more about her and the other books she has written.
• Communication Skills (listening, observing closely, making compromises, critical thinking, questioning accuracy of news reports)
• Character and Social/Emotional Development (dealing with divorce, friendship, problem solving)
• STEM (design, architecture, survival)
• Social Studies (embassies and consulates)

What 5th Grade Book Club Members Thought:

• Our rating: 4.2 out of 5 - We really liked it.
• "I want to talk about how at the end Winnie saw how her friends were fighting and got a family member to write." --Katie
• "If I could be a character in this book, I would be Winnie because I like that Winnie stayed up there and didn't come down until her parents came to [their] senses." --Eliza
• "I want to talk about how the kids got in fights." --Aditi
• "I wondered what [the kids] would be like in middle school." --Sophie
• "One question I wondered was how on earth would the kids be so driven and why?" --Alex
• "I love how [Lisa Graff] put in the book pages for how _____ is made." --Jordyn
• "I want to talk about how cool [it was that] they stayed up in the treehouse so long." --Alexa
• "I would be Squizzy because she was funny and loves books like me." --Aditi

If You Like This Book, You Might Try Reading These: