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Book Recommendations
When it comes to selecting books, there's nothing better than a recommendation from a book club. We’re pleased to share the terrific book recommendations we’ve received from youth book clubs. Please check back frequently, as we continually add new suggestions. And take a moment to recommend a book or email us about the fun book-related activities and foods your group has enjoyed. Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, Book Beat to get the latest book recommendations from book clubs. You can purchase all recommended books, and books featured in The Kids’ Book Club Book through our Amazon store.
Spring, 2008 Bookworms Book Club (grades 4 & 5) at William Jeanes Memorial Library in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, recommends: When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden (Candlewick, 2007), Fiction, 192 pages “When Heaven Fell is a great book to initiate discussion of cultural differences, in this case between the United States and Vietnam. You can broaden it into the United States and Third World countries. The book helps children appreciate the advantages we have here, and gives you an opportunity to explore the Vietnamese culture. You can initiate a great discussion about expectations - how they are formed, and how we handle situations when what we expect doesn't happen. It's a really thought-provoking book!” Note: The Bookworms Book Club also paired activities and crafts with When Heaven Fell. St. Cecilia Cardinals Book Club (grade 4) of Omaha, Nebraska, recommends: Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman (HarperTrophy, 1986), Fiction, 160 pages “Based on a true story about a night in Grand Island, Nebraska, when seven tornadoes hit the town, the book has well developed characters, a suspenseful plot and a happy ending. A real pageturner! In our discussion, we touched on themes of taking responsibility, caring for others, and stepping up to the plate when you’re needed.” Moms and Sons Book Group (grade 4) of the Chestnut Hill School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, recommends: A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements (Aladdin, 2004), Fiction, 208 pages "This book about a boy who goes on a 5th-grade class trip to the woods is loaded with great discussion themes, including stereotyping and judging others. When the main character, Mark, moves to New Hampshire, the people he meets make assumptions about ‘the new kid’ because of his wealth and privilege. Even his science teacher assumes Mark must be a ‘slacker rich kid’, but during their week-long camping trip those assumptions are challenged. The book is so engaging the kids just couldn't put it down. We talked about forming opinions about people before knowing them. And we served outdoor foods mentioned in the book - grilled hotdogs, energy bars, and cut-up fruit. Roasted marshmallows would also have been fun!" Ravenous Readers of Bordentown Regional High School, New Jersey, recommend: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (David Fickling Books, 2007), Historical Fiction, 240 pages “John Boyne perfectly captures the perspective of a naïve young boy who witnesses atrocities during the Holocaust. The story forced us to question what it means to live under a delusion and whether we, ourselves, would recognize our delusions in a similar situation. The second half of the book is emotional and gripping, and even with very little action, the author manages to keep a hold on the reader.” Boston Athenaeum Young Readers’ Book Group (grades 5 and up) in Boston, Massachusetts, recommends: Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt Children’s Books, 2006), Fiction, 352 pages “Written in the form of journal entries by 16-year old Miranda, this dystopic novel tells about how her life changes after a global disaster. A meteor crashes into the moon, knocking it out of orbit, dangerously close to earth. The resulting earthquakes, tsunamis, and other disasters lead to climate change, flooding, and dwindling supplies. It becomes a survival story for Miranda’s family. We liked it because as things go from bad to worse, there is so much suspense to find out what will happen. It is also scary because it seems so realistic, you wonder if it could really happen.” The Women and Girls Book Club (WAGs) of Newport News, Virginia, recommends: The Twilight Saga Series by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Young Readers), Fiction “The romantic, dramatic story of modern day ‘vegetarian’ vampire Edward and his love for the teenaged Bella has all of the girls in the club breathlessly awaiting the next book in the series, and all of the women wondering what these books are saying about females’ roles in society. Discussion topics included the main female character’s repeated need to be rescued, her seamless transition into taking care of her father's needs after moving in with him, and her choice not to attend college. Though all agreed that the books were good, easy reads, and the Edward character is easy to fall in love with, the girls seemed to read the books on one level, while the women saw some deeper meanings in the prose.” Fall, 2007 DCF Book Club of Orwell, Vermont, recommends: Grades 5-8 Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach (Henry Holt, 2005), Fiction, 256 pages “The main character, Hero is an outsider who doesn’t fit in. Hero’s family moves into a house with mystery attached to it. A ‘cool’ boy becomes her friend and together they solve more than just the mystery of the house. Bits and pieces of Shakespearan history and references to some plays are sprinkled throughout the story as the main female character's parents are Shakespearan scholars and she and her sister are named after characters in the parents' favorite play. Members read the author's notes on Shakespeare and the timeline of dates. The story brings into play a very real controversy between today's Shakespeare scholars who believe generally one of two schools of thought on who he was and who wrote the great works.” Grades 5-8 By These Ten Bones by Claire Dunkle (Henry Holt, 2005), Fiction, 240 pages "The kids loved the scariness and the thrill of the story, which relates to fears of 'things that go bump in the night' and of the dark. Parts of the story have a real edge-of-your-seat quality. The young heroine needs to make a very scary decision at the climax of the story and many discussion questions can come out of this dilemma. This book is relatively short and can be shared around the group for the month of October, culminating with a fairy tale costume party and book discussion around Halloween."
Grades 2-3 The Brand New Kid by Katherine Couric (Doubleday, 2000), Fiction, 32 pages "Great text for discussion about kindness, fairness, and how to treat others, which we've used in our second grade book club in the fall for several years." Grades 4-5 The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (HarperTrophy, 2002), Fiction, 320 pages “Very short chapters written as a journal by the shipmate makes for a quick read. The male characters in the book appealed to the boys in my book club which made this book a yearly must-read!”
Grades 5-7: Darby by Jonathan Scott Fuqua (Candlewick Press, 2006), Historical Fiction, 242 pages “This is the story of a friendship between two young girls - one black and one white - in 1926 South Carolina, and the dream of both girls to become newspaper writers. Although Evette, who is black, is the better writer, the opportunity to publish stories presents itself to Darby, her friend, and we talked about what it must have been like to have limited choices because of the color of your skin, and how skin color and social status might have influenced the girls' friendship. The group was particularly interested in comparing daily life for children in the 20s and today. Although the girls felt that the dialogue often sounded overly mature for the characters' ages, we all liked the way the book depicted ordinary people as heroes. Some of the moms pointed out that the tensions, frustrations, and violence depicted in Darby laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement several decades later. We served ambrosia (fruit salad) and biscuits to highlight the southern setting of the book.”
Grades 6 and up White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer (Gulliver, 1993), Historical Fiction, 256 pages “This novel is based on a true story of a Texas town in the 1920s that planned to replace an all-black enclave in the town center with a park. The club members loved the book and found it an easy read (it is written more for a junior high school level student). The Ravenous Readers were very sympathetic to Rose Lee Jefferson, the main character. They were horrified that this story was true and that people because of skin color could be displaced from their homes. They were very vocal in what they saw as injustice in its purest form. Marcus Garvey was mentioned in the book, and one of the club members thought he was a fictional character until he was brought up in history class. The student was thrilled that he already knew about Marcus Garvey by reading White Lilacs.”
Spring, 2007 Readers Book Club (Grades K-4) at East Regional Library, Knightdale, North Carolina, recommends: The BFG by Roald Dahl (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982), Fiction, 32 pages “The group members loooooooved this one. It was very funny, because of the way the BFG talks - he mangles English all the time - and because he loves to make whizzpoppers (farts). There were also lots of scary giants in the book. We drew what we thought the different giants look like, and then took pictures with the drawings while making scary monster faces. We talked about why Sophie was scared of the BFG at first (he is a giant but is actually very friendly and nice to Sophie).” Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (Little, Brown, 1938), Fiction, 139 pages “Group members loved the book because the penguins were so funny and silly and became world-famous performers. We talked about what kind of pet the kids would like, and we made penguin masks, and then marched around the room as Mr. Popper's Performing Penguins, and the kids performed the penguins' routine as best they could.”
The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape from the Tower of London by Elvira Woodruff (Scholastic, 2003), Fiction, 240 pages “In eighteenth-century Britain, Forrest's father is the Ravenmaster and guard at the tower of London. Forrest's friend Rat is indentured to a ratcatcher, and is threatened by a villainous chimney sweep. When Maddy, the daughter of a Scottish rebel, is imprisoned in the Tower, Forrest must decide where his loyalties lie. “This exciting, suspenseful story was a great success
in our book group. Action and adventure, as well as believable,
complex characters, ensured a great read. The book provides
opportunities to discuss issues such as class differences, stereotypes,
and the meaning of courage. Forrest's moral dilemma is
of course also very important: does his loyalty belong to
his father and his country, or to his new friend Maddy and his
sense of justice? Should he help Maddy escape from the
Tower?” “Set during the 1692 Salem Witch trials, the story brings to life a time in history the readers may have studied in school, or actually traveled to Salem to learn about; if not, maybe the story will inspire a road trip. Reading the book gave readers insight on why the event took place and the emotions behind the scenes. Looking at it from characters’ viewpoints helps readers better understand why the chain of events that led to the hangings happened. Why did no one stop it sooner? Were the girls victims of peer pressure?” Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby (Simon & Schuster, 1994), Fiction, 208 pages The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton (Simon & Schuster, 1968), Fiction, 256 pages“These are great fiction books that give the moderator
a chance to lead the conversation toward the real Underground
Railroad. What did the ‘flags’ look like that led
the way for travelers on the Underground Railroad? Look
for books that illustrate examples of hidden doors from homes
that were stations, which may now be museums open to the public. Show
maps of the railroad routes. Did it pass through your town? “This story takes readers to Ireland during the 1845 potato
famine. Could you have survived those conditions? Do
you think you have the courage inside you to do what “The year is 2024 and the United States has changed. It hasn’t progressed into the anticipated convenience of a high tech future. Instead, it has descended into a lawless hell of pyromaniacs, armed gangs and roving tides of homeless people. Is this work of speculative fiction a warning for us today? Butler’s tale of dystopia and belief in “Earthseed” stimulated great discussions about God, survival, and the inherent disposition of the human race. The male participants admitted that guns, cannibalism and wanton destruction pulled them into the story. Female participants commented on how ‘real’ the characters were portrayed.” |