The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)

This was the second book that we decided to read using the Facebook polling system.  “The BFG” by Roald Dahl felt like a breath of fresh air after the last book we had read.  The remaining members of the group (our numbers had dwindled by this point due to upcoming assignments and a general lack of interest following “Among the Hidden”) particularly enjoyed this playful tale.  We all felt very positive about our experience with the book, and were able to discuss many aspects of it.  We especially felt strongly about how the other giants in the story were treated at the end of the story, and questioned the ending greatly.  Despite our distaste for the ending, we knew that our future students would be delighted to have this story read to them because of the colourful and descriptive language that Dahl employed.

These are the discussion questions we provided for the story:

Part 1

• For those who have not read it, what are you thoughts so far? For those who have, what’s it like reading now compared to the last time you have read it?
• How do you feel about the different flavoured countries?
• What lessons does the BFG teach kids about violence?
• How do you feel the book BFG can relate to real world issues?
• If studying this book in class, what could you do that incorporate the language/dialogue used?
• Why do you think the BFG is so different than the other giants? Was he always like this?
• What do you think about Sophie’s character? Is she rude or insensitive towards BFG?
• How do you think the BFG discovered the dream land and how to give children's dreams?

Part 2

• What do you think of the notion that the BFG makes about the 50 year old really being 30 years old because of 20 years of sleep?
• Do you think the BFG abused his power when he gave the Fleshlumpeater a nightmare?
• What kind of dream would you like the BFG to mix for you?
• What did you think when the Sultan of Baghdad said “We are chopping off people’s heads like you are chopping parsley”?
• Do you think the Giants got the punishment they deserved?
• What did you think of the story? What sort of activities would you incorporate into a reading of this story?
• Were you happy with the ending?

Book References

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Published: 1997, HarperCollins

ISBN: 0-00-648144-2

Pages: 128

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Published: 1999, Scholastic

ISBN: 0-06-447066-7

Pages: 162

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Published: 1998, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

ISBN: 0-689-81700-2

Pages: 153

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Published: 1982, Jonathan Cape

ISBN: 0-224-02040-4

Pages:  240

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews

Published: 1974, Collins

ISBN:0-06-02040-4

Closing a Chapter in Our Lives

The impact that Book Club had on our life was rather large. We had never been in charge of one before and there was some great learning curves in leading one. We had to be responsible in not only choosing books that would hopefully engage people but also in making sure the club ran smoothly. After reading each section for the week we had to keep up on posting discussion questions, which sometimes proved to be a hassle do to our larger projects that we may have had due. Communicating was something we had to keep up on at all times in order to make sure the club continued to exist for if we failed to do so then people would have lost interest. We made sure to always remember about Book Club no matter how busy our lives were.

Book Club was a nice part in very busy lives. It proved to be a something that everyone (including us) looked forward to because of the great social environment that it had grown into. The members felt that it was a close knit group where everyone felt comfortable as a community. We realized over the course of having the club that not everyone was not interested in staying and we learned to put that aside and not let that get to us. They left mainly because certain books they read they thoroughly did not enjoy, or that they were not invested enough to read all of the books. We had a core group of members who stayed until the end and that made us happy.

For us it sometimes felt like a chore reading the books (particularly “The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles” which a founding member even tossed aside with disbelief) but that was something we had deal with and fight through. If we the founders failed to show interest then the club would surely fall to ruin, so we carried on like all good and successful book club founders do. In the end we realized we had done something unique and special and even touched the lives of some of our members. Book Club has managed to be one of the highlights of our year, as well as played a big part the lives of others too.

Questions for the Future

In the future we would like to examine how to create a book club that also deals with primary books.  We think that this would add a much different dynamic to the book club, as it could provide the opportunity for multiple books to be read each week.  This may prove beneficial to keeping members interested and engaged in the Book Club.

It would be enjoyable to continue book club in some fashion, though with this year coming to a close it would be difficult to find an appropriate time and place to “meet” and discuss new books.  Although there are online services such as Skype and Google Hangouts that can accommodate large group calls, it would likely be hard to coordinate with one another.  

We sometimes discuss what Book Club would have been like if we had made some slight changes to the books we decided to read.  It is obvious to us that some books were extremely successful while others completely fell flat.  It is our hope that although the books weren’t always up to par that our members still found the discussions to be enjoyable and helpful for them as future teachers.

Communicating via Facebook

We soon realized that the Facebook page we created was a fantastic way to communicate with our Book Club.  It provided a quick and easy avenue for posting about discussion questions, meeting times, and overall questions to the entire group.  We also employed Facebook’s polling system to decide what books we would read the next semester, which we found to be successful.  We first asked the group what books they would be most interested in reading during our last meeting of the first semester, then included 10 different junior level books in our poll.  Here is a photo of that poll:

We also realized that the group page was soon becoming a place to discuss other aspects of literacy, such as new book releases or interactions with authors.  The following photographs are excellent examples of how we became a close knit group of book and literacy lovers:

Feedback

We asked one of our members a few questions regarding their experiences in Book Club.  This is what she had to say:

Do you think it was worthwhile being in the book club?  If so, what did you get out of it?  If not, what didn’t you enjoy?

Book club was absolutely worthwhile, not only did we have great discussions about our own opinions of books, we also talked about how we could use the books in our classes. Looking at the books through a teacher's perspective really makes you think differently about it. On top of that, during a stressful year, I believe that book club was something that I really enjoyed and was good for my mental health.

If you were to run your own book club, what would you change?

If I was running my own book club I probably would have chosen different books - simply because I have different tastes. I definitely would have picked a Harry Potter book - probably the first one - because there's so much to discuss about it.

Which of the books that were read is your favourite and why?

I think that out of all the books we read Silverwing was my favourite. Even though I had read it when I was younger, rereading it as an adult gave me a whole new appreciation for the novel. Again, looking at how to use it in the classroom also really opened my eyes to the idea that this book could be used as part of a novel study because it connects to many different curricular expectations across many subjects.