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.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

The final book we chose to read this year was “The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles” by Julie Andrews Edwards.  Absolutely none of us had heard of the story, and were surprised to find out that it was written by the star of “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music.”  The story came highly recommended from an online source with many people praising its creativity and ability to engage young readers.  Our experience proved to be much different.  

The story itself was broken into three distinct sections, and so we read it over the course of three weeks.  The first two sections were extremely lackluster and made it difficult to continue reading the story.  Admittedly, one of the founders of the book club could not even finish the story.  We call this “The Great Debacle.” The third and final section finally gave the readers a glimpse into the explosion of creativity that had been promised from the very beginning.  For those of us who had finished the story, our minds were changed and we began to embrace the story.  We decided that it would be a good book to read to our students, though not everyone in the group was convinced.  

These are the discussion questions that were generated for this story:

Part 1

• What do you think about the Professor Savant's advice about relearning how to view the world we live in?
• This story was written in 1974. Do you think this story would be the same if it were written today?
• Who do you think The Prock is? What do you think his purpose is in the story?
• This story seems to be a commentary on the loss of innocence and imagination that affects children as they age. What are you thoughts?
• Do you think there might be a an ulterior motive for the Professor to meet the King of the Whangdoodles?
• Why do you think about the names of the sections? (Challenge, Capture, Conquest)
• Do you have any predictions for the next section of the story?

Part 2

• Where do you think Whangdoodleland is?
• What does the hat remind you of?
• How do you think Prock travels to the real world?
• What other books does this remind you of?
• Can you get hurt or die in Whangdoodleland?
• Is there only one way of getting into the land?

Part 3

• Do you think that all of the problems that the children seem to have are too easily remedied? (i.e. the children are very hungry, they come across the fruit of the month tree) Is this because it’s a children’s book?
• If you had to choose, what would your favourite creature be from the story? (Whiffle bird, Splintercat, Oinck, Gazook, Swamp Gaboons, etc.)
• What do you think of the female Whangdoodle? Do you think it was right for them to create her for the sole purpose of being the King's wife?
• Were you satisfied with the ending?
• What lessons do you think this book teaches its readers?

Among the Hidden

This was the first book that we decided to read using the Facebook polling system. It was the shortest and most poorly written book of the “Fabulous Five” we read. “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix was not a fan favourite and that was due to a number of reasons. The first being that nothing happened until the end, and what did in fact happen was evidently nothing. We did not know at the time that it was part of a series which helped us to understand why it ended so abruptly. Many of us believed the book was written by a teenager who had little ability, due to the poor writing and plot development of the book. It was a book written for the junior grades and no one else, unlike fan favourite “Silverwing” which could be enjoyed by all. It is important to note that this story came highly recommended by a member of our group because his grade 5 students greatly enjoyed the story due to its suspenseful nature. Although we did not care for it, we would not omit it from our classroom libraries. In the end, very little quality discussion was made about this book besides the fact that it was not very good. We have later come to realize this book was responsible for the partial collapse in book club numbers. This was coined the “Dark Age” and we all knew that the next book would have to light the way or else.

Among the Hidden Discussion Questions:

• What were your initial thoughts about the story? Where did you think the plot was headed? Was the story predictable?
• The setting is non-specific in terms of the year and country/town/city that the story takes place in. Where and when do you think this takes place?
• Luke's family is terrified of the government. Why? What are some of the tactics the government employs to make ordinary families like his feel powerless?
• Explore Luke's relationships with his brothers and his parents. How close are they? How trusting? Does Luke have more in common with Jen than with his own family? Why or why not?
• Why did Jen organize the march on the president's house? Do you think she knew she was going to die? Was she being noble? Was she being foolish?’
• Discuss the character of Jen’s father. Is he a hero, a villain, or both? What do you think and why?
• What would the story be like if it was focused on Jen’s perspective instead of Luke’s?
• Would you read the next installment of this series? What are your predictions for the future of Luke/Lee?

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

The second junior novel we decided to read was “A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning” by Lemony Snicket. We both enjoyed the series as children and decided that it would be an amusing tale to delve into.  We discussed the possibility with the rest of the book club and the majority were interested.  At this point we assured the members that if they weren't keen on reading the novel we had chosen that they could skip it and come back to the group later.  We never wanted our members to feel like they had to read something that they themselves would never use in their teaching practices.

We decided that this likely would not be a book that we would choose to read aloud to our classes, but would still include in our classroom libraries.  This is the first book of a series of 13 books, so we felt like it would still be important for students to have the chance to pick up the series if they were interested in it. A lot of the members felt like it dealt with too many dark themes, such as death and deception, and that they would rather not expose their students to it.  Despite this, we generated a lot of great discussion surrounding the notion that it’s important not to shield children from the real world.  It is unrealistic not to address the fact that people die, or that there are “bad” people in the world.

These are the discussion questions that were generated for the story:

• Why does Lemony Snicket warn readers at the beginning and several times throughout the book to put it down and read something else?
• Why would anyone want to read a book when they have been forewarned that the likeable main characters will meet nothing but despair? Are Snicket’s warnings sincere? What effect do they have?
• Mr. Poe and Justice Strauss do not believe the children’s accounts of Count Olaf’s mistreatment. Why not? How might the Baudelaire children have convinced them of Count Olaf’s cruelty? How could the adults have helped the children?
• The children soon realize that they must depend on one another and their own wits in order to survive in Count Olaf’s care. How are each of their special skills crucial to their survival?
• The morning after they visit Mr. Poe at the bank, Count Olaf serves the children oatmeal with fresh raspberries. Why is he suddenly so kind to them?
• The Baudelaires are often the victims of bad luck. What could they do to change their situation?
• Who is Al Funcoot? What did he write?

*We did not come up with all of these discussion questions.  Some were borrowed from Lemony Snicket’s website!

Silverwing

The first, and arguably the best book we read this year was “Silverwing” by Kenneth Oppel. We chose it because it was one of our favourites from when we were in grade school. It is such an original story and captivating to read. We had a lot buzz around this book as all the members enjoyed it greatly. This is what we refer to as the “Golden Age of Book Club” where discussion was rich, the numbers were great and the members were happy. We decided that this book would be great to read to the class as it adhered to both boys and girls and dealt with a lot of issues that could be related to the curriculum, specifically science and technology.

These are the discussion questions that we asked:

Part 1

• Did the Echo Chamber remind you of anything? The older messages had a hiss to them but the newer ones were louder and more clear, what else in our world is like that?
• Did anyone notice how some things were named? Hibernaculum - hibernation, Marina - found on an island surrounded by water…
• How did you feel when the Tree Haven collapsed and the echoes were lost?

Part 2

• What did you originally think of Goth’s character? What type of character did you expect him to be?
• Now that you know of Goth’s (foiled) plans, what do you think will be in store for Shade and Marina?
• How do the characters of Shade and Goth compare? Does Goth’s arrogance and sense of superiority remind you of any other literary characters?
• Compare Goth’s culture with Shade’s. What similarities are there? What about the differences?
• Describe what Zephyr, Shade, and Goth think of the war that’s brewing between the birds and the bats
• What is the significance of Zephyr’s wings?
• Read passage: “Then, with a sigh, he spread his pale wings, as if they would somehow help him trap sound.
• As Shade watched silently, the underside of his wings seemed to darken. Shade blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him, maybe the paleness of Zephyr’s flesh was somehow weirdly reflecting the sky. But the wings definitely seemed to be turning black and then sparkling when-” (139-140)
• Later Marina describes Zephyr’s wings - “They were as black as night-and they were filled with stars” (141)
• Goth explains how humans are not friends to bats and that “they will be punished” - What did you expect his punishment to be?
• Discuss the significance of being banded - “What do you know, you’re not even banded” (Marina, p. 158)
• Predictions: Do you think it will be possible for Shade to find his father? Is he really with the humans? What do you predict?

Part 3

• Describe the relationship between Marina and Shade.
• Why do you think Romulus and Remus were part of this story?
• How did you feel reading the climatic sequence?
• What do you think Goth will do now that he is seeking revenge?
• What was your overall opinion of this book? Is this something you’d be interested in teaching to your students?
• What kinds of curriculum tie ins can you think of? (Just off the top of your head)
• What kinds of activities do you think you could do with this?
• Are you interested in reading the next installments of the story?

*We did not come up with all of these discussion questions.  Some were borrowed from Kenneth Oppel’s website!

Getting Started

Before we could get started on making our book club we had to figure out a few things. We first needed to understand the basics of what a book club was because neither of us had ever lead one before. We looked up “how to make a book club” online and found some really good articles about how to make one. This was a good basis for us and made us feel confident in starting one - so we did.

We first had decide on what types of books we were going to be reading and we came up with the idea of reading and unpacking junior leveled books because there were some great ones that we remembered from our youth. We then had to decide on how many members we would have - we did not want too many but we needed enough to create engaging discussion. We decided on no more than ten members, but we knew we needed at least five. From there we had to come up with a meeting place and time and decided on weekly meetings on Tuesdays in between classes at the couches in the Education Building. This proved to be a comfy and a social area where members felt relaxed. At first we had the meeting run for 30 minutes but we soon realized we needed time for general conversation so our meetings ran for about an hour.

For the reading of the books, we had to decide on how much we were to read for each session. If the book was split into parts like “Silverwing” then we had everyone just read one part for each book club meeting. For other books we would go off their size and if they were smaller like “Bad Beginnings” then we had them read half one week and the other half the next. For “BFG” we split it up into thirds because it was a little longer. We aimed for our group to be reading around 100 pages per week.

In order to get the word out about book club as well as keep in touch

with our members we created a Facebook group called “PJ 1 Book Club” where we would post any news about the club and changes in times/meeting places. We also used this group to choose books using the poll option that Facebook offers which proved to be very useful. We also posted discussion questions here each week prior to our meetings to give the members an opportunity to familiarize themselves with what we would be discussing.

Attracting our members was something we knew was very important for the club to work so we decided on giving credit or points to those came.  Top marks went to those would had perfect attendance and partial credit went to those who only read one or two of the books. These marks were indeed real and coincided with the literacy class that we were in at the time. As well as points we encouraged snacks at our meetings and unsurprisingly everyone obliged.

Inquiry Project

In order to collect information for this inquiry, we created our own book club comprised of members of our class.  We decided to create a book club to not only fulfill requirements for our Literacy course, but also because we were interested in collecting resources for our future teaching endeavours.  Our book club gave us the opportunity to re-examine texts from our childhoods, as well as become acquainted with other well-received stories.  We realized that we had a fantastic opportunity on our hands to re-familiarize ourselves with children’s literature.