New Book Released!

I know I normally share great reads for boys- but this new book caught my eye.

A STUDY OF ALICE COGSWELL:

Heroine in Deaf History or just a Humdrum girl from the 1800's.

As a Sign Language interpreter, I get approached often by homeschooling moms who would like me to introduce their children to American Sign Language.

I have LOTS of college text books about the history of ASL and how American Sign Language began, but there is slim picking when it comes to children's books.

Before 2017 there was only one picture book. MY HEART GLOW, and it is a pretty picture book. But homeschooling families like more meat. A STUDY OF ALICE COGSWELL is a non-fiction that gives the reader the option to decide for themselves- if Alice is a heroine in Deaf History or not.

On the authors website- readers can vote!

I just wanted to share- 2017 is American Sign Languages 200th Birthday! It is interesting to learn how this language came about.

Capital Mysteries Series

 

Reading Level: 2.5
Each book is less than 100 pages- GREAT for Reluctant Readers!

What a GREAT SET OF BOOKS!
I stumbled upon these books at the Library and instantly fell in love!
(It might have a HUGE soft spot for Washington D.C.. I grew up a mere 25 min metro ride from our Nations Capital so I relate to romping around the monuments and museums in these stories!)

Meet the Author: Ron Roy has his own site! Ronroy.com



Each book would make a great field trip of its own.

Book 2: Kidnapped at the Capital would make a great field trip to the Air and Space Museum

Book 3: The Skeleton in the Smithsonian is suspenseful and sure to peek interest in visiting the Smithsonian Castle on the Mall.


Other books include plots at the Lincoln Memorial, The National Treasury, The FBI building, Washington Monument and National Zoo.

May Magic by Ron Roy

Our first book club for the summer! (2014)

When I saw three books in The Calendar Club series by Ron Roy offered at our scholastic flyer- I contacted all the kids in my sons cub scout group and invited them to buy the set- and join our book club for the summer.

As it would turn out- only one other boy was interested.

(And that is actually perfect for my little guy- he is a small group kind of guy. Really quiet in crowds.)

I hadn't read the book- but was pretty sure "magic" would be a great activity to include in our book club. so a few weeks in advance- I booked a magician. (I asked my older boys if they had any friends who knew magic tricks. Without hesitation - one of my sons knew a friend who would be willing to come and show our book club some tricks.)

He was great!

He did a few card tricks and one trick with a handkerchief.

The boys were delighted!

Next: I had prepared some book club questions.

(questions written in markers and the answers written with white crayons.)

The boys read and answered the questions and then revealed the answers with watercolor paint.

(It worked just like "magic"!)

We made English muffin pizza's and used our "magic" slushy cup to make drinks.
(that didn't work so good.)

Over all it was simple and fun.

The boys started talking about things to do at our NEXT book club- and that is always a good omen.

Other books in this set: June Jam & July Jitters
This whole series is fun.

 (I've used other books in this series- click HERE to see!)

Franny K Stein by Jim Benton

Franny isn't your ordinary girl- (if she was, my sons wouldn't have read this series.) She likes bats and science experiments instead of dolls... unless they are dolls she's modified using her MAD scientist skills. These books are short chapter books that are fun and silly.

I actually did this book club last summer-(for my third son) when we first moved here to Utah. I thought it would be a great way to meet some neighbor kids.

I passed out our collection of Franny K Stein books. The kids read the books, and swapped the books with each other. Some kids only read one book. Others were able to swap around and read all of them. I thought that was great. (Those kids who are reluctant readers- read one book, while those that are carnivore readers- read the whole series. No one was left behind- No one was left bored.)

I invited the kids over for a book club. We talked about the different books and some of our favorite parts. Then we did some science experiments.

Half way through the book club, (I thought every thing was going great), I noticed my son was upset. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Everyone liked the science experiments... I pulled him aside and he spilled the beans....

"We never did anything this cool in Hawaii!"
I was baffled... and stunned...
"Tommy, and Nason and Danny... .." he trailed off.

He was having fun--- but having book club with new kids and not his old book club buddies, was kinda painful.

Then I understood.
It was too soon. Transitions are hard.

This summer my 7 year old picked this book series for his book club. (Unfortunately- everyone in his club aren't reading at this level yet.) So- I promised him we could have a Franny K Stein book club with some friends who were coming to visit, from Arizona. Her 5 boys and 3 of mine-- make a pretty awesome band of boys. Her boys read three books from the series.

We sat around and talked about the books.

We did some easy MAD Science outside.

 (I went to Pinterest- to get ideas.)

We made elephant toothpaste.

Blew up a balloon- using only baking soda and vinegar.

 

 We made a density layered drink.

That was less successful. (Fruit Punch+ Blue Gatorade+ Diet 7up.) The only layers that we could really see- was the diet 7-up on top.

It was fun. My 7 year old was disappointed we only did 3 experiments. So be warned. Once you get started, They may want  more!

Calendar Club- Back To School Burglar

This school year- for my 8 year old's book club

I thought I would try a different approach.

I had every book club member buy this package of Calendar Club Mysteries. (A set of 8 Books)

Each book is set in a different month, and as far as I can tell-- it doesn't matter which month you start with!

We started with the Back to School Burglar.

Set amid a school carnival- as a book club, we planned a mini carnival for my 5 year old's "story time" group.

So on our Book club day, my 8 year old book club buddies had fun making the different

booths for the Carnival.

They also created some cute flyer's to deliver to the little kids in our complex.

The following day- we held our "Carnival". (It was a Story time for my 5 year old and his little buddies.)

So over-all, a brilliant success!

The older boys enjoyed entertaining the little ones, and our story time group loved playing the games the older boys had prepared!

I went to the dollar store and pick up prizes and then had an assortment of candy at each "booth".

We had three centers/ booths: knock cans down (throwing rolled up socks), bean bag toss, and a hockey puck shoot. (It was a mini carnival).

But other booth ideas:

bowling, knocking down pins

basket ball mini hoop- try to make so many baskets in a minute

ring toss (toss rings over 2 liter bottles) and win a mini cup of soda

"fishing" game where you toss a line over a sheet (really a clothes pin for the "hook" ) and have a prize clipped on.

Lollipop Tree was an idea from the book.

It is a cute series and definantly good for struggling readers. (2.3 reading level)

A fun addition to the book are the mazes and word searches at the back of each book.

Happy Reading!

How to Eat Fried Worms- 2nd time around

So I've done How to Eat Fried Worms twice now.

My third son had seen the movie and activities when my second son had his book club a few years ago, so he didn't want to do the same activities for HIS book club.

He helped me, come up with a fun activity- instead of watching the movie. I love it when my boys jump in and get excited about book club.

So he wanted a "treasure hunt" type game. I wrote questions about the book on slips of paper and hid them around our townhouse complex.

Once the kids found all the papers- they brought them back to the house, to answer the questions. ( I cut out two "worm" shape papers, wrote the questions on one side, and a letter on the other side. The letters- spelled where our "treat" was hidden. S-T-O-V-E, the second worm had random letters.)

So ... the questions on the slips of paper (aka: Worm puzzle pieces) were two types.

The worm puzzle that had the correct letters on the back (clues to the treat) had questions about the book.

The second worm puzzle, that had random letters on the back, had facts about worms.

AFTER the boys went on the treasure hunt... and found all the pieces, they took turns reading the questions/fact. (actually all the facts, were true or false questions.)

They had to decide... is that a fact? or a question about the book. If it was a FACT... they discarded that letter....

if it was a question about the book... they answered it and then flipped it over to scramble the letters back into the WORD that would tell them where the treat was hidden.

They could use the book, if needed to find the answers.



The letters spelled out STOVE... so my son rushed to the oven and pulled out a tray that had the fixings for a "Dirt Cup" treat.

Cups with chocolate pudding = mud
Crushed oreos = "dirt"

and a bag of gummy worms

They were "wormy" delicious!

The questions I used were:

How did the bet start? (pg 1-3)

What types of things did he put on his worm, before he ate them? (pg 15)

and pg 27)

What does Tom tell Billy to pretend he is eating? (pg 30)

How do the boys try to scare Billy in NOT eating worms? (pg 39)

(So sorry! I thought I had finished this post..and posted it months ago!) I lost the questions I used... but you get the idea.)

It was a great book club. The movie was a bit different- which is great for discussions. The boys naturally point out what was different and which they liked better.

So here are some additional ideas you can do- for this book. (CLICK HERE) I was going to say "fun" book, but personally, I thought it was really gross thinking about eating 15 worms. My boys, obviously, loved it!

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

Grade 4th-6th
Great short read! only 88 pages but packed with great boy humor.
Read my official review HERE (I accidentally posted on the wrong page.)



Great for Summer!
My boys are excited about starting there annual summer lawn mowing business.
This book- spring boarded them into the idea of working on their Entrepreneurship merit badge for Boy Scouts.
I love when I find a book , that goes hand in hand with scouting!
You can find requirements of the merit badge here.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

It's a new year!-

Our Book Clubs are starting up again.
An easy book club to host- especially for

parents new to this idea
are
MOVIE Book clubs.


Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules has a movie coming out in March!
(March 25th, 2011)

Click HERE for movie details

My 2nd grader read the first book- and is in love with the series.
(I actually bought the series a year or so ago- for my 5th grader.)










WARNING: They are full of boy humor and antics.
Our nephew who only has sisters- doesn't appreciate the dynamics of having a older brother. He's also home schooled... so he doesn't appreciate the dynamics of public school. (He thinks the book is very mean.)

It's not for everyone.
But - as far as our house goes- my boys love the series and sadly relate to many of the characters. (I had to laugh- in book 4 his mother starts a READING IS FUN club for he and his friends over summer vacation. "So today was the first meeting of the Reading is Fun Club. I felt kind of bad for all the boys whose moms made them come." )


Since my son has read the first book already- and the movie is out. We are going to watch the first movie this Friday.



We'll pass out the books and then these 2nd graders have until March to finish the book.



(It looks thick- but really there are a lot of doodles and pages are "handwritten" instead of typed... I would be interested to know the real word count.)

Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

This truly is a delightful romp in a swamp read!

If you missed entering our give-away to win a free copy- don't fret.
click HERE for a free book mark. (and then join our Book Club Round Up- so you'll be entered in our NEXT give away!)

Summary: Grady is an orphan whose only "family" is a crook and a liar. A traveling salesman by the name of Professor Floyd. Set in a time of buggy traveling salesmen, Grady serves as a side-show or side-kick (depending on their angle) to earn a few coppers. You never know how they'll be received from town to town. This story follows their adventures and Grady's yearning to find out where he came from and where he fits in the world.

Jonathan Rogers is a master story-teller and The Charlatan's Boy is sure to be a "classic". It is a DE- light to read.

If you would like to see our book club in action- CLICK HERE.
(as a reward- you'll get access to a tri-fold book mark I used for this book.)

If a book is REALLY good- but has lots of details and is for independent readers and above....

I like to give the kids TRI-FOLD book marks... so they can jot down their thoughts and predictions while they read.

It really helps with our book club discussion.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I meant to post this MONTHS ago!
so sorry!


This is a book in the Narnia series. The story that follows Prince Caspian.


The movie is coming out December.

Okay

I'll admit

I went over the top with this book club book.

With the movie coming out

and our schools Fall Play coming up

I thought it would be great to adapt this book into a School Play.

(I am currently serving on the committee as the Fine Arts Chair.)

It was an amazing week.

I am so glad- all my boys were able to participate.

My youngest was a Sea Warrior.

My third son was a slave-- with some of his fellow book club mates.
















You might recognize this fellow-
he was my neighbor
and fellow book club member
















and this fellow below...

They are two boys who usually struggle to finish the book- and look at them here! With main parts! Prince Caspian and Aslan!
















My goal is to get kids connecting to books.

Hopefully the more they connect - the more they will want to read.

And as you know...
the more they read
the better reader they will become...
and then-

the world is opened up to them!

Guardian's of Ga'Hoole

Movie/ Book Clubs are the easiest of all types of book clubs to host.

Summary:

An Owl quest following the story of one small owlet, Soren.

When Soren was just a young owlet, he mysteriously falls from his nest (or was he pushed?). He then is plucked from his home and taken to a sinister St. Aegolius Academy. An encampment of brainwashing to form a mindless work force for the forces of evil....

Once there he has to rely on his wit and bravery to escape.

So begins the quest for Soren. He sets off with a rag-tag bunch of orphans to find the legendary heros, The Guardians of Ga'Hoole to save all owl kingdoms.

Not many kids could come to our Movie night- for book club.

But we had a blast- with the ones who could make it.

Going to the movies with friends is a HUGE motivation for my sons to read. I was talking to a friend of mine- who was discouraged that her son wasn't finishing the book- but was enjoying the reward of going to the movies.

We tried to think of a solution.

She was tempted to NOT let her son go to the book club movie night.

But I suggested-

what if you pay for the movie if he finishes the book.

If he doesn't read the book- he can still go to the movie- but he has to pay for it himself.

That was just enough motivation for him to finish the book.

After the movie- we popped over to the Taco Bell and had our discussion. So easy peasy! The kids naturally start talking about what they liked better

the movie

or the book.

They also talk about parts that were left out

parts that were added

I personally enjoyed the books better- I felt like I was learning alot about owls. (lol) Did you know about owl gizzards? That owls yarp pellets from their gizzards that package their last meals bones, fur, etc.

Did you know that?

The kids enjoyed to movie more.

My son specifically liked they took all that OWL information out of the movie- and just kept the storyline.

Up Coming Movies 2010

One of my sons- is very motivated to read by the reward of watching the movie in the theater with his friends.

His book club is a Movie/Book Club.
These are by far the easiest book clubs to organize and host!
If you have been wanting to start a book club for your child... but a little nervous to start.. .this fall is the perfect time!

First in the line up!


Sept. 24th Legend of the Guardians
Nov 19th Harry Potter Deathly Hallows
Dec. 10th Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Dec. 22nd Gulliver's Travels

How easy peasy is that!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This is a great series of books- that my boys have really enjoyed.
If your son saw the movie- he'll love the extended story details in the books.

My fourth grader read this and continued with the other books in the series. We went to the movie for our book club activity.

Movies are a great way to help reluctant readers connect to books.
If you think about it- most of us struggle to read a book if it doesn't "hook" us in the first chapter or so. Kids are no different- in fact, they tend to be worse! If a book doesn't capture their attention by the first few pages the book is abandoned.

Now think about a child that actually struggles to read.
Struggles to read fluidly enough to stream a sentence together.
Sometimes important plot information, settings , information and even details about the characters get lost.

By using the movie- even just a few minutes- will help "hook" kids to the characters, they understand where the plot is going, they can see the setting and surroundings. Having all this key information firmly in place, reluctant readers can now plug through the book and find out... "what happens next??"

NO Talking by Andrew Clements

Summary:
Starred Review. Grade 3–6—Dave Packer's fifth-grade classmates are so boisterous and difficult to quiet down that the teachers have dubbed them "The Unshushables." Dave has just read about Mahatma Gandhi and learned that the man practiced silence one day a week to bring order to his mind. Though Dave likes to talk nonstop, he's determined to give the idea a try. An encounter with Lynsey, another chatterbox, sparks the boys and girls into challenging each other to a no-talking contest for 48 hours. They can answer direct questions from adults with three-word sentences but must otherwise remain silent. The teachers are bewildered at the extreme change in the kids until several of them figure out what's going on. Principal Hiatt demands that the quiet students return to their normal behavior. When the children continue with their silent ways, Dave finds himself at the center of the controversy. This is an interesting and thought-provoking book, similar to Clements's Frindle (S & S, 1996). The plot quickly draws readers in and keeps them turning pages. The author includes the viewpoints of both the students and the teachers, and the black-and-white pencil drawings add immediacy to the story. This lively offering would make a great book-group selection or classroom discussion starter.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Basic Outline:
Opening Game: Charades
Book Talk w/ snacks

Prepare: Print and cut out the actions that they boys will try to act out.
(Action words like: Fishing, cooking, camping, riding a bike, skating, skiing, playing baseball. Movies: Superman, Spiderman, Hannah Montana- just for fun, The Incredible, Finding Nemo, Peter Pan, etc…)


Opening Game: Play Charades
Let the boys one at a time take turns drawing a slip of paper and acting out the word. Remember, NO Talking…

For home schooling families: this book introduces briefly Gandhi and the way India gained her independence. This book would be a great lead into a study about these topics.
　
Book Talk
1. Why did Dave want to try and not talk for a day? (p8)

2. How did his “experiment” of not talking- turn into a competition? (pg 23)

3. Which classes were hard to keep the rule of 3-words only? Which ones were easier?

4. Why did the teachers permit or let the kids continue- even when the principal told them to stop?

5. Why was the principal concerned in the first place? Was she right to try and make them talk? What do you think your principal would do? Or Your teachers?

6. What is the reward of the “head-to-head” competition between Dave and Lynsey? (pg 78)
7. Who won?

8. Why did Dave say the kids had a right to remain silent? (p130)

9. Why does Dave forgive the Principal? Do adults make mistakes?

10. Why did Dave offer the Principal join them?

11. Why did Gandhi have a day of silence? Was he playing a game? Is there any value to listening more?

The Sherlock Files: The 100-Year-Old Secret

by Tracy Barrett



Energy Game: Soccer (or Football as they call it in England.)

Incentive Game: Play traditional CLUE board game- except when passing out the clue cards.... ask each boy a question if they get it right.. they get a card. After all cards are passed out- they get to play and solve the mystery using their deductive skills! (The more answers they answer right.. the more cards they will have and better odds at winning the game!)

Questions listed below.....

Snack: Milk and Biscuits ( Biscuits = cookies in England)

Book Club Questions: You could print these questions out and let the boys pick which questions they answer... print a copy for you with the answers and then erase the answers and print a second copy to cut up and give the boys!

What is "the game" Xena and Xander like to play? Using clues to guess what a stranger does..
Who are Xena and Xander related to? Sherlock Holmes
What kind of ink was the note written with? disappearing
What do the British call a cookie? a biscuit
What is a pub? a cross between a bar and a restaurant
What is a Shandy made of? Lemon soda and beer
What was the code animal they were to order milk in a saucer for? a snake
Who is Andrew related to? Sherlocks friend - Watson
Why does Xander keep seeing a girl dressed in purple and in that old fashion dress? She's a model for an artist.

What is the name of the painting they are trying to find? Girl in a Purple Hat
What do Xander and Xena tell people why they are interested in the painting and artist? They are doing an extra credit assignment for school.
What is "the tube" in England? the subway
What do they call Soccer in England? foot-ball
Why is an artist painting pictures of the girl with a purple hat? to sell at the exhibit..
What does she do to make them different? The girl has brown eyes instead of green
What gives Xander the idea the the girl might be a boy in the painting? Andrew sees an old picture of Xander as a daisy and thought he was a girl..
How did they find the school the artists son went 100 years ago? The mascot Sherlock Holmes drew was the same as the school Xander played soccer against. Knuckers.
Where was the painting hidden? in the wall
Why did the headmaster agree to let them pull the wall boards out? the Art teacher told the headmaster it was possible the painting could be there.

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Catling

Basic Outline:
Energy Game: Kick the Can
Incentive Game: Answer questions and earn chocolate coins
Snack: Prepare a chocolate fondue or simply make chocolate pudding with an assortment of foods to dip into
Compare & Contrast this story to classic story: King Midas' Golden Touch
(If you wanted to incorporate some scouting electives - talk about junk foods, elective 9d for Bears, or the food pyramid for Wolves!)

Energy Game:
Pg 44 Story mentions Kick the Can
How to Play the Kick the Can Game
Step 1 Gather a group of people to play. The game works best if there are at least four people.

Step 2 Draw straws to decide on who will be the ruler. The ruler will guard the ball to begin with. It is the job of the ruler to capture all the players.

Step 3 Choose the player to kick the ball. This player will kick the ball as far as he or she can, and the ruler must chase it and return it to the original spot.

Step 4 Scatter. All players must scatter to find hiding spots before the ruler places the ball back in the original spot.

Step 5 As ruler, hunt to capture players after replacing the ball. If the ruler sees a player hiding behind a tree, he or she will call their name and run to tag the ball.

Step 6 Race to the ball. The player who was called runs to beat the ruler back to the ball. If they succeed, they must kick the ball to run and hide again. If they do not beat the ruler back to the ball, they are captured.

Step 7 Free anyone captured. When the ruler is not looking, or if a player is able to get close enough, a player can run and kick the ball, thus freeing all the captured players. But, be careful, if the ruler beats the player to the ball, that player is now captured

Step 8 Capture everyone as the ruler. When everyone is captured, the ruler has done their job, and game play starts over. The job of the ruler now goes on to the first person who was captured.
(directions from eHow.com)

Book Talk/ Incentive questions: ( pass out chocolate coins for each right answer!)
1. What is John's one bad fault? (p2 pig about candy)
2. What makes his parents suspect he's had too much candy? (p5 red spot on his nose.)
3. What kind of complications come from eating too much chocolate? (no room for good food.)
4. What is the name of John's sister? (Mary)
5. What was the first thing to turn into chocolate? (toothpaste)
6. Why did john kick the hammer of the doctors hand? ( to prove he could kick harder.)
7. Why did john go to bed so early? ( so he could sneak his chocolate)
8. How much chocolate was in the box? (one small piece)
9. Why did John eat his glove? (pg 28)
10 What did John change into chocolate at school? ( silver dollar, pencil, water, lunch, fork trumpet.)
11. How does John try to eat differently?
12. When did it stop being fun? (During the test.. or when he was thirsty)
13. What was the last straw for John? ( turning his mom into chocolate.)
14. What did the doctor diagnose it? Craniums Disease or Chocolatitis
15 Whose fault, or who is to blame for his chocolate condition?
16. How was the magic broken?
17 Why do you think the sign changed from "for sale" to "Sold"?

Snack: Let the boys dip different items in chocolate.
Banana's , strawberries, pretzels, graham crackers, and strange things too... cheese, chips, carrots, etc.. talk about what it would be like to have chocolatitis.

While boys are enjoying their snack/dessert- read classic story book aloud. Compare this modern story with the classic fairytale.



Extend: Have the boys pick a classic fairytale and have them write a modern version.. it would be interesting to hear and have boys share their stories the next book club.

Marvin Redpost- Super Fast by Louis Sachar

This book I highly recommend for reluctant readers! Written at a 2.5 reading level and with only 79 pages Louis Sachar fills every page with humor as Marvin faces his worst fears.

Summary:

Poor Marvin. The word at school is Marvin is riding down Suicide Hill on Saturday. Riding down Suicide Hill is scary enough, without adding the fact that Marvin can't even ride his new mountain bike. The truth is, he can barely climb on! So who started this rumor and what will his classmates think if he chickens out? Does he have what it takes to face his fear? Does he even want to?

(This would be a great book for scouters! Bike safety requirement 9e for Wolves, Ride Right for Bears pg 118.)

Basic Outline: Play Wizzle Fish Tag while waiting for all Book club members

Go for a bike ride: make sure everyone has helmets.

Book Talk

Game: Wizzle Fish Tag pg 15-16

(I've never heard of this game. If it is a real game and you know it- feel free to play it. Or you can play my version.)

Give each boy two paper plates.

Toss a few paper plates around in your yard or playing field.

Boys use their plates as a Frisbee to toss and tag people out. Plates that are on the ground can either be picked up and tossed OR can be used as a "base" a safe place to rest. To stand on a base- you MUST have a plate in hand to toss. (In other words: no "camping" on plates.) Run around and gather plates to toss, while dodging other people's attempts to get you out. If a boy is standing on a base, once they toss a plate they must run. They can pick up the "base" plate and move to another space.

So bases and boys are always on the move! Last boy standing- wins!

ACTIVITY: Make sure to review bike safety before you head out on your bike ride. You can just let the boys go around the block, or you can meet at a park with a bike trail and have a longer ride. If you plan on a longer ride, make sure to bring water and a snack of trail mix would be a great treat.

* You can use extra treats as rewards for answers to your book questions.

Book Talk: Your book talk can be done before you ride, while you stop for water breaks along longer bike rides or at the end of your ride. ( Or throughout the whole trip!)

1. Who is the main character? Marvin

2. Who are his best friends? Nick & Stuart

3. How did the rumor of riding down suicide hill begin?

4. What did Linzy, Marvin's sister, want to play?

5. What does frolic mean? pg 19

6. What was Jacob's advice about riding down Suicide hill?

7. What was Linzy afraid of?

8. How did Marvin encourage her to be brave?

9. How did he encourage himself to be brave- when he started down Suicide Hill?

10. Why did the Police Officer come to his school?

General Topic to discuss: Peer Pressure

What is peer pressure?

Do you ever feel pressured by friends or parents to do things?

Talk about the good and bad of peer pressure.

What do you think about the end of the story?

What is a fear or challenge you have faced?

Are you a golden unicorn?? (just kidding)

Slob by Ellen Potter

RL: ages 9-12

My boys love OREOS and have an unhealthy obsession with these cookies -so how could I pass up on a book where the main character loves OREOS and obsesses about his 3/day limit?

That was what initially attracted me to this book/story but after the first page my boys and I were hooked and connected to Owen Birnbaum, the main character, his humor and ability to deal with issues of bullies and negotiating friendships and family life.

Statistically speaking: Owen Birnbaum might be fatter than the average twelve year old boy but he is also smarter. While he spends his days being teased by his classmates and tortured by his gym teacher, he finds himself trying to out-smart the new school psycho who has started stealing his oreo cookies from his lunch.

Before you judge this book to be too sad- Life isn't all bad. Something happened a few years ago and Owen's learning to deal with his past and current challenges with humor and relying on his family and friends. Plus he's a genius and can invent cool stuff like a new thief catching device--to help capture the Oreo snatcher and an invention that reflects the past that he hopes will help heal his heart.

IT IS SUCH A GREAT BOOK! Like Owen points out- most books start out with some kid's first day at a new school where everything is new and slightly scary.
"The thing is, when you are fatter and smarter than the national average, practically every day is like the first day at a new school."

SLOB is a great book to kick off our Back-to-School Season!

Don't miss the chance to win a free copy!

Later this month- I'll add our Book Club Outline for this book along with an interview with the AUTHOR!

The Landry News

Mr. Larson is perhaps the worst teacher in the world. Instead of teaching, he prefers to read a newspaper and drink coffee. One day Mr. Larson notices a newspaper published by a new student in his class! As he reads the one page-handwritten newspaper he finds an unfavorable review of his teaching style. Cara Landry not only criticise his methods of "no teaching" but proposes that the real teachers in the classroom- the students- be paid his salary! This newspaper turns into a class project that might just get Mr. Larson fired- finally!

This book really is more like a "HOW to start your own paper- with a plot along the side" type book. Great book to read over a vacation break- when your child might have more time to devote to starting his own paper with his friends!

Go on a field trip to where a local paper is made. (Arrange in advance.) See the real process and ask real reporters questions about their jobs.
(Great book if you have scouters working on Bears Information, Please achievement or Jot it Down achievement pg 136-145 OR Webelo Communicator Requirements pg 177.)

Discuss the first Landry paper Editorial. Was that brave? Smart? Gutsy- or just dumb?
What are the qualities of a reporter or journalist? (pg 16)
What about the topic of Truth and Mercy? Is it important to have both- or does truth always win?

Is there a heart to a newspaper? (p 41)
What are some steps to starting your own paper? ( pg 56)
List Positive- Neutral - Negatively charged words. Have you ever thought about that? Does that change the way you want to talk, write from now on? What power do words hold on influencing people? Expressing ideas?
What are some column ideas from the book? (pg 93) What are some of your own column ideas?

Start your own paper- What is the name? What is the heart of your paper?

Million Dollar Strike by Dan Gutman

Bowling might not be the coolest sport in their town- but two friends, Ouchie and Squishy are motivated to save their favorite bowling alley from City Council. They motivate the owner invest and restore the alley, even host a Million Dollar Strike contest to help revive the bowling interest. Just when things start to look bright, the most nightmarish scenarios start coming to life. Someone-or something wants Bowl-a-Ramas doors to close forever!

Ideas for activities with this book:
Go on a field trip to a local bowling alley!
Create your own "disco-glow" bowling in your home- if you don't live near an alley.
(Great if your boys are working on the Cub Scout Bowling belt loop.)

Book Club Questions to Discuss:
Do you believe in Fate?
Does it matter what we do?
Did Ouchie really get a strike? (What do you think?)
Was the ending fair? Is life always fair? Should life be fair?
How would you have handled what happened if you were Ryan (Ouchie)?