ABOUT OUR BOOK CLUB
Y'all, it's no secret that I love the Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club. If you've never participated, these monthly events feature a new title written for middle grade readers and focus on helping educators create meaningful connections between these books and the readers they serve. Structured, in part, as a "build your own book club" workshop, participants leave with book lists and resources to use back at school, but the best part is that the authors and illustrators of the books we read join us in conversation!
Oh, and did I mention these events are free??
FEBRUARY MEETING
This month, Lisa Yee and Dan Santat joined us to discuss their new illustrated novel The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum. Special shout out to Lisa who had to participate in complete darkness (using her phone!), because HER POWER WAS OUT! Now that's dedication!
That said, here's my review of this great 2024 title here. One of the things I loved most about this book was the way Lisa and Dan's own friendship seemed to shine on the page. The connection these two share made Olive's story, (of going from feeling like she would never fit in or have a single friend to becoming part of The Misfits: an elite group of young secret agents), sparkle. I'm so grateful to Lisa and Dan for joining us on the heels of their whirlwind book tour! It was so much to hear them talk about what is clearly a book of their hearts! đŠľ
RESOURCES & LINKS
Inspired by Breathing New Life Into Book Clubs by Sonja Cherry-Paul and Dana Johansen, each month we share potential "book club bins." These micro-collections all feature that month's book club pick as an anchor text, along with several other titles that are connected by theme, genre, format or some other element that would be easy for kids to be in conversation about. The purpose of these book lists is to provide kids with voice and choice when selecting texts for book club (or literature circle) reading. Note: these suggestions are meant to serve as spring boards for educators to think about their own collections and what books might make a great book club micr-collection! It's my hope that you'll also learn about some new titles to support this work AND I'm always so grateful to those who attend our events who suggest even more great books during our book club meetings!
Here are this month's book club bins and themes:
Bin 1 Theme: Fitting In
Anchor Text: The Misfits by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat
Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman
Coyote Queen by Jessica Vitalis
Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Not An Easy Win by Chrystal D Giles
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller
The Gray by Chris Baron
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D Schmidt
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
Bin 2 Theme: Fabulous Friends
Anchor Text: The Misfits by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Slugfest by Gordon Korman
World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky
Link + Hud: Heroes By A Hair by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz
The Eyes and The Impossible by Dave Eggers
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Bin 3 Theme: Mysteries
Anchor Text: The Misfits by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day and Brett Helquist
The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson
The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
The Spy School Series by Stuart Gibbs
Harriet Spies (Harriet #2) by Elana K Arnold and Dung Ho
Bin 4 Theme: Illustrated Novels
Anchor Text: The Misfits by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat
A Work In Progress by Jarrett Lerner
Link + Hud: Heroes By A Hair by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
Planet Omar Series by Zanib Mian
The Eyes and The Impossible by Dave Eggers
Big Tree by Brian Zelznick
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
Please enjoy a special discount of 20% off the titles mentioned above (or others of your choice) by visiting Bookelicious and using the code JENNIFERLAGARDE. Note: I do not make any money when you purchase books from Bookelicious, but I am delighted that you get to save some! HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that buying books from Bookelicious is the way we keep these events free while also supporting the authors and illustrators who join us each month, so... I hope you'll think of your book purchases from Bookelicous as supporting a good cause!
Each month, I also create an activity, related to that month's book club selection, for participants to download (for free) and use with their students. Here's this month's activity!
Finally, here are my slides from this month's event.
EVENT RECORDINGS
As much as I have shared here, really this is just the tip of the reading joy iceberg! The real value of these events comes from participating, with the next best thing being watching the recording later. However, only those who register in advance get access to the recording, so head on over to bookelicious.com/events/ right now and reserve your spot for one of their upcoming events. While I'm (obviously!) partial to the Middle Grade Bookclub, there are lots of opportunities to join this joyful reading community. I hope to see y'all there!
In the meantime, checkout our next two book club selections below.
