For our middle school book club we read Roller Girl. It was a hit! They really enjoyed reading about roller derby and all the fun names. I asked them to talk about Astrid and Nicole's friendship, which opened up a great conversation about loyalty vs. following your own interests. The group was pretty split in their opinions. They all also really liked Astrid's mom and how she handled Astrid dying her hair. We then talked about parents in books and what they like about adults in their life. It was good to hear them say things like "but I know she does it because she cares" when talking about their moms.
I then had them talk about the Newbery award. The very first question I got was "what does distinguished mean". I told them and they had a good conversation about books being distinguished vs. liking a book. I showed them Last Stop on Market Street and they had a blast reading it aloud. Each person read two pages, and they made up lots of voices to make it more fun. They did agree that it was a distinguished book and had a good message.
For next month they are reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
I then had them talk about the Newbery award. The very first question I got was "what does distinguished mean". I told them and they had a good conversation about books being distinguished vs. liking a book. I showed them Last Stop on Market Street and they had a blast reading it aloud. Each person read two pages, and they made up lots of voices to make it more fun. They did agree that it was a distinguished book and had a good message.
For next month they are reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.