New Children's Book Club Titles for Do It Yourselfers

Lake Forest Children’s Library has a variety of options for young readers interested in sharing books with friends and other reading enthusiasts.  In addition to book clubs for grades K- 6, we have developed DIY book club sets for grades 2-6.  Each set consists of 6 copies of a popular classic or new favorite, along with a discussion guide, information about the author and suggested age level appropriateness. We began with about 10 titles, but have recently added more, increasing our selections to 21.  This casual, do it yourself approach to book clubs is great for those who can’t make the scheduled book discussions at the library, or perhaps want to form a club with friends. Take a look at some of our new selections:

 Gooseberry Park  In this animal adventure from Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Rylant, Stumpy Squirrel has just settled into a new nest in a magnificent pin oak in Gooseberry Park. It's the perfect spot for her babies to be born! When they arrive healthy and strong, Stumpy's three good friends--a Labrador retriever, a wise hermit crab, and a bat who eats Chinese food--are thrilled. But after a terrible ice storm destroys the pin oak, Stumpy disappears. It takes a special combination of courage, humor, and tenacity for Stumpy's friends to rescue her babies and bring her home again. Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan, a sequel, is the February selection for our Junior Readers Book Club.

  Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan.  This Newbery Medal-winning book is perfect for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books.  Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss, and love. Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa's advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother, Caleb, wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she sing? Will she stay?  Not to play the spoiler, but Sarah, Anna’s and Caleb’s story is continued in sequels Skylark and Caleb’s Story.

  The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman.  More than anything, Eddie Ball wants to enter the Finkles contest to help his family out of their financial problems. All he has to do is write the winning poem about Finkles, a gooey candy, and he'll get the chance to make a foul shot during the NBA finals and win a million dollars. The only problem is, relatives of Finkle employees aren't eligible, and his mom works at the Finkle factory. Then the best -- and worst -- thing happens: Eddie's mom is laid off. Now he can enter the contest, but his mom's out of work. So when Eddie's rhyme wins, the pressure's on to make the shot. But someone is trying to rattle him. Can Eddie overcome the mysterious sabotage and sink the million-dollar shot?  Fans of Dan Gutman’s My Weird School books will enjoy his trademark humor and bull’s eye characterizations of everyday kids.

Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins.  Who hasn’t wanted or needed an invisible friend at some time?  When Hank Wolowitz runs into trouble in the form of a lunch-stealing bully, he finds an unlikely ally in an invisible refugee pumpkin-loving bandapat named Inkling.  Hank’s family and friends just think it’s another manifestation of his over-the-top imagination, but we and Hank know Inkling is there for Hank.  If this story has a special appeal to you, try Crenshaw, another invisible, helpful friend, by Katherine Applegate, the author of The One and Only Ivan. 

 

 Half Magic by Edward Eager.  Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes.  But, as the children find out, only half of what is wished for.  Will wishing twice solve the problem? Be careful what you wish for!  Readers will enjoy anticipating the unintended outcomes of a half wish.

 

 Sisters by Raina Telgemeier. A companion story to Smile, the very popular graphic novel about the humor, embarrassment and questions that come from entering the teen years. Sisters is set earlier, when Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.