October Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George.  We had a terrific book discussion and enjoyed Halloween cupcakes and candy treats!

We began by talking about the main character, 11-year-old KayKay Granger, first kid along with her sister, Annie.  We thought that even though she's living in the White House, KayKay is basically a regular kid, someone who is calm and who is sometimes an out-of-the-box thinker.  We thought of different words we would use to describe her including stubborn, awesome, sweet, funny and nice.  She also loves mysteries and enjoys spending time with her sister.

We love that the author chose to have KayKay's mother as the new president instead of her father and thought that she did this specifically because there has never been a female president before.  By going that route without making it the focus of the story makes it seem like it is no big deal and that it could easily happen one day (something we all hope for)!

We thought about what it would be like to live at the White House and decided that there would be fairly equal pros and cons.  The food would be great and we'd get to live in a huge house with an indoor swimming pool but we would also lose our privacy which we saw as a huge drawback.  None of us would like to have a secret service agent following us around all the time or a constant stream of strangers walking around the place where we live.

We discussed KayKay's father's idea that the White House and other places can be "haunted by history." We thought that this is probably true, that there is so much history in certain places that it almost comes alive and therefore the space can be perceived as "haunted."  We talked about our own experiences with ghostly happenings and the many places in and around Newport that are believed to be haunted.

We felt that KayKay didn't really give Borden a chance in the beginning and made some snap judgements about him but liked how their relationship changed over the course of the story and how they became friends.

We spent some time discussing the prank which went so wrong and got KayKay and Annie into so much trouble with their mom.  We all understood why KayKay decided to pull the prank but agreed that no plan is 100% guaranteed even though she was so sure it would go off without a hitch.  She also didn't consider the consequences if things were to go wrong.  We were divided on whether or not the punishment was fair, some of us felt it was a simple prank and her mistake was innocent.  Others felt the prank went so badly that she was right to be punished for what she did and that the punishments were reasonable.

We all thought KayKay's and Annie's mother's revenge was well deserved and probably taught them a very valuable lesson.

Overall we all really enjoyed The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George and would recommend it to others!

Following our discussion we read the story of Lincoln's ghost, made Halloween bead bracelets/keychains and worked on a Halloween crossword puzzle and word search.

It was a wonderful meeting with 2 new members(!) and I look forward to seeing everyone again in November!

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, October 28th @ 3:30pm to discuss our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George.

Hope to see you all there!

Learn More About Lincoln

In The Ghost, The White House and Me, KayKay Granger discovers that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln may be haunting the White House.  Learn more about our 16th president by checking out these books:

Abraham Lincoln: A Courageous Leader by Sneed Collard (biography)










Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport (biography)

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith

When a schoolgirl gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself.






And websites:

An Abraham Lincoln video from National Geographic

A biography of Abraham Lincoln

Read The Story of Lincoln's Ghost from National Geographic

Ghostly Read-Alikes

Enjoying The Ghost, The White House and Me?  Here are a few other ghost stories you might like to read...

The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

Apprehensive about spending the summer in Washington State with his Aunt Ethel when his parents get an overseas job, twelve-year-old Josh soon finds adventure when he meets the ghost of a coal miner.

All the Lovely Bad Ones: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

While spending the summer at their grandmother's Vermont inn, two prankster siblings awaken young ghosts from the inn's distant past who refuse to "rest in peace."


Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke

Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft and new friend Ella summon the ghost of Sir William Longspee, who may be able to protect Jon from a group of ghosts that threatens him harm from the day he arrives at Salisbury Cathedral's boarding school.

Who's Haunting the White House?

Our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George, is about two sisters (the president's daughters) who hear rumors that the White House is haunted and decide to investigate.

For a book with a similar theme, try the non-fiction book, Who's Haunting the White House?: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There by Jeff Belanger. (2008)

Welcome to a tour of the White House that very few people have ever taken.

You're going on a supernatural investigation to look for ghosts in this very famous and very haunted building! As you move forward, you'll hear from past Presidents and First Ladies, as well as from people who work inside the White House every day.

It's been said that the original White House landowner calls out in a strange, far-off voice from the Yellow Room; that the ghost of Andrew Jackson makes his presence known in the first family's living quarters; that Abraham Lincoln saw an ominous vision in a mirror; and that Harry S. Truman had a ghostly encounter he couldn't explain.

Enter now and learn about all the unearthly goings-on in America's most famous house.

Find out more about ghosts at the White House by visiting:

Ghosts in the White House at the History Channel.

Author Judith St. George

Judith St. George is the wonderful author of our October book, The Ghost, The White House and Me. She has written many non-fiction books and biographies for children and currently lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her website for more information and pick up another book by this great author!

Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln (2008)

Abraham Lincoln grew up poor and without schooling in a Kentucky wilderness and lost his mother before he was ten. It was sparkplug Sally Bush Johnston who married his father, brought a library of books to their log cabin home, and believed in Abe from the beginning. She was an inspiring turning point for young Abe, who went on to become America's sixteenth and most popular and respected president.

Mystery Isle (2007)

What seems a harmless enough trip to the family's ancestral home on a Maine island turns into something much more dangerous for thirteen-year-old Kim.

Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt (2007)

Young Franklin Roosevelt grew up knowing the finer things in life - sailing, horseback riding, and foxhunts on his family's large estate. Growing up wealthy meant he could live a gentleman's life, like his beloved papa. Yet gentlemen weren't supposed to go into politics, right? But why not? As young Franklin learns from a famous uncle and a famous mentor, there is more to the world than he thought. And about politics? Well, maybe there is more to that, too.

So You Want to Be President? (2000)

Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.

October Book Buddies Book

The Book Buddies Book Club will meet again on Monday, October 28th @ 3:30pm to discuss our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George.  Copies of the book are available for check-out at the Children's Desk. 

New members are always welcome!  To sign up for Book Buddies, visit the Children's Desk, call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org. 

When eleven-year-old KayKay Granger learns that the White House is haunted and uses that knowledge to play a prank on her family, she lands in big trouble with her mother, the United States President.

October Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our October book, The Ghost, The White House and Me by Judith St. George. We had a great discussion, enjoyed some Halloween cupcakes and finished up with a pumpkin craft!

Everyone really enjoyed the book and found it to be a spooky story perfect for Halloween. We all thought that KayKay was a really interesting main character and liked that she was an adventurous person who appreciated a good mystery (like so many of us!)

In the story, KayKay mother has just been sworn in as President of the United States and we spent some time discussing the idea of a female president. We all thought it was very exciting to think that a woman could be president and we feel confident that it's an event that will happen in the near future. We liked that the author chose to write the story this way instead of having KayKay's dad be President, and we especially liked that it was just another fact of the story and not the main focus of the story. We talked about how the story would have been different if it were KayKay's dad who was President and felt that it would have been a dramatic change, since one of the driving features of the story was KayKay's mom being so busy as President and not as available to her kids.

We discussed what it would be like to live in the White House and have our own secret service agents following us around all day long. Most thought it would be sort of cool to live in the White House but like anything else, there would be pros (Chef Toni's cooking!) and cons (no privacy).

We spent quite a bit of time talking about the idea that the White House is haunted, an idea that persists in real life, not just in the story. We read from the non-fiction book Who's Haunting the White House? by Jeff Belanger about some of the ghostly happenings that have be reported in the White House especially all of the ghost stories surrounding Abraham Lincoln and his ghost. We talked about KayKay's dad's idea that the White House is haunted by history and how that might be. There is so much history here in New England, we talked about the ghosts that might be around Newport and how Newport might be haunted by history as well.

We discussed KayKay's relationship with Borden, the former President's grandson, and how it changed over the course of the story. In the beginning, KayKay didn't really like Borden but she also didn't really know him. As the story progressed, she realized that Borden was actually a pretty interesting person and they became good friends.

We also talked about the prank KayKay and Annie played and how it went wrong and how they were punished.

Overall we all really liked The Ghost, The White House and Me and we are looking forward to reading more from Judith St. George!

It was a terrific meeting and thanks to all the Book Buddies club members who attended!

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet this coming Monday, October 25th at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room to discuss our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George. Come for a great discussion and some Halloween treats! See you there!

Who's Haunting the White House?

Our October book, The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George, is about two sisters (the president's daughters) who hear rumors that the White House is haunted and decide to investigate. For a book with a similar theme, try the non-fiction book, Who's Haunting the White House?: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There by Jeff Belanger. (2008) Welcome to a tour of the White House that very few people have ever taken.

You're going on a supernatural investigation to look for ghosts in this very famous and very haunted building! As you move forward, you'll hear from past Presidents and First Ladies, as well as from people who work inside the White House every day.

It's been said that the original White House landowner calls out in a strange, far-off voice from the Yellow Room; that the ghost of Andrew Jackson makes his presence known in the first family's living quarters; that Abraham Lincoln saw an ominous vision in a mirror; and that Harry S. Truman had a ghostly encounter he couldn't explain.

Enter now and learn about all the unearthly goings-on in America's most famous house.

Author Judith St. George

Judith St. George is the wonderful author of our October book, The Ghost, The White House and Me. She has written many non-fiction books and biographies for children and currently lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her website for more information and pick up another book by this great author!

Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln (2008)

Abraham Lincoln grew up poor and without schooling in a Kentucky wilderness and lost his mother before he was ten. It was sparkplug Sally Bush Johnston who married his father, brought a library of books to their log cabin home, and believed in Abe from the beginning. She was an inspiring turning point for young Abe, who went on to become America's sixteenth and most popular and respected president.

Mystery Isle (2007)

What seems a harmless enough trip to the family's ancestral home on a Maine island turns into something much more dangerous for thirteen-year-old Kim.

Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt (2007)

Young Franklin Roosevelt grew up knowing the finer things in life - sailing, horseback riding, and foxhunts on his family's large estate. Growing up wealthy meant he could live a gentleman's life, like his beloved papa. Yet gentlemen weren't supposed to go into politics, right? But why not? As young Franklin learns from a famous uncle and a famous mentor, there is more to the world than he thought. And about politics? Well, maybe there is more to that, too.

So You Want to Be President? (2000)

Presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton.

October Book Selection

Our October book selection will be Judith St. George's The Ghost, The White House and Me. We will meet to talk about the book and have some Halloween treats on Monday, October 25th at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.

When eleven-year-old KayKay Granger learns that the White House is haunted and uses that knowledge to play a prank on her family, she lands in big trouble with her mother, the United States President.