December Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our December book, The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements.  We had a great meeting and enjoyed popcorn and holiday cupcakes while we talked about the book.

Everyone really enjoyed the book and liked Hart very much.  We thought he was a nice kid, the kind of person we might like to be friends with and that he was nice-popular, not bossy-popular.

We talked a lot about Hart's relationship with the chorus director, Mr. Meinert, and how it changed over the course of the book.  While he started out totally disliking chorus and not treating Mr. Meinert with a lot of respect, Hart learned how difficult it really is to be a teacher and how hard Mr. Meinert had to work to make the chorus good.  He also learned that it's hard to please everyone and sometimes being a leader means making tough choices that don't necessarily make you popular.

Popularity was an important theme in the book and we talked about what it means to be popular.  As Hart discovered, popularity can often be very fleeting and therefore it's more important to be a good person than to be popular. 

We thought the concert turned out well thanks to Hart's father and Mr. Meinert's efforts as well as Hart's dedication to making it a success.  We talked about why the author may have chosen to call the book, The Last Holiday Concert, and thought that it could have a lot of meanings but that, in the end, it might really be the last holiday concert since Mr. Meinert got laid off from his job soon afterward. 

Overall we really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to our friends!  Another winner from the amazing author Andrew Clements.

Thanks to all the Book Buddies members who attended!

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, December 17th @ 3:30pm to discuss our December book, The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements.  If you've never attended book club before and want to join us, just drop me an email and let me know you are coming (that way I can make sure to have enough supplies on hand).

Hope to see you on the 17th!

 

December Author: Andrew Clements

Andrew Clements is the author of our December book, The Last Holiday Concert.  He has written MANY wonderful books for children.  His newest include the Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series, Troublemaker and About Average.

Find out all about him at his website.

The Whites of Their Eyes (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School #3)

With a key to the Oakes School in his possession Benjamin, his friend Jill, and a new friend continue to seek ways to protect the school and their town but Lyman, the janitor and a spy, has new tricks up his sleeve.

Troublemaker

When his older brother gets in serious trouble, sixth-grader Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways, but he cannot seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

About Average

As the end of sixth grade nears, Jordan Johnson, unhappy that she is only average in appearance, intelligence, and athletic ability, reveals her special skills when disaster strikes her central Illinois elementary school.

December Book

The Book Buddies book for December will be The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements.  We will meet on Monday, December 17th @ 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room to discuss the book and have some holiday treats.  Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk.

Registration is required - please let me know if you plan to attend so that I can make sure to have enough treats and supplies.  Call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email cgould@newportlibraryri.org to sign up.

Life is usually easy for popular fifth grader Hart Evans, but when his music teacher puts him in charge of the holiday concert, Hart must use all of his leadership skills to unite the other students.