January Book Selection

The January book will be The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. We will meet on Monday, January 28, 2008 at 3:30pm in the Children's Program Room to have snacks, do a craft and discuss the book.

It's the Chinese Year of the Dog! When Pacy's mom tells her that this is a good year for friends, family, and "finding herself", Pacy begins searching right away. As the year goes on, she struggles to find her talent, deals with disappointment, makes a new best friend, and discovers just why the Year of the Dog is a lucky one for her after all.

December meeting

The Last Holiday Concert =

The Book Buddies Book Club meeting this afternoon was great! Everyone really liked The Last Holiday Concert. In fact we rated the book 5 stars! We all agreed that is was a very enjoyable, easy read and perfect for the holidays. And it's definitely one that we will all recommend to others! We all really like Andrew Clements' writing style so it's likely we'll choose another of his books in a future month....

We spent a bit of time talking about other books club members have read recently that they really liked including Frindle and The School Story (both also by Andrew Clements), Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins and The Doll People and The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann M. Martin. Our club members have been doing a lot of reading lately. We encourage you to pick up any of these books if you're looking for a great read!

Book Club meeting today!

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club is meeting today at 3:30pm in the Children's Program Room to discuss The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing your comments this afternoon!

The Last Holiday Concert - Chapters 17 - 21

Chapter 17: "Accounting"

After the results of the vote are revealed, half the class is still upset about the program. They don't like the acts and songs that won and demand another vote. The class erupts into angry yelling and Hart is helpless to say anything that won't get him in trouble again with his classmates. So he turns to Mr. Meinert for help.

Chapter 18: "Just an Idea"

Mr. Meinert interrupts all the yelling with a question: "Where did the name Winterhope come from?" (p.136) Allison, the girl who came up with the name, explains that it came from the idea of peace. With further discussion, the class decides that peace could be the theme of the concert and that they need to start working together to make the concert happen.

Chapter 19: "Crunch Time"

The chorus, Mr. Meinert and assorted parents all work together to get the program ready, the songs learned and the gym decorated for the big concert. "The road to peace wasn't easy. But thankfully, all the conflict happened within the framework of a fragile, but miraculously effective, sixth grade democracy." (p. 142)

Chapter 20: "Peace"

The holiday concert is performed for parents, friends and relatives. It is a huge success - the sixth graders message of peace is heard loud and clear and their concert is a triumph.

Chapter 21: "Coda"

After the concert, Hart finds Mr. Meinert in the chorus room and thanks him for all his help with the show. He notices that Mr. Meinert is packing up his desk and is upset when he finds out that he has been laid off and won't be back after winter vacation. They say goodbye and Mr. Meinert gives Hart back the rubber band that started it all - "Thanks for letting me have this. It was just what I needed." (p. 166)

The Last Holiday Concert - Chapters 14 - 16

Chapter 14: "Mutiny"

After seven class periods, Hart begins to realize that the concert isn't focused enough. There are too many ideas and nothing is being decided on. So he goes home and chooses which songs and acts will be in the program. The next day in chorus he shows his classmates what the holiday concert will be - and he ends up with a mutiny on his hands. No one is happy with Hart's choices and everyone wants their own ideas included in the program. Hart is upset and insists they go with his program - even going so far as to order his classmates to obey him with an angry, "Because I said so!" This one phrase sends Hart's popularity plummeting.

Chapter 15: "Deep Waters"

The next few days are rough for Hart - he's troubled by how fast he's become unpopular and not just in chorus - the news of his teacher-like, "Because I said so!" has gone school-wide. His dad offers him a ride to school one morning in his fancy car (something Hart has been dreaming about) but even that fails when only a couple of kids are there to see his arrival. They turn out to be members of the chorus who aren't interested in seeing or talking to Hart. His dad does give him some advice though, about being a leader: "You can't just give orders. I spend a lot of my time listening. People aren't going to do something - I mean, they won't do it well - unless they really want to." (p.115)

Chapter 16: "Rescue"

That afternoon in chorus Mr. Meinert comes to the rescue. He tells the class that Hart asked him to investigate whether or not the old gym is available for the chorus to use. It turns out the gym is free and the chorus will be able to use it for the holiday concert. It will be a whole separate event and they will be able to incorporate a lot of their original ideas. Hart is surprised by Mr. Meinert's help but goes along with it and tells the class that just like in the beginning when they voted on a chorus director, they should vote now on what should be included in the program.

Are you surprised that the class was upset with Hart's program? Do you think that voting on what to include was the right thing to do?

Why do you think Mr. Meinert decided to help Hart even though he wasn't asked?

Some Holiday Recommendations...

Winter vacation is fast approaching and with it plenty of time to read a good book. Here are some holiday titles you might want to check out:

Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas by Pauline Chen.

Christmas season is in full swing, and Peiling Wang can't take another minute of it. She feels completely left out! Her family is from Taiwan, and even though they've lived in America since she was small, they have never once celebrated the old-fashioned, stockings-over-the-fireplace, all-American Christmas!

Peiling finally musters the courage to ask her parents the big question: can we celebrate Christmas this year? What follows is a full-scale battle between cranberry sauce and soy souce, carols and karaoke, roast turkey and Peking duck. When the dust finally settles, Peiling starts to understand - it's not about being from China or America; it's all about feeling at home.

When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke

Thanks to Twinklestar, that marzipan-loving but lightning-shy reindeer, Santa and his caravan have come crashing down in a storm just two weeks before Christmas.

Luckily he's (literally!) dropped into a nice neighborhood. But Santa's not safe.

The ruthless Gerold Geronimus Goblynch plans to put an end to children's wishes and turn the holiday season into his personal moneymaking scheme. Only Santa stands between him and his grinchlike tricks. With the help of kids Charlotte and Ben, Santa will have to face Goblynch and his Nutcracker goons if he's ever to rescue Christmas!

'Tis the Season (Main Street Book 3) by Ann M. Martin

Christmas is coming to Camden Falls, and Flora and Ruby don't know how to feel about it; it's their first Christmas without their parents, and the memories are both happy and sad. Luckily, Flora and Ruba are surrounded by people who care about them--from their grandmother Min to their friends Olivia and Nikki, who are dealing with challenges of their own. There's also an unexpected visitor: Flora and Ruby's aunt, whose presence promises to shake things up. It's going to be a Christmas that nobody ever forgets...

Young Author Writing Contest

Here is your chance to be published! Baker & Taylor, a book distributor to school and public libraries, is having a writing contest for children ages 12 and under. Write a short story that's between 500 and 750 words and that has the Baker & Taylor cats as main characters. The winning story will be illustrated by a famous artist and published! All entries must be submitted by December 31, 2007. For more information visit:

http://www.btol.com/promo_details.cfm?id=403