Instead of having in-library parties this month we’re keeping on with our online do-it-at-home book clubs for all ages! The best part? Everyone who participates gets to keep the book!
We have four age categories: grades K-3, grades 3-5, grades 5-8, and grades 9-12. There’s some overlap so kids can choose which book they’d prefer to read! Every book will come with a blank review form, a few questions you can think about, and some small crafts or activities that tie into the book.
We will have a post up for each book on this website for anyone who wants to discuss the book or comment on any of the questions or activities. If you’d prefer not to go online or post here, fill out the included review sheets and get them back to the library, and we can post your comments for you! Even better, everyone who either posts on our site or brings back anything included with the book — even if it’s just a picture of the activity you did — will also get a small prize at the library!
All we ask is that you read the book: do as much or as little of the rest of it as you want!
Grades K - 3: "Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
“From the time he was a small boy in Vermont, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful.”
Grades 3 - 5: "Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds" by David A. Adler
“When Jennifer "Cam" Jansen and her friend Eric are at the mall, they witness a robbery at the jewelry store! Cam sees the thief, but the police arrest the wrong person. Now it's up to Cam to catch the real criminal! Can Cam's amazing photographic memory help catch a thief?”
Grades 5 - 8: "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
“The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller. When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance. So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues in the letter. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the summer ends?”
Grades 9 - 12: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
“Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out — without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.”