Book clubs: they aren't just for grownups anymore

Sometimes you read a book that’s so good, you just have to talk about it with someone!

Look no more for someone to talk to about the crazy twist your latest read just took on its way to The End. Join Galesburg Public Library's monthly book club for readers in grades 3-5 where you and your friends, or friends-you-haven’t-met-yet, all read the same book. Meet on the third Thursday of each month to talk about the latest book and do fun activities related to the book.

Books like Nothing But Trouble by Jacqueline Davies, led to book club discussions of the epic pranks played by Maggie and her new friend, Lena, at Odawahaka Middle School. Purple smoke and parachuting mice, anyone? Club members even sent a few (plastic) mice flying on handmade catapults to see if they could replicate one of Maggie & Lena’s pranks.

“Doesn’t anyone stay with the ship anymore?” Mamie Anderson wonders in I Love You, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. This book transported book club members back to 1969, the summer of the first moon landing. Mamie’s family seems to be falling apart around her, while she writes letters to Michael Collins, the astronaut who will stay with the ship during the moon landing. Club members worked on a puzzle model of the spacecraft that went to the moon.

Free ice cream, “Croaky Karaoke” and a treasure hunt keep P.T. Wilkie and his friends busy in Wonderland, Home Sweet Motel by Chris Grabenstein. P.T.’s family needs to raise $100,000 fast or the bank is going to take over Wonderland, the family’s motel. P.T. and his new friend, Gloria, are determined to save Wonderland, but a couple of suspicious motel guests have other ideas.

Make plans to come to book club on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. to discuss our latest book, Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant. Flora enjoys her hometown, Rosetown, Indiana, but recently things have changed. Her dog died, her parents are living in separate houses and as she starts fourth grade, her classmates all seem different, so much more confident than she is. Fortunately for Flora, there’s a new boy in her class, Yury, and he seems as uncertain about fourth grade as Flora. Join us as we explore Rosetown with Flora and Yury.

Kid Review: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

The Goldfish Boy
By Lisa Thompson
New York: Scholastic Press, 2017.

From the publisher: Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac.

When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?

Reviewed by: Isaac, Age 9

The Goldfish Boy tells the story of Matthew, Melody, and Jake, who try to solve the mystery of Mr. Charles' missing grandson Teddy. Except for there's one problem: Matthew has a huge fear of germs, which cuts off a large amount of what he wants to do.

My favorite character in the book is Matthew. I don't know why I enjoy him - he's just cool.

I would recommend this book to another kid because there are so many different emotions throughout the story.