For our January 15, 2014 meeting we'll be talking about graphic novels & sharing our experiences trying this format for those who are new to it!  While we read Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, it may be different reading a book told in pictures and speech bubbles.  What I do remember from our Wonderstruck discussion was how talented you all were at "reading" the pictures.  I'll have to pay close attention this time.

At our November meeting everyone chose a different graphic novel -- or agreed to seek out a graphic novel that intrigued them!  If you haven't decided, here's a list of children's graphic novels and a list of the teen graphic novels at London Public Library.

The Oxford dictionary online defines the graphic novel simply as "a novel in comic-strip format".  Comic books are different from the graphic novel because they tell a continuous or ongoing story that is often serialized in newspapers or other periodicals. 

Non-fiction books can also told in pictures -- in my first year of university back in 1983 I read Marx for Beginners by Rius, and learned all about Marx's theories through speech bubbles and pictures!  First published in 1976, this book is still in print!

Upon the recommendation of a Masonville regular who is in Grade 4 and cannot believe I've never read MANGA, I'm starting in on a manga book called Kingdom Hearts II, volume 1.  I am also reading Art Spiegelman's Maus books.

Can't wait to hear about the graphic novels you're reading.  We can try our hand at sketching and using speech bubbles to tell a story.  Look forward to seeing you all in January!


Linda B.

Thanks to everyone who joined us in our discussion of Sharon Draper's Out of My Mind!  It was wonderful to have Tania from Lambeth's Mother Daughter Book Club visiting - and to learn about her work with young people with autism and cerebral palsy.  How wonderful too to hear the work of all our mother members -- everyone had worked in some capacity with special needs children and had so many insights from their experience to add to our discussion.  Thanks to all our teens for their honesty and reflection on their own views of those with physical and mental challenges.  When Tania asked if this book had changed the way we thought about disabilities we all agreed it did. 

Thanks to my friend Pat who loaned us his manual wheelchair, we were able to see all the barriers encountered -- whether it was not being able to reach the Terry Pratchett book we wanted, or the stares we may have had from strangers.

Here's the link to the video about Carly from Toronto who is autistic and whose world was changed by finding her voice through a computer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg

Thanks for a wonderful discussion!  Look forward to our meeting in January! I'll add a blog just about Graphic Novels next week so we'll all be prepared to discuss this visual genre!

Thanks to all who came out and sewed books last week!  While we didn't write any spells or incantations from This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel, during the book club, we did have a great discussion about the book and about Oppel's inspiration Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.   Some mothers and daughters were inspired to read Oppel's sequel to This Dark Endeavour, Such Wicket Intent...

We voted on our next book and the decision was to read Sharon Draper's  Out of My Mind. 

 Can you imagine not being able to speak?   Eleven-year old Melody has a photographic memory and is super smart but because of her cerebral palsy she is unable to talk.  Melody is the narrator of her own story, and we can feel her frustration with her, especially as she tries to adjust to school.  Are there mean girls in every school?!  We feel Melody's disappointments and triumphs as she makes her way through the school year.

You might want to check out Sharon Draper's author website, which has an excellent interview and great insight in the story:  http://sharondraper.com

See you Wednesday, November 20, 7 - 8:30 pm for the next Masonville Mother Daughter Book Club.  We won't be meeting in December, but don't forget to mark your 2014 calendars for an extra fun session on January 15 as we explore manga and graphic novels!

Cheers,

Linda

Thanks to everyone who came out on Wednesday for our first Mother Daughter Book Club of 2013-2014 season! 

We voted and our October book is...This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel.  There are copies on my desk at Masonville if you didn't pick up a copy -- so drop by and ask a staff member and they can get you one! 

Our next meeting is October 16, 7 - 8:30 pm when we'll be talking about This Dark Endeavour, making a craft related to the book & having a dark snack!  The perfect spooky October book!

If you'd like to explore Kenneth Oppel's website, there are videos and a sketchbook of Victor Frankenstein featured.   You can also watch the publisher Harper Collins Canada's youtube trailer for the book here.

Look forward to seeing you all next visit.  If you have any questions, or have a friend who'd like to join please feel free to email me at linda.bussiere@lpl.london.on.ca or call the Masonville branch at 519-660-4646.

Remember you can also send me any suggestions for titles for the winter and spring!

Happy reading!

Linda the Librarian

New Mother Daughter Book Club: Wed. Sept. 25, 7 pm: REGISTER now!

Hope everyone had a great summer!  It was wonderful to carry on the conversation about books over the summer with all of you who participated in the Get Caught Reading program.  Congratulations to Sofia M. for winning Top Reader at Masonville!

Our Wednesday September 25 meeting will see a whole new group of mothers and daughters & of course some familiar faces!  For our first meeting, please bring a book (or if you don't have it in hand, just think of one in your head!) so we can talk about our favourite reads over the summer.

We'll be making buttons (!) since we ran out of time in the spring with that activity.  We'll also have snacks and juice on hand.  And we'll be planning for what to read this fall and winter.  If you have a title in mind, check out the London Public Library catalogue to see if there are enough copies (12 is ideal, 14 even better) for us to share this book together.

Some ideas I've received so far are listed below.  Please bring your ideas on Wednesday, September 25!  Looking forward to another great season of Mother Daughter Bookclub at Masonville Library!

Cheers,
Linda the Librarian

SUGGESTED TITLES FOR MOTHER DAUGHTER BOOKCLUB 2013-2014
Divergent by Veronica Roth (16 copies but still 80 holds on this one!!!, we'll have to wait)

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (12 copies but all out, but would work for fall/winter at some point)

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (14 copies, a few people mentioned this one)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (13 copies) whimsical fun story
and a related older title:
Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (12 copies - fantasy (a bag of magic sand) adventure (a boy and his grandpa vs evil librarians!) sounds like a different read!

This Dark Endeavour: The apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel (15 copies, featured in the library's Teen Scene e-newsletter for September 2013.

Wicked Girls: a novel of the Salem Witch trials by Stephanie Hemphill  (only 4 copies in the system but sounds great!)

The Whole Truth by Kit Pearson (only 6 copies but I could see about getting more - this was a fav of several people!)

My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis (16 copies, 3rd of the Breadwinner Trilogy)

The Giver by Lois Lowry  There are 20 + copies of this award winner, so a good possibility.

Strange Fatality: Battle of Stoney Creek by James Elliott (sadly only 2 copies of this recommended title by a mom)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (14 copies,  if you like wolves and the supernatural and metamorphosis you might like this one!)

Farewell until Fall...Wed Sept 25 we meet again! (Register Sept 4 on)

Thank you so much for a wonderful time reading, discussing, crafting and snacking!  Our last book club was great fun - The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

It was all about the "game".  We played a "memory" game with objects representing some of the characters in Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game  - congrats to Emily, who recalled all 10 objects correctly and quickest -- and her mom Michelle who was a very close 2nd!   We played "Who Am I?" trying to guess which of the heirs we were through questioning!  Some people really knew the book well and only needed one clue to correctly guess!

Thanks too to Debora and Sofia for bringing out a friend - we hope to see Paisley and her mom in September -- as well as ALL of you!

Registration begins Wednesday, Sept 4.  Our first session will be Wednesday, September 25.  Bring along a FAVORITE book from your summer reading -- and come prepared to tell us all about it and why we should read it too!

We had so much fun button-making we'll bring back the button-maker for the September 25 meeting!  Snacks too of course!  Suggestions?  Post them here!  Reading suggestions welcome too of course!

Don't forget that we'll be reading and talking about what we read all summer at London Public Library.  If you're between 11 and 17 years of age you can join the Get Caught Reading challenge!  Sign up at your library location starting Saturday, June 22.  Drop by daily or weekly to tell us what you're reading -- and log the number of pages you read.  Whenever you tell us about your reading, you'll get a ballot for our weekly prize draw!
www.londonpubliclibrary.ca/teens

Happy Summer Reading!

Our sunflowers and nasturtiums have sprouted up, a great reminder of April's meeting when we painted plant pots and planted seeds after discussing The Secret Garden.  We had a great book hunt to find books on India (where Mary was born), on the Yorkshire Dales (where the Craven estate is located) and even for books also set in the Yorkshire Dales, including James Herriot's excellent animal stories.  Thanks everyone for a great discussion!

May is our final bookclub for this round -- registration for the Mother Daughter Teen Bookclub begins September 4, with the first bookclub taking place on  Wednesday, September 25.  The rest of 2013 will see us meeting on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (Oct. 16, Nov. 20, no meeting in Dec).

May is Bring A Friend to Book Club!  So if you have a friend that is going to be 12 years old in September 2013,  and interested in joining, please bring them along on Wednesday, May 15th!  We'll be having a special book club -- making BUTTONS!  These are pin-back buttons and mothers and daughters can design their own using recycled materials including old magazines, old books, scrapbooking paper, stickers and more!

THE WESTING GAME:  We'll of course discuss Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game, winner of the Newbery in 1979.  So many interesting characters to discuss!  Turtle, Mr. Hoo, J.J. Ford, Theo and Chris Theodorakis, Otis Amber!  And who was responsible for robbing Mr. Westing of his life?  A great mystery and so many clues!

You can watch a movie trailer of the 1997 Get A Clue movie, based on The Westing Game: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3131375897/

You can learn more about the author Ellen Raskin here -- in fact there's a connection to our runner book from February (we were deciding between From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and A Wrinkle in Time).  Ellen Raskin was a graphic designer and illustrator -- in fact, she was the illustrator of the first edition of A Wrinkle in Time!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Raskin

Finally, can't remember all the characters playing the Westing Game?  You can use this handy guide in the Wikipedia entry to prompt your memory!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Westing_Game

Look forward to discussing this very witty mystery with you all, and sharing snacks and crafts next week!

Mirror, Mirror...

"The mirror will open only for he who cannot see himself!"  We had a great time discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Reckless by Cornelia Funke.  Some people had a hard time connecting with the main characters (who didn't always reveal their emotions -- except perhaps recklessness and sometimes...fear!).  We are all curious to find out in the sequel if Jacob and Will Reckless will find their father -- if Jacob lives of course!

If you'd like to add your name to the Holds List for the sequel Fearless click here!

Everyone was very creative in decorating and designing their mirrors and their masks.  I resisted putting mine on and dancing around, and Sharon resisting wearing hers to check out her books at the Front Desk!  We are all still fairies at heart though.

If you can't get enough of Cornelia Funke check out these websites:
http://www.recklessthebook.com/

http://www.corneliafunke.com/

Best SITE:
http://www.get-reckless.com/book.html

APRIL BOOK:  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
We'll be discussing this book -- which is over 100 years old! -- on Wednesday, April 17, 7 - 8:30 pm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Garden

We'll do a garden craft...think seeds, soil and SUNSHINE!  Spring will arrive soon enough!

MAY BOOK:  Emily suggested and Erin seconded and others were on board.  We'll be reading 1979 Newbery Medal Winner THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin.

Happy Spring Reading!

Linda B.

March Break @ Masonville & Volunteer Opportunity

The next Masonville Mother Daughter Teen Book Club title is Reckless by Cornelia Funke -- we'll be meeting Wednesday, March 20, 7 - 8 :30 pm.

In the meantime, if you are in town for March Break we have two exciting Teen programs on Tuesday, March 12.  You can hear a live indie teen band "8-Bit Ghost" from 6:30 - 7 pm -- free, just drop in!  From 7 - 8 pm we'll be making collage art buttons and magnets in the program "Make A Statement with Buttons & Magnets".  

If you are someone who loves to volunteer for Change, Pillar is hosting a Change The World Ontario Youth Challenge at the Central Library, Wolf Performance Hall, Tuesday, March 26, 3:30 - 4:30 pm.  If you're between 14 - 18 years you can register online here: http://changetheworldlaunch.eventbrite.ca/#  There will be a live band "U-Turn" and hip hop performance as well.  The Facebook event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/133777903453922/

Look forward to discussing Reckless with you all on Wed. March 20th at 7 pm.  Craft plans are evolving...

For those of you travelling during March Break -- bon voyage!

Until next book club...
Linda B.

Behind the Scenes: Masonville Library

In Wonderstruck Ben is able to enter doors that say STAFF ONLY at the American Museum of Natural History.  In From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Claudia and Jamie wander through areas the public never gets to see in the Metropolian Museum of Art.  Last night, we had a great time going behind the scenes at the Masonville Library. 

We opened the doors that said STAFF ONLY and saw how books were returned through the outside chute, saw the Supply Closet with a hand bell from days gone by, saw the Staff Only Washroom, the beautiful Staff Lunchroom, complete with sofa and microwave.   We imagined staying overnight in the Masonville Library -- we'd have cookbooks to create tasty snacks, we'd have books to read aloud, magazines to pass the time, and a great deal of choice in DVDs to watch!

Thanks for a great book club session -- we also had fun creating mini-statues and dioramas out of clay.  Snakes, an inukshuk, an angel, an elephant...there were all kinds of cool creations made from clay and plasticine.

OUR NEXT BOOK is Reckless by Cornelia Funke."Beyond the mirror the darkest fairytales come alive...".  John Reckless, Jacob and Will's father, has disappeared.  Jacob figures out the secret of the Mirror, but when Will follows him to the world beyond he is cursed with a spell that is slowly turning him to stone!  We'll have to read to find all the Grimm Fairytale references, and to find out if Jacob and Will find their father, and if Jacob can save Will from a stoney future.

OUR NEXT BOOK CLUB DATE:  is Wednesday, March 20th, 7 - 8:30 pm. 

The April book will be THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  We'll be planting seeds in plant pots we can decorate, and we may have time to create some seed bombs!  The meeting will be Wednesday, April 18, 7 - 8:30 pm.

Our final meeting is May 16 -- we'll decide on the May title at the March meeting.  Ideas?  Some possibilities are Wonder by R.J. Palacio, All Good Children (a White Pine nominee) by Catherine Austen, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart....

If you have ideas of what you'd like to read, please add a post to this blog!  :)

The craft for Reckless is in the works and will be a surprise.  HINT:  Theatrical!

Happy Reading,
Linda B.

Behind the scenes at the museum: Wonderstruck & From the Mixed-up Files...

The Masonville Mother Daughter Teen Book Club is back in action!  Our title for our February 20, 2013
7 - 8:30 pm bookclub is...From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.  We also had A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle as our runner up.  Both are winners of the Newbery Medal!  Both were written in the 1960s!

We chose From the Mixed-Up Files... because Brian Selznick paid homage to that book in his book Wonderstruck (our January title).  Can you find 4 or 5 things that tie these titles together?  Selznick's own hint for one "homage":  Find out what the E.L. stand for in Konigsburg's name...

Can't wait to hear what you all come up with!

See you Wednesday, Feb.20 at the Masonville Library!

Cheers,
Linda B.
Librarian

CITY OF BONES, NOV 2012
We had a great time discussing the book and making Rune crafts based on the cool Shadowhunter runes here:
http://www.cassandraclare.com/my-writing/excerpts-extras/runes/

WONDERSTRUCK, JAN 2013
In January we read Wonderstruck, had a great discussion and decorated our own Memory Boxes like Ben's.  We even brought special items to tuck into our finished boxes.  There are some amazing websites to explore the world of Wonderstruck and the American Museum of Natural History further:
1.  http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/home
 Click on "Watch A Video" link under the image of the book cover for a great video featuring Brian Selznick,

2. http://www.scholastic.com/teachbrianselznick/assets/video.htm
On Scholastic's website you can take a Virtual Field Trip to the American Museum of Natural History with Brian Selznick and others guiding your way:
3. http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama
Check out the Queens Museum of Art website for detailed photographs of Panorama.
4.  http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/asset/file/wonderstruck_discussion_guide.pdf
We discussed much of the story, but if you'd like to explore more questions check out this discussion guide.
Excellent discussion questions to get you talking and thinking more about the book:
5.  I can't wait to read (in words & pictures) what Brian Selznick comes up with next.  Meantime, you can read interviews with him here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/18/living/wonderstruck/index.html
and here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/48242-q-a-with-brian-selznick.html