Book Discussion Kits: Part 4, grades 4 and up

Posted by Staff

Each of our new youth book kits contains 10 copies of a book, a series of discussion questions and a box in which to carry everything.  The kits can be checked out for three weeks with two renewals. The person checking out the kit is responsible for all items and they must be returned together. Although the kits were prepared with educators in mind, they are a perfect fit for bookclubs and family book discussions ... and summer reading projects.  

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Age 9 and up.  Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!  Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way. One of them is Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart   Age 9 and up.  "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" ad attracts dozens for mind-bending tests readers may try. Only two boys and two girls succeed for a secret mission, undercover and underground into hidden tunnels. At the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, the only rule is - there are no rules.

Frindle by Andrew Clements  Age 9 and up.  He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin  Age 12 and up.  A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger - and a possible murderer - to inherit his vast fortune, one things' for sure: Sam Westing may be dead... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix  Age 12 and up.  In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his life in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.  A great sci-fi story with themes of population control, friendship and ethics.