Books Rule in Middle School
(BRIMS)
2012-2013
BRiMS meets for the first time in 2012-2013
BRiMS is a book group made up of students in grades 6th though 8th who love books and reading. Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month during lunch, and a special snack is provided. BRiMS was formed on February 29, 2012.
April 24, 2013: Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
This was the last book of the school year. The students chose this book because several of them had read other books by Hiaasen and liked them. They were fans of this book because of the humor and the fact that Roy wanted to save the owls. They liked the reality of the story where the business owners were more concerned about making money than they were about saving the owls' habitat. The running boy was their favorite character.
If you like this book, you might also like:
Holes by Louis Sacher
Scat or Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
The Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen
If you like this book, you might also like:
Holes by Louis Sacher
Scat or Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
The Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen
Members who joined the discussion about Hoot by Carl Hiasson.
March 27, 2013: Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
The students who attended this edition of BRiMS did not like Going's book, nor did any of them finish it. It was hard for them to relate to Troy, the main character, because to them he was portrayed as a stereotypical older fat boy. They believed the story was boring, and they were bothered by the gritty topics and strong language. Since they were unhappy with this title, instead of talking about it, we discussed what they makes a good book good. To them a book needs some suspense and action and adventure. It is important to be able to relate to the characters, so they should be in their age group. It is more important for a good book to be a page turner and hook them from the very start than to be a specific genre. The students were mixed about liking to reread favorite stories and series. They spent some time talking about what book we should read for April and selected Hoot by Hiaasen.
If you like this book, you might also like:
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
What Would Joey Do? by Jack Gantos
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Virginia Mackler
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
February 27, 2013: Favorite Series
This month, all readers are asked to bring in a favorite series to share with the group. You don't need to bring the actual book. Just make sure you know the title of the first book, author and name of the series. You will tell the group why this is a series you love.
We loved Wednesday Wars!
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January 30, 2013: The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
The three students who joined this discussion really like Holling Hoodhood. They did not like his dad, and one suggested that the dad's life would have been the same with or without his children. We also compared this dad to the ones in Flipped and Peak. In all three books they were narcissistic and did not try to understand the angst that their children were experiencing. The teacher, Mrs. Baker, seemed to treat Holling much tougher than the other students in the class. The readers thought that was because she had faith that he could be better. This story was historical fiction taking place in the late 60's, and the students liked the fact that there was no tech. It was not a distraction like it is in other stories.
If you like this book, you might also like: The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt (companion book to Wednesday Wars) |
December 12, 2012: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
It seems that everyone was busy with holiday preparations because there were only two members of BRiMS at the December discussion for Flipped. We still had a vigorous discussion though. They liked the character of Juli with her quirkiness and headstrong attitude. Her viewpoint was their favorite because they felt they could relate better to her than to Bryce. They thought the theme was a spin off of, "don't judge a book by its cover" or "don't be a jerk." I guess they thought that Bryce played the part of the jerk.
If you like this book, then you might also like:
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
If you like this book, then you might also like:
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
November 14, 2012: Peak by Roland Smith
"The only thing you'll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below. -Peak Marcello
The students had a great time talking about what it might be like climbing Mt. Everest. They thought the book was a good read and sympathized with Peak's family issues. The resolution at the end where Peak rejoins his mother and step-father felt right to all the readers.
If you like this book, then you might also like:
Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence
Hurricane: A novel by Terry Trueman
The students had a great time talking about what it might be like climbing Mt. Everest. They thought the book was a good read and sympathized with Peak's family issues. The resolution at the end where Peak rejoins his mother and step-father felt right to all the readers.
If you like this book, then you might also like:
Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence
Hurricane: A novel by Terry Trueman
This group of six had a great discussion of the book during the October BRiMS
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October 4, 2012: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The students sat down with chips and salsa to talk about what a dystopian story is and how The Maze Runner fits the profile for one. Not everyone in the group likes sci fi, but they all something to say about the book. One student had read all three books in the trilogy, and another asked who dies at the end. (There were a number of deaths in the first book.) There were more deaths as the story moves through book two and three. Someone posed the question, Wouldn't be interesting if everyone died at the end of the story? That may be a little grim, but it is an honest question.
If you like this book, you might also like: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Unwind by Neal Shusterman |
September 7 , 2012: The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck
When Hurricane Isaac blew into town, school was cancelled for seven days. One of those days, BRiMS was scheduled for its first official meeting. It was touch and go there on how we could find a time to meet, but on Friday, September 7th, the middle school students who had read the book joined the librarian in the library during lunch to talk about Peck's book. All of the students liked the story but agreed that it had a slow beginning, and you had to stick with it to get to the good parts. None of the students could imagine living in a town as small as Russell's town in rural Indiana. There would be nothing to do they kept saying. The idea that Russell had never seen an automobile until the accident with his father's wagon was mind-boggling to the students who live with so much technology on a daily basis.
If you like this book, you might also like:
Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
If you like this book, you might also like:
Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis