Books Rule in Middle School
(BRIMS)
2016-17
Members 2016-17
BRiMS is a book group made up of students in grades 6th and 7th 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.
Meeting Dates and topics for each meeting:
August 31st -- Share the best book that you read over the summer break.
September 27th -- Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
November 3rd -- Meet author Jewell Parker Rhodes and read one of her books
November 30th -- Skype with Between Shades of Gray author, Ruta Sepetys
January 24th -- Read a book with a character who might be a bestie or a frenemy.
February 22nd -- Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
March 29th -- What are you favorite genres to read?
May 17th -- End of the year meeting, plan for next year
August 31st -- Share the best book that you read over the summer break.
September 27th -- Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
November 3rd -- Meet author Jewell Parker Rhodes and read one of her books
November 30th -- Skype with Between Shades of Gray author, Ruta Sepetys
January 24th -- Read a book with a character who might be a bestie or a frenemy.
February 22nd -- Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
March 29th -- What are you favorite genres to read?
May 17th -- End of the year meeting, plan for next year
BRiMS share their favorite reads!
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May 17, 2017BRiMS consisted of more 7th graders than 6th graders. Next year, these 7th graders will join Bookmarked Junior Edition, and there will be only two returning students to BRiMS. The current group was asked for recommendations for next year's book group. Here are some of their suggestions: read a book by Rick Riordan, read Stan Lee's Zodiac Legacy, in November read an historical fiction set in the early 1900s, read a book with a very dark theme and some violence, read a sci fi like the Neptune Project, read a book with a female protagonist for March's Women's History Month, read a novel in verse for April's National Poetry Month, and choose a book set in alternate universes or written with alternating voices. No matter what we read, it will be another lively year of reading and talking about good books.
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March 29, 2017
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For this group meeting, the members shared which genres were their favorite/s. One student is a big fan of non-fiction. He likes it because he wants to know everything, he finds out about real events, and he is able to follow whatever interests him at the time like learning all about World War I. A lot of the students love mysteries because they like to find out what happens while the characters are trying to figure it out, too. A small group loves teen issues about real life problems with John Green being one of their very favorite authors. A very few are into the creepy and read as much horror as possible. One student said that dystopia novels are cool. Fantasy was mentioned as a fav, also by a couple of students. It seems their reading habits are all over the map. That is why the fiction section of the library needs to be so large. It needs to meet the interests of 100s of students.
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February 22, 2017
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Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff was the book that students were to read this month. Many members chose not to read the title, so it was difficult to have a really good discussion. The library always buys multiple copies of the books that are read in BRiMS. The students are encouraged to check out the book in the month previous to the discussion so that they actually have time to read the title. In BRiMS we alternate months with a specific title to read with a genre or type of book so that everyone has some freedom to share books that speak to them.
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January 24, 2017
For the new year, we talked about besties and frenemies in terms of characters in a book that we read. Members explained what characters they loved and why. Ms. Kahn was the only one who described a character who she didn't like. Robert has read all of Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes. He would love to have an opportunity to have some interesting conversations with such a smart man. Iyana thought there was hope for Billie Jo even though her world was collapsing in Hesse's Out of the Dust, and she would like to know someone who was so strong. Jose read the very dark Game by Lyga, but he really felt a connection to Jazz's best friend, Howie. Howie did not like to take risks and had a debilitating medical issues, but he would do anything for Jazz in the name of friendship. His loyalty was fierce. Jazzy talked about Leo in Riordan's The Lost Hero series because of his ability to joke she finds him lovable. Maeve likes Emily in Since You've Been Gone by Matson because of her average qualities. Olivia liked John in Baskin's Nine Ten because he was cool and a risk taker. Veronica talked about Chi in the manga series Chi's Sweet Home by Kanata Konami. Chi, the cat, is naive and doesn't understand the ways of the world. She liked the innocence of that, and Chi is cute. It was a lively conversation with many members getting an opportunity to talk.
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Little Debbie snack cakes for Valentine's Day. Just right to fit the theme of this month's book group.
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November 30, 2016
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BRiMS had the privilege of meeting Ruta Sepetys, the author of Between Shades of Gray, through skype at their November meeting. She engaged the students from the moment that she started talking. Though we scheduled the visit to talk about the book, she spent some time explaining to the group how a writer needs to show not tell details about their characters to draw the reader into the story. Members of the group described a nervous character who drummed their fingers on their knee, stopped talking after becoming depressed, and was very jumpy to show their discomfort. Ruta definitely finished the 30 minute talk with more fans than when she began.
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November 3, 2016
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This meeting was bittersweet. Jewell Parker Rhodes was suppose to be in New Orleans and was scheduled to visit PFTSTA. During her visit to school, she was going to meet with BRiMS. The students did not get to meet her, but they did read one of her books. The discussion was focused on the themes that are found throughout her work. Though her books are easy reads for this group of students, they liked the characters in Jewell's work, and the way that the characters solved problems.
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September 27, 2016
Two years ago a Donor's Choose grant brought 30 copies of Sharon Draper's book to the shelves of the library for BRiMS. That group loved the book so much that it seemed worth a read for the 2016-17 members. This current group fell in love with Melody just like before. Students felt assured that they would befriend Melody if she was in their class, and they did not understand how her classmates could treat her so cruelly. Of course, we never know how we will respond in new situations, but how wonderful that this book could bring out the empathy from so many. This book is a true winner for middle school.
August 31, 2016
Students met for BRiMS today and were asked to bring in a book to share that they read and loved from this past summer. Some brought the book that they read for summer reading. That was cool. Others found books at their local library or books that they had on their shelves at home. Some highlights were Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. The character of Nimona is great because of her shape shifting ability and her evil tendencies. Students felt the book ended without full resolution, and they would like to see a part two. Several book to movie adaptions were discussed. The Fifth Wave by Richard Yancey has a very likable narrator. The 101 Dalmations book by Dodie Smith was liked because it included more humor and details than the movie. Of course, a book discussion about summer reads would not be complete without discussing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Not one of the 30 members thought it was the best book they read this summer, but they did like the plot and all of its twists and turns. One member lamented how short it was and that it only took him four hours to read it. This group of thirty students are readers and seem to love the chance to talk books.
