April 2021 – Books & Reading

At our #27 Book Club meeting we had a great chat about a variety of books, mostly mystery books, but a few other books as well. Below is a summary of the books discussed and recommended, or ones that were in the process of being read:

Blackthorn Key series by Kevin Sands – set in the time of the Plague in London; puzzle-solving mystery/thriller story – highly recommended by Rachel, Year 12.
A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L’Engle – Sophia, Year 7
Kit’s wilderness by David Almond – Mithra, Year 10
One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus – Zoe & Lillian, Year 10
Murder most unladylike by Robin Stevens – Deepana, Year 10
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge – Mrs Sylaprany
The Dark City by Imogen Rossi – Ashna, Year 7
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith – Mrs Lacey
The murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie – Mrs Hanratty
Deep water by Sarah Epstein – Mrs Hanratty
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan – Bethany
White Bird by R.J. Palacio – Mrs Sylaprany (read Mr Llewellyn-Evans’ book review here)
A story about cancer (with a happy ending) by India Desjardins – Mrs Sylaprany
Azaria: a true history by Maree Coote – Mrs Sylaprany (picture book – narrative non-fiction – on display soon).

Our discussion touched on aspects of reading and books that motivate us to read or sometimes slow down our reading experience. This included:

Pace – the pace of a book often influenced how quickly we did or did not get into a story
Time – sometimes you start reading a book and you stop if you are not liking it, but you may return to a book at a later time to re-try reading it (especially if others have commented that they have liked it)
Characters – if you don’t connect with the characters or at least one character, this can make the reading experience challenging
Slow burn – some books take a while to get into, but then they can pick up which makes it worthwhile to persevere
Some of you commented that if a book is uninteresting, then it is unlikely that you will continue reading it and that you are likely to find another book that you do like reading.

Mrs Hanratty ended this meeting with an entertaining personal story about giving books as gifts. One of the gift books discussed was Book Love by Debbie Tung.

And, quite fittingly, towards the end of our meeting, Mrs Lacey gifted lovely origami bookmarks for the students who attended Book Club. Thank you Mrs Lacey 🙂

For our next meeting, just keep reading! We won’t have a specific book to discuss. If you have finished reading your mystery book, it will be interesting to hear about more books in this genre but you are also welcome to share any other books you have read over the school holidays. Our next meeting will be held in Week 3.

Until then, have a great start to Term 2 and happy reading!
Mrs Sylaprany, Mrs Ryan & Mrs Hanratty

Note: Book Club meeting #26 was held in Term 1. It was an introductory meeting to Book Club for the start of 2021.

Reviewed by Mr Llewellyn-Evans

White Bird by R.J Palacio — White Bird by R.J. Palacio

This is a graphic novel that examines the impact of Nazi occupation in France on Jews, in particular a young girl named Sara Blum. But it is more than just a novel about the treatment of Jews, it is a coming-of-age novel, a romance and a book about hope and remembrance.

The story revolves around Sara who lives with her parents Max and Rose in central France. It is the ideal family where Sara lives a comfortable life surrounded by loving parents who spoil their only daughter with nice clothes and toys. When the war breaks out, it seems far away from Sara’s world. When France surrenders in May 1940, nothing really changes for Sara, despite what is happening to Jews in the occupied zone. France at this stage is divided into two sections Vichy France (which is where Sara lives) governed by Frenchmen who have collaborated with the Nazi’s and Occupied France which is directly ruled by the Nazi’s.

The romance which develops between Sara and Julien is slow in lighting. Julien who has suffered from polio as a young boy and is now condemned to move around with crutches and is nicknamed ‘tourteau’ crab and is the butt of jokes from other boys. While Sara sits next to Julien in maths she maintains a distance from him, in fact ignoring him and the way he is mistreated.

The two come together when Sara’s world comes crashing down with the arrival of the Nazi’s who round up Jews (including Sarah’s mother). When they come to the school, Sarah hides from them. She realises that they will return looking for the children who escaped the first round up, until Julien comes to her rescue. He leads her to safety and with his parents hides Sarah until the war ends.

What happens in between is the growing relationship between Sara and Julien. The realisation that her world has changed and that Julien and his parents risk their lives for her. In the end the ultimate sacrifice is made and while that sadness permeates the novel there is another more important message:

“What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again.”
~ Anne Frank

The novel is a great read but its story is enhanced by the illustrations which makes this a book well worth reading and thinking upon!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars