Category: Book Club Meetings

Hello everyone,

In meeting no. 37, we welcomed a few new members to Book Club – welcome to Arham and Desilee – and our regular Year 11 book club members were busy with exams so they could not join us for this particular meeting – we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting (as you missed this meeting, I have attached the link to the audio if you would like to listen to it when you have time). As with our past meetings, it was enjoyable to hear about what everyone has been reading and your experiences with your books – from biographies to contemporary, teen fiction to fantasy, classics, science fiction and graphic novels – it was a great mixture of books again. We had some discussion of the multiple perspectives books being read for book club, and we can continue this discussion at our next meeting in Week 3. 

For your reference, here’s a list of the books discussed that you might like to borrow some time:

• Gretel started Will Grayson, Will Grayson but unfortunately, did not enjoy it. Mrs

  

  Hanratty encouraged Gretel to persevere and come back to it when she is ready. I think it is good to recognise when a book isn’t for you and that you might need to put it down for a period of time. Timing can be crucial with books and depending on your mood or what’s happening in your life at the time, this may influence whether you can enjoy a book or not, or whether it’s the right ‘fit’ for you. Gretel also shared some of her reading experience so far with Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo.

• Deeya shared My forbidden face by Latifa; and a book related to some of the themes about limitations on women and their lives in Marrying Ameera by  Rosanne Hawke. Deeya also shared her thoughts about a book she has recently reviewed for SpineOut, When only one by Meg Gatland-Veness
• Anastasia is continuing her exploration of the classics by reading Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Great to hear that you are enjoying the experience and the writing style of this period.
• Olivia shared her thoughts on one of our multiple perspectives novels, Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley. I have to completely agree with you that, apart from Rachel and Henry’s story, the side snippets of other people’s stories told through the messages left in the books in the book store, adds to the charm of this novel. Olivia has also been reading The summer I turned pretty by Jenny Han
• Arham shared one of Colleen Hoover’s books and another series by Chris Colfer, A tale of witchcraft (the first book in this series is A tale of magic). A tale of magic sounds like a good series and one that might be worth adding to our fiction collection for adventure and fantasy buffs. 
• Mrs Lacey mentioned she was going to read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garums during the school holidays. I look forward to hearing more about this book at our next meeting.
• Mrs Hanratty shared Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The greatest thing by Sarah WinifredSearle and When I see blue by Lily Bailey. All available for loan from the library.
• Ms McNamara is halfway through reading The uncaged sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

  

• Mrs Sylaprany shared Let it snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle; and Klara and the sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Also, thank you to the students who came along to listen in to our book discussion as well. I am glad that you were able to join us and listen to our conversation about what everyone has been reading.

For our next meeting, we will continue our discussion of books written with multiple perspectives. We can also commence our reading of fantasy novels this term. You can choose your own fantasy novel or we have a few small class sets that you could read together (including Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier). If you would like a copy of this fantasy romance novel, see me and I will organise a copy for you. We also have multiple copies of The Cruel Prince and Wildwood Dancing if you’re interested in either of these. 

I look forward to our next Book Club meeting and hearing about what you have enjoyed reading during the school holidays.

Finally, farewell to Gretel! Gretel has been a long-time member of Book Club since Year 7! Thank you for your thoughtful contributions to our book club discussions over many years. Your presence and conversations about books and reading will be greatly missed. Good luck with your HSC exams over the next few weeks and all the very best for life beyond Cerdon! 

Happy reading everyone & all the best for Term 4!
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Thank you for coming along to our Book Club meeting in Week 3. I was sorry to hear that a few students missed out as they were not sure where our meeting was being held. Mrs Hanratty sends her apologies for missing our meeting too. Mrs Ryan should be back for our next meeting. We will be back in the library for our Week 9 meeting.

Below is a list of the books discussed at our meeting. It was a wide selection again, highlighting our diverse tastes in reading, and we managed to cover a good number of books in the time available. Our discussion included:

Take three girls by Cath Crowley, Simone Howell, and Cath Crowley (Faith, Year 7)

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (Olivia, Year 7)

Trespassers (Irish novel; Ms McNamara)

Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens (Ms McNamara)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (Anastasia, Year 9)

When only one by Meg Gatland-Veness (reviewed for SpineOut by Deeya, Year 9)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (Lillian, Year 11)

The Wise Man’s Fears by Patrick Rothfuss (recommended for 16+; Lillian, Year 11)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Zoe, Year 11)

Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger (multiple perspectives novel; Zoe, Year 11)

If you’re interested, you can read about J.D. Salinger’s life story here. He was born January 1, 1919 and died January 27, 2010. He was 91 years old when he died. 

The cult of romance by Sarah Ayoub (Mrs Sylaprany)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Mrs Lacey)

For those of you who have just started your book or are mid-way through what you are currently reading, it will be interesting to hear more about your books at our next meeting.

Keep reading what you enjoy, and we are also reading books with multiple perspectives this term. We have three books you might like consider or you can find your own multiple perspectives book that interests you. The three books we have copies of includes:

• Let it snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
• Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
• Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley

If you would like to read any of these, they are available from the library.

Happy reading until our next Book Club conversation,
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Thank you for attending our 35th (!) Book Club meeting at the end of Term 2, 2022 (thanks as well to members who kindly sent their apologies due to other commitments – Mrs Lacey, Anastasia, Deeya). There may be a few Book Club members who missed this meeting who might like to listen to the audio (I will share the link with you via our Google Classroom). Our conversation included a mix of mystery reads and a variety of other books everyone has been reading recently. Thank you for another enjoyable Book Club conversation and for sharing your thoughts about your books. I was also impressed by members who read outside their usual favourite genres by finding a book in the genre of mystery which has been our focus in Term 2 (and will be for our first meeting in Term 3). I

finished reading The murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie during the school holidays. It did have me guessing until the end. Somehow I did guess the murderer correctly, although I was still surprised to have this confirmed when Poirot reveals this at the end! I would love to discuss this novel with anyone else who has read it at our next meeting, as well as any YA mystery books read for our genre study.

Until our next meeting, happy reading!
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Thanks for attending our meeting in Week 3 and for voting for the genres we will read this year. The most popular genres included fantasy, historical fiction, mystery and suspense, science fiction and classics. As discussed, we will start with a couple of Agatha Christie books as well as a couple of other options to do a ‘genre study’ of mystery and suspense novels. This means that we will discuss a few books that fit into the mystery and suspense genre at our next meeting.   Please see the previous post in class for the links to the books (many are available in Sora)

Books shared in our last meeting included:

• Iron to Iron by Ryan Graudin (sequel to Wolf by Wolf) – currently being read by Faith, Year 7 – this book sounds like it has an interesting angle (an alternate history or ‘what if’ situation to consider) plus appeal to a wider audience (with some romance too).
• Solitaire by Alice Oseman, author of the popular Heartstopper series, this book is about Charlie’s sister, Tori – read by Olivia, Year 7
• Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta is an enduring favourite for Year 9/10 students – read by Deeya, Year 9
• To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee – a classic that consistently appears in reader’s lists and must-read booklists – read by Anastasia, Year 9
• My sister’s keeper by Jodi Picoult; The Obsession by Jessie Q. Sutanto (always available in Sora; interest level – Yrs 9-12) – read by Gretel, Year 12
• A child called It by Dave Pelzer (confronting true story about Dave Pelzer’s childhood) – re-read by Garima, Year 12
• The Great Gatsby by F.S Fitzgerald – Zoe, Year 11 (here’s a link to the graphic novel version). Zoe commented that she has been starting a lot of books and not finishing them. I think we can all relate to this until we find that ‘just right’ book that hooks our attention and in which we be drawn into a deeper reading experience.
• The Stand by Stephen King (this sounds like a big tome with over 1000 pages!) – currently being read by Katie, Year 11. It’s available in Sora for Years 9-12 students. Katie noted that this is a more character-focused book with graphic details and swearing.
• Lillian, Year 11, is looking forward to the release at the end of May of the third book in the Prison Healer series.
• Future Girl by Asphyxia – read by Mrs Sylaprany. It is about a near future Melbourne

  

  where government enriched food has become scarce. People are hungry and resources such as petrol are limited. The main character, Piper, is Deaf and her scientist mother has just lost her job. Life is getting quite tough. Piper meets Marley who is CODA (Child Of a Deaf Adult). His mother mother is also Deaf. It is through Marley’s mother and Marley that Piper begins to learn new skills, different ways of thinking, and begins seeing herself in ways that she would never have expected. 

• Ms McNamara donated More than I love my life by David Grossman, winner of the International Man Booker, to the library. 
• Mrs Lacey has been reading non-fiction books including Dr Karl’s book on climate change, and David Attenborough’s book, A life on our planet. 
• The Cousins by Karen M. McManus – read by Mrs Ryan – another popular mystery and suspense book from the author of One of us is lying.
• Mrs Hanratty will share what she has been reading at our next Book Club meeting in Week 9. 

Thanks for sharing your reading experiences and conversation about books. What a diverse mix of books we have all been reading recently!

Extra:

If anyone is interested in learning about Auslan (which is in Future Girl), you might like to read this blog. Or, go to the blog and scroll to the bottom of the page to see a video of author, Asphyxia, fingerspell the alphabet. It’s only 34 seconds long and fun to watch (and try yourself).

Next book club meeting:

As mentioned, we are reading one of Agatha Christie’s books for our next meeting:

• The adventure of the Christmas Pudding (ebook copies available in Sora)
• The murder of Roger Ackroyd (if you would like a copy of this ebook, let me know)
• Or choose your own mystery book to discuss at our next meeting

Happy reading until our next meeting!

Mrs Sylaprany

Hello everyone

I hope you enjoyed your holidays and time to relax with your family and friends, as well as some extra time to enjoy reading.

If you have not responded to our Book Club survey, please take a moment to fill this out and vote for what you might like to read over the coming terms. Thanks to the students who already responded at the end of Term 1 (you don’t need  to fill it out again).

Below is a recap of our meeting at the end of last term, especially for members who were not able to attend.

As this was our first meeting for 2022 (our 33rd book club meeting), it was lovely to welcome all our new members. Great to see everyone who came along for the first time including Katie, Irish, Izel, Deeya, Anastasia, Olivia and Faith. Thank you for joining us, and welcome back to our regular book club members and Mrs Lacey too (Mrs Ryan, Mrs Hanratty and Ms McNamara all sent their apologies). Thank you as well to Mr Llewellyn-Evans for joining us as a ‘guest speaker’. Mr Llewellyn-Evans had us all captivated with his account of Katrina Nannestad’s latest book, Rabbit, soldier, angel, thief, and his thoughts about the main character, Sasha, and Sasha’s story. If you would like to listen to Mr Llewellyn-Evans, you can access the recording here. 

You can also listen to the audio recording to hear some thoughts about our Book Club book (read over the Christmas holidays), The left-handed booksellers of London by Garth Nix. Our conversation may continue next meeting as some members are still reading it and some members were not present for our discussion. The book is set in 1980s London and, although often described as a fantasy book, the Australian author, Garth Nix, draws on the mythology of Britain to create a magical, alternate London (and countryside) that exists parallel to everyday London. For many of us, it was a slow read at times, but we all agreed that there were many aspects of the novel that we enjoyed including Nix creating an empowered main character, Susan, and just the right amount of romance between Susan and left-handed bookseller, Merlin. There’s 1980s pop culture references (mainly music and clothing) and plenty of adventure, action and humour.  If  you’re looking for something a little different, this book is  highly recommended. 

We usually have the second half of book club meetings to share individual books. We were a bit limited for time so we will allow more time in our Week 3 meeting this term. Thanks to everyone who had time to share a book or two including:

• Gretel shared How we fall apart by Katie Zhao. Gretel is reviewing this book for SpineOut. Gretel didn’t particularly enjoy this book, but thinks others may like it, and would recommend it as a quick, engaging read. This review on CommonSense Media is worth reading if you are considering reading this book.
• Sophia is currently reading a Mary Poppins book. We have a couple in the collection. You can access them here.
• Katie has read science fiction book, Hunger, by Michael Grant. Another good read and a popular series.
• Lillian shared a couple of books including:
  • The bone spindle which she is reviewing for SpineOut. Lillian liked it but did not love it.
  • Defy the night by Brigid Kemmerer – Lillian thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kemmerer’s books have good plot twists, and Lillian recommends her books to students looking for a good fantasy writer. 
  • League of Liars by Astrid Scholte – Lillian commented that this book was so good she couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended.
• Mrs Lacey shared The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. A book for slightly older audiences, this story is about multiple universes, and a main character who can choose to experience different lives from the Book of Regrets, which she finds in the Midnight Library.
• Congratulations to Zoe who finally finished reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. This is a book about the Holocaust. While it is a challenging read, its popularity has endured over the years for students interested in reading a different book about the Holocaust. Another recommended book by Marcus Zusak is The Messenger.   

I look forward to our meeting in Week 3 to hear about what you read in the April school holidays and since then.

Until then, happy reading!

Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Our last meeting was towards the end of October so it was held by Zoom again. We had some students at school (Bethany), some at home (Zoe and Thuy Ann), and one in a car travelling from an appointment (Lillian)! Staff joined from zoom locations around the school. Thanks to Zoom we could still meet and have a book chat, which ended up being a slightly longer conversation than normal as it was a pupil free day (for Years 7-11). Special thanks to everyone for joining Book Club on your pupil free day or during your HSC study block. 

Our conversation involved further discussion about The Hate U Give. Zoe mentioned it gave her insight into the Black Lives Matter movement. The power of this story is that readers are able to see the issues explored through Starr’s eyes and through her family and friends’ perspectives and experiences. I liked how Starr gradually finds her voice and courage to speak, as well as recognising her own prejudices and flaws by the end of the story. The family dynamics gradually reveal the strength of Starr’s family bonds. There’s an authenticity to this story that strikes a beautiful balance between the issues raised and everyday human lives. If you have not read it yet, do put it on your to-read list. And if you’re still reading it, don’t give up! It will be worth your commitment of time and effort.

Our current Book Club book is Cogheart by Peter Bunzl. This book might be a little different to what you normally read, but it is one where I would say that there’s more to this story than you might first think when you start reading it. We will discuss Cogheart in our final meeting for 2021. 

While unboxing the SpineOut books that arrived on the day of our Book Club meeting, Mrs Hanratty talked about The Starlight Watchmaker by Lauren James. We do have a copy in the library. It’s a short but rewarding read. You can reserve it here. 

Thuy shared her recent online reading, which included comics and fan fiction. This is a good  way to keep reading when you have other commitments (i.e. HSC exams) and a great way to de-stress and relax (when you need a break from studying). Thuy’s reading shows that reading can be done in a variety of formats. You’re still reading, even if it isn’t a traditional print book!

Zoe is still reading The Book Thief and I think she deserves 10/10 for perseverance. Zoe mentioned that she did watch the movie trailer to understand what was happening in this story. Sometimes we need support like this or book blurbs to help give a story some context. I have often used Wikipedia to give me a quick insight into a topic that I am unfamiliar with. Sometimes you need to build some background knowledge first before or during reading. This can also help you engage better with a story and help you imagine. 

Lillian astounded us with her writing project for a competition she is entering. Lillian is in the process of writing a story with more than twenty thousand words. What was equally impressive was Lillian’s storyline. It is a fantasy story, with a protagonist with exceptional fighting skills, who loses her sight half way through the story. How does she deal with these challenges? There is a love interest too. All the best with entering your story for the competition, Lillian. After listening to Lillian’s story outline, Ms McNamara recommended All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr (which also features a blind female protagonist). This is a book we have read in the past for Book Club. 

Bethany shared that she was in the midst of reading Six Crimson Cranes for review for SpineOut. It’s a fairytale retelling and a copy is available in the library. Well done Bethany, for  being able to read and review while preparing for your HSC exams. Once a reader, always a reader!

Mrs Ryan has been busy marking so her time has been limited for personal reading at the moment. But, like all of us, she is looking forward to the Christmas holidays for extra time to read. However, Mrs Ryan has recently read the first three books in the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. She is perhaps not quite as enamoured with these books (as Mrs Hanratty is) but she did like them overall. If you are short for time, graphic novels are a good way to keep reading without the time commitment of a novel. 

Ms McNamara returned from a period of long service leave so she did have time for reading for pleasure. One of the books she read was The lost flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland. This novel is being adapted into a television series which is scheduled to air in 2022. The author, Holly Ringland, is also a presenter for a recent ABC series with Aaron Pedersen, called Back to Nature. She has also appeared in a Gardening Australia segment, My Garden Path – Holly Ringland. A couple of book recommendations from Mrs Sylaprany included a true crime story set in 1920s Sydney, The Suitcase Baby, and a speculative fiction, The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig, an English novelist.

Mrs Hanratty spoke about what she enjoyed about the Heartstopper graphic novels by Alice Oseman. What makes this series special for Mrs Hanratty is the ‘solid’ relationship Nick and Charli share which she feels makes it different to typical YA fare. Their secure relationship allows for other issues, such as Charli’s eating disorder, to be sensitively explored.

Mrs Hanratty also shared a fiction book about a boy band and a relationship that develops while on tour. Issues emerge related to the challenges of being a celebrity. It does make one think about the demands on bands and the real true price of celebrity. Books can often stimulate our thinking and ideas in ways we do not initially expect. What was essentially a ‘light’ read for Mrs Hanratty, led to conversations about some of the deeper themes that emerged.

It was good to ‘see’ you for our extended book chat. As mentioned, our next meeting will be held in Week 9. This might give everyone time to finish reading Cogheart! It would be great to have a group discussion about this book then. Thank you as well, to Mrs Johnson, who has already prepared (accessioned and covered) our next Book Club book (for reading during the Christmas school holidays). 

Enjoy the rest of Term 4,
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

It was great to connect with you virtually for our 30th Book Club meeting on Friday, 30th July. Who would have thought that our 30th meeting would land on this particular calendar date. What a coincidence! 

We had a little chat about The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Thanks to the students who ‘accelerated’ their reading to have the book read in time for this meeting (Thuy deserves special mention here) and, to those of you who have finished, thank you for your patience while the rest of us catch up. 

For those of you who did share your thoughts, you did very well in not spoiling it for unfinished readers. If anything, I think that your comments have made us all the more intrigued about this book. Here’s some the of thoughts you shared about your reading experience:

Mrs Ryan:

“Yeah, I loved it. I thought it was excellent. It’s very topical, it’s current, I really enjoyed reading it. I think you’ll connect with the character quite well. I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to give it away for anyone who didn’t finish it. But I’m very much into what’s going on at the moment with the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. I like that the character had two different environments that she lived in. So you got to see how she felt like she did or didn’t belong, let’s say in her school setting. And then what happened and how that affected her back home and how she was judged. So I liked that it had, I guess, the current issues going on through it, but you also had the thread of like, what it’s like to belong and so on. I don’t want to give too much away. There’s the personal story, but then there’s also the bigger political story going on.” 

Thuy, Year 12:
“I read about [The Hate U Give] being banned. And I looked at the book, and I’m like, I’ve learned so much just reading it. So I think banning it kind of hurts other people’s awareness of these topics. And I think reading it was really insightful.” 

Tisa (Year 7) liked that The Hate U Give presents the reader with the ‘problem’ at the very beginning of the story.

We will continue our discussion about The Hate U Give in future book clubs this term.

You also shared some great book recommendations, including:

Heartstopper #3 by Alice Oseman
“It’s something you don’t want to put down because you just want to keep reading.” (Bethany, Year 12)

We had a detailed discussion about the Heartstopper series in general. Thanks to Mrs Hanratty for sharing her knowledge about his graphic novel series and Alice Oseman’s plans for the final book (#5).

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
Lillian (Year 10) read this series in the school holidays which is a noteworthy achievement given that the books are about seven hundred pages each!! 

Sometimes it can be quite enjoyable to read books you have enjoyed in the past, especially if your favourite author is releasing a new book. Some old time favourite recommendations from Lillian:

• Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan
• Brother Band series by John Flanagan

John Flanagan is releasing a new book on 28th September. I am sure this is a highly anticipated date for fans of John Flanagan’s books. 

The magnolia sword: a ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas (recommended by Lillian, Year 10). 

The outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud
“[The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne] would have been a book that I would have never picked up on my own. It was something very, very different. It really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. But it was worth every second of it, because I would definitely read it again.” (recommended by Siena Mia, Year 10; and reviewed by Siena Mia for SpineOut)

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
“It easily sits as one of the best books I’ve ever read … I just love the code-cracking component to it, I just find that so intriguing … highly recommend it if you like murder mysteries.” (recommended by Siena Mia, Year 10)

The last paper crane by Kerry Drewery
“ … what I really learned from [reading The last paper crane] was that, if you think something’s not right, you have to say something about it. No one can read minds. So if you hold onto that point, then nothing is going to be solved.” (recommended by Tisa, Year 7)

Tisa also read and recommended Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Emily Carroll which was discussed at a previous Book Club meeting.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Zoe (Year 10) commented that it is taking her a while to read this book. I would like to say that’s 100% okay. Some books can really challenge our reading stamina but working through that struggle with some books can be worth the commitment. I think that The Book Thief is not a book that can be rushed either. As Zoe mentioned, she sometimes needs to reread parts of a chapter to understand what is going on. This is a good strategy to use for those books that take us out of our regular reading comfort zones.   

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
“The Burning Chambers is a novel set in 1562 in France in the middle of all the religious wars.  It talks about relationships and friendships between the Catholics and the Protestants and how they’re under so much tension, and how friendship and love win out in the end here.” (Recommended by Mrs Victoria)

The simple gift by Steven Herrick
Read by Mrs Ryan for Book Club who says it was “ … a nice contrast to reading The Hate U Give.”

Mrs Hanratty shared an adult fiction book that she did not enjoy reading which raises the question … how long do you give a book a ‘go’ before you stop reading it?

Mrs Hanratty estimated that she reads about a third of a book before she decides to move on. How long do you read a book before you move on? What other criteria do you apply to what you choose to read? There is a certain power and freedom in being able to choose what you read. Perhaps a topic of discussion for our next meeting?

Looking forward to our next book-related conversation!
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Despite the lockdown in Greater Sydney, I hope you enjoyed your holiday time at home. Thank you to everyone (Lillian, Zoe, Thuy Ann, Ashna, Tisa, Mrs Hanratty, Mrs Ryan and Ms McNamara) who turned up for our final Book Club meeting for Term 2. Thank you to the students who let me know that they would not be at Book Club as they were not at school on the last day. We really did just make it before lockdown came into force for NSW! It was great to welcome Mrs Ryan back to Book Club too. I am wondering where Mrs Lacey was though? 

Here’s a list of the books recommended and discussed during this meeting: 

• The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson (recommended by Lillian)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (recommended by Zoe)
• Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro (recommended by Thuy Ann), also The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
• I am Malala (recommended by Ashna)
• A million things by Emily Spurr (recommended by Ashna)
• The last paper crane by Kerry Drewery (recommended by Tisa)
• See you in the cosmos by Jack Cheng (recommended by Mrs Ryan; the audiobook is highly recommended too)
• They both die at the end by Adam Silvera (recommended by Mrs Ryan)

I hope you are enjoying reading our Book Club book, The Hate U Give. I have to admit I have just started (as I have about eight other books I am reading at the moment. I know, this is far too many at once, and I should focus on a couple). I am also adjusting to the language used in The Hate U Give which is quite different to what I am used to reading, but I have a feeling that the novel will live up to its reputation. If you missed out on borrowing a copy at the end of Term 2, there are some ebook copies available in Sora here.

We will probably aim to discuss this book in Week 9, Term 3. Hopefully this will give everyone time to finish reading it.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Week 3, Term 3. I will let you know when and where this meeting will be held. It may be at school but if we are still in lockdown we will hold a virtual meeting. At this meeting it will be great to discuss what you enjoyed reading during the school holidays or what you are currently reading.

Until then, keep safe and stay warm!
Mrs Sylaprany

Hi everyone

Thank you to all our book club members who were able to join us for our meeting today. I think we all thoroughly enjoyed catching up with one another and sharing what we have recently read. I thought I recorded the meeting to share with our book club members who could not be present today. Unfortunately, I think we had a technology glitch and our discussion did not record. I’m so sorry about this as it was another good book chat. I did, however, manage to recall the books shared (if I have missed any please let me know and I’ll add your book to the list below). Here is the list for your reference with links to further information or the catalogue record in eLibrary (so that you can find the book in our collection or place a reservation if it is on-loan):

• On the come up by Angie Hart, The cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, A story about cancer (with a happy ending) by India Desjardins; Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Tisa, Year 7)
• Dear world: A Syrian girl’s story of war and plea for peace by Bana Alabed; Letters to Sam by Daniel Gottlieb (Ashna, Year 7)
• The rules of magic by Alice Hoffman (Thuy, Year 12)
• The song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (for senior students) (Alaura, Year 12)
• The house of sand and fog by Andre Dubus III (for senior students) (Gretel, Year 11)
• House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (for senior students) (Bethany, Year 12)
• A variety of manga books (Rachel, Year 12)
• Sisters by Raina Telgemeier (Sophia, Year 7)
• The prison healer by Lynette Noni (Lilliana, Year 10)
• QB VII by Leon Uris (Ms McNamara)
• Growing up Aboriginal in Australia; Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (which translates to River of Dreams) by Anita Heiss (for senior students) (Mrs Lacey)
• The rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness (Years 9+) (Mrs Hanratty)
• Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery (one of our childhood favourites) (Mrs Sylaprany & Mrs Hanratty)

Congratulations to the following students who have had their book reviews published in the SpineOut April/May issue (some are book club members too):

• Deeya, Year 8
• Deepana & Siena Mia, Year 10
• Gretel & Florence, Year 11
• Audrey & Jennifer, Year 12

As mentioned during our meeting today, next week is Library and Information Week 2021 with the theme of Adventures through space and time. There will be a mix of activities taking place in the library at lunch times during this week. You are all invited to be involved, take a challenge and have some fun with your friends and maybe win a prize or two.  

For book club, we will be sharing a google form soon so that you can vote for a few books that we can read together as a group over the coming terms.  

Looking forward to our next meeting in Week 9. 

Until then, happy reading!
Mrs Sylaprany & Mrs Hanratty

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.