The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

November 30, 2006 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Location: Carmyn's Apartment at 6:00 pm

The Food:
Soup season at book club is my favorite.
Marci brought a corn chowder that was perfect for a chilly November evening. We drank Newcastle beer brought by Larry and a bottle of red and a bottle of white compliments of Kristine. Carmyn provided artichoke dip* and a veggie tray, and Pam brought two kinds of delicious bread. Judy's banana cream pie and cookies (the cookies were a particular favorite for me: chocolate hazelnut creme de piroline) offered a sweet ending.

The Book:
This memoir, recommended by Pam, was a hit for everyone.

The Glass Castle is a no-holds barred tale of a nomadic, deprived childhood told with the hypnotic wonderment of a child who always wants to believe that Daddy will be a hero in the end and that Momma really does know best. You are enrapt reading about Walls and her siblings rifling through trash cans at school looking for food, doing the skedaddle in the middle of the night, or waiting for Dad to come home after another bender. It's a riveting story and a testament to Walls' indomitable desire to rise above a life that could have easily turned her into just another tragic headline.... Walls tells the story from the point of view of herself as a child, recalling the events as she saw them at each respective age. Scavenger hunts in the desert and late-night escapes from the family's latest town are treated as adventures.
excerpt of a review by Denise Hazlick
MSNBC

One word repeatedly rose to the surface in our book discussion: resiliency. This story is one that demonstrates how resilient the children were in the Walls family. At times the parents seemed so amazing... creative, innovative, strong, intelligent, nonconformist, unflappable. Yet, they were also horrible... alcoholic father, excitement addict mother who'd hoard chocolate bars while her kids nearly starved, an unwillingness to work, stealing from the kids' hard earned cash, deplorable living conditions. Walls story raises questions about homelessness and family life, about dependency and responsibility, about education (the homeschooled and the unschooled), and about how far the ties to family should reach. I think we'd all agree this was a good read and one worth recommending.

Read an interview with the author here.

The Book Exchange:
We drew names and then pitched our book picks .... here's how it shaped up.

Kristine will read
Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien as recommended by Larry

Larry will read
Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Lardvick as recommended by Pam
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman as recommended by Judy

Pam will read
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland as recommended by Marci

Marci will read
Picture Bride by Yoshiko Uchida as recommended by Judy
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter as recommended by Judy
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (borrowed from Carmyn, referred to in The Glass Castle)

Carmyn will read
Wit by Margaret Edson as recommended by Kristine
The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs as recommended by Kristine
The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez as recommended by Pam

Judy will read
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich as recommended by Larry

*The Artichoke Dip Recipe*

Combine:

One can of drained and food processed artichokes (not the marinated kind)
One cup of sour cream
One cup of mayo (I used the Canola Mayo kind)
One cup of parmesan cheese
One 8 oz block of Philadelphia cream cheese
Two-Three swish swishes of Tabasco sauce
Two-Three swish swishes of Worcestershire sauce

It helps to grease the baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Enjoy!

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

October 30, 2006 Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Location: Pam's house at 6:00 pm

Our first snow may have been what kept Larry away, or perhaps it was because I forgot to send a reminder e-mail. Oops. However, those of us who could make it warmed up to Pam's delicious cider and enjoyed a main course of Judy's carrot orange soup--perfect for Halloween. I brought veggies and Marci brought bread and we all felt very healthy until we ate Kristine's caramel brownies. Sigh. And yes, it was with brownies that Kristine made her debut at book club. We'd have extended a hearty welcome regardless. Yay.

Marci gets the award for the fastest read, though I am afraid I may have enjoyed it a wee bit more than she did. I must applaud her effort considering her long-standing distaste for the film The Wizard of Oz. I have never read any of the original books (there are 14 of them) and have only watched the film, but I suspect after looking at the Annotated Wizard of Oz that I own much of the the original stories tie into this imagined life of Elphaba, Wicked Witch of the West. I was surprised by the amount of politics, religion, and sex that comprise this fantastical tale and understand that L. Frank Baum had some things to say in the original tales as well. Now I may have to actually READ them. What I enjoyed most was the way the Maguire story wove in details from the film and I realized just how much I like the "literary allusion." Judy says, "It rewards the reader" and perhaps that is part of the pleasure. I loved how this book gave me a different view on the talking lion and on the yellow brick road or even why the ruby slippers were so important to Elphaba.

Marci and I even engaged in a post-book club discussion and tried to answer each other's unanswered questions and read together our favorite bits over the phone which goes to show that this title definitely was discussion worthy with topics like the nature of evil and hope and goodness and more. Most of our group found the book to be rather long and dense and while it was very appropriate for the Halloween holiday, it was a bit challenging for this time of year. However, I would encourage folks to finish it, if they've started.

Perhaps we should all take in the Broadway musical if we get a chance or read the sequel Son of a Witch. And perhaps we might give some time to the questions in this reading guide.

Reader's Choice of a Young Adult Novel

Each year we designate one month to read young adult literature so we can find books to recommend to students and get a chance to see what is "out there." This month we also made our annual trek to Crookston to meet up with Larry at the country club. Pam, Judy, Marci, Larry and I met to discuss our books and share a meal on Tuesday, September 19th. Kristi was unable to make it but did share that she was reading and enjoying Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman.

Judy read Asylum for Nightface by Bruce Brooks

"A 14-year-old boy is shocked when his hash-smoking parents return from vacation as zealous converts. "Some readers may be put off by the author's satirical depiction of born-again Christians, others will applaud his attempt to challenge fundamentalism," said Publisher's Weekly. Ages 12-up. Judy pointed out that though she wasn't quite done with the book it seemed to be heading for a grim ending.

Larry read Lyddie by Katherine Paterson

"In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period." Ages 10-14. says Publisher's Weekly.

Those who'd read this book before talked about how it didn't have a romantic ending and instead showed some independence of spirit in how Lyddie is determined to have her "own life."

Carmyn read Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks

"Flunking out of school and already hooked on drugs, the 14-year-old narrator, secretly molested by his stepfather, emotionally abandoned by his weak mother, leaves his mobile home in the depressed upstate New York community of Au Sable and becomes a homeless mall rat. In a burst of bravado, he acquires a crossed bones tattoo, changes his name from Chappie to Bone, and attempts to find some focus in his dead-end existence. Convinced that he is destined for a criminal career, Bone vents his anger in acts of senseless destruction. His vulnerability and his need for love and direction are fused when he and a seven-year-old waif he has rescued from a pedophile take refuge in an abandoned schoolbus with an illegal alien from Jamaica called I-Man, whose Rastafarian wisdom and gentle demeanor are fed by liberal consumption of marijuana, which he deals. It is when Bone follows I-Man to Jamaica that the narrative falters. Though the drug-permeated Jamaican milieu is portrayed with impressive authenticity, the improbability of Bone's macabre adventures there frays the plot's credibility. The novel's strengths-Bone's cool, wisecracking voice and colloquial speech, the details of an adolescent's culture-are diluted by its excesses-too many descriptions of marijuana highs, too many coincidences. Yet one finishes the book with indelible sympathy for tough-guy Bone, touched by his loneliness, fear and desperation, and having absorbed Banks's message: that (as he said recently), society's failure to save its children is "the main unrecognized tragedy of our time." said Publisher's Weekly.

I really didn't enjoy this book and I'm not sure I would recommend it.

Marci read Gifts by Ursula Le Guin

"Grade 7 Up–In this well-realized fantasy, the people of the Uplands have unusual and potentially dangerous abilities that can involve the killing or maiming of others. Gry can communicate with animals, but she refuses to use her gift to call creatures to the hunt, a stance her mother doesn't understand. The males in Orrec's line have the power of unmaking–or destroying–other living things. However, because his mother is a Lowlander, there is concern that this ability will not run true to him. When his gift finally manifests itself, it seems to be uncontrollable. His father blindfolds him so that he will not mistakenly hurt someone, and everyone fears him. Meanwhile, Ogge Drum, a greedy and cruel landowner, causes heartache for Orrec and his family. There is a strong sense of foreboding throughout the novel. The characters, who are well rounded and believable, often fail to understand the extent of the responsibility that comes with great power. In the end, Gry and Orrec come to recognize the true nature of their gifts and how best to use them. Readers can enjoy this story as a suspenseful struggle between good and evil, or they can delve deeper and come away with a better understanding of the choices that all individuals must make if they are to realize their full potential. An excellent choice for discussion and contemplation."–School Library Journal

I could see Marci wasn't "in love" with this book. She tried to stretch herself by choosing a fantasy title and in the end I am not sure this was the choice. Several of us had read other books by Ursula Le Guin and enjoyed them very much. Like, Kristi, I would recommend A Wrinkle in Time above all others.

Pam read Hoot by Carl Hiassen

"With a Florida setting and pro-environment, anti-development message, Hiaasen returns to familiar turf for his first novel for young readers," wrote PW. "Several suspenseful scenes, along with dollops of humor, help make this quite a hoot indeed." Ages 10-up. Publishers Weekly

Everyone had read this one but Larry and we'd all recommend it. Larry and Judy had each read some of his books for adults as well. Sick Puppy and Skinny Dip were mentioned. Apparently he's got quite the sense of humor but those are definitely "adult" as in not aimed at a middle school audience.

and Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic

From the Publisher
"When Zlata's Diary was first published at the height of the Bosnian conflict, it became an international bestseller and was compared to The Diary of Anne Frank, both for the freshness of its voice and the grimness of the world it describes. It begins as the day-today record of the life of a typical eleven-year-old girl, preoccupied by piano lessons and birthday parties. But as war engulfs Sarajevo, Zlata Filipovic becomes a witness to food shortages and the deaths of friends and learns to wait out bombardments in a neighbor's cellar. Yet throughout she remains courageous and observant. The result is a book that has the power to move and instruct readers a world away. "

Pam and Larry agreed this was no Anne Frank. Instead the story fell a little flat. Wanting to give the book the benefit of the doubt, we decided something was "lost in translation."

and A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

From the Publisher
In this stunning coming-of-age novel, award-winner Miriam Toews balances grief and hope in the voice of a witty, beleaguered teenager whose family is shattered by fundamentalist Christianity.

"Half of our family, the better-looking half, is missing," Nomi Nickel tells us at the beginning of A Complicated Kindness. Left alone with her sad, peculiar father, her days are spent piecing together why her mother and sister have disappeared and contemplating her inevitable career at Happy Family Farms, a chicken slaughterhouse on the outskirts of East Village. Not the East Village in New York City where Nomi would prefer to live, but an oppressive town founded by Mennonites on the cold, flat plains of Manitoba, Canada.

This darkly funny novel is the world according to the unforgettable Nomi, a bewildered and wry sixteen-year-old trapped in a town governed by fundamentalist religion and in the shattered remains of a family it destroyed. In Nomi's droll, refreshing voice, we're told the story of an eccentric, loving family that falls apart as each member lands on a collision course with the only community any of them have ever known. A work of fierce humor and tragedy by a writer who has taken the American market by storm, this searing, tender, comic testament to family love will break your heart."

Both Pam and Judy read this one and part of the attraction was the regional nature of the story. Pam compared it to a different memoir she'd just read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and explained why the Walls book was such a superior book, despite the fact that one was fiction and the other a memoir. For her the construction of Castle gave the reader a better sense of WHERE the story was headed and she felt that was something A Complicated Kindness lacked. Direction and Conclusion. It just sort of fizzled out. Still, it sounds like it was interesting.

Kristi read Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman

Children's Literature - Reviewed by Anne Marie Pace
"Based on the true events of June 3, 1980, in Grand Island, Nebraska, this novel chronicles the experiences of fictional character twelve-year-old Dan Hatch and his friend Arthur on a night when seven tornadoes battered the area, destroying over 500 homes and leaving four people dead. Alone with Dan's baby brother, Dan and Arthur have to use every scrap of courage they can find to keep themselves and the baby safe, reunite with their families, and eventually save an elderly neighbor. Ruckman's careful detailing of the tornado hitting the house and the ensuing damage, along with the destruction of the town, bring the events vividly home to the reader. Some adults might question Dan's mother's decision to allow the boys to reenter the destroyed, and now dangerous neighborhood in order to find Mrs. Smiley while she stays behind to care for the baby, but kids will find it exciting and daring. Upper elementary students who love adventure will race through this fast-paced story. Ages 8 to 12."

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

August 7, 2006 -- The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
Location: Blue Moose at 6:30

Sometimes there are moments when a person has to make a decision, as opposed to just letting things just happen. A person then has to happen himself. I have never done this. Life bounced off me, and bounced me, and now it was going to bounce me to death.—from The Memory of Running (p. 77)

Meet Smithson "Smithy" Ide, an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk who works as a quality control inspector at a toy-action-figure factory in Rhode Island. By all accounts, especially Smithy's own, he's a loser. Then, within one week, Smithy's beloved parents are killed in a car crash, and Smithy learns that his emotionally troubled, long-lost sister, Bethany, has turned up in a morgue in Los Angeles. Unmoored by the loss of his entire family-Smithy had always hoped Bethany might return-he rolls down the driveway of his parents' house on his old Raleigh bicycle into an epic journey that will take him clear across the country. (read more here)

Moving between past and present in alternating chapters, Smithy's story is so gripping several of our group found themselves skipping ahead to read how one strand turned out before they were willing to move back to the present in the next chapter. Marci pointed out the great "cliff-hangers" that inspired her to do that....
"Sal thought he heard a muffled scream from inside the car; then it turned into the high reeds and disappeared." (chap. 14)
"That's when Carl Greenleaf's pick up truck hit me from behind." (chap. 29)
"...and the fat-faced redheaded guy shot me." (chap.47)

Pam noticed the metaphor of legs in the story. I guess it makes sense because Smithy was a "running man" though he doesn't really run again until the very end. He often feels his fears or inadequacies first in his legs. The title of the book shows up when their dog gets fixed. "He'll have the memory of running. Then he'll forget about girl dogs and be fat and happy." --Bethany"You thought my legs is all there is." --Norma"I don't have legs enough for my family." -- Smithy

We found ourselves trying to decide if Norma, the neighbor confined to her wheelchair who'd been nursing a 40 year crush on Smithy, was believable.... But we all believed Bethany--the "voice" and her poses. We hated Glen Golden (the golfing psychiatrist) and Georgiana Glass and decided this book didn't paint a very good picture of the medical profession and what's with all the "G's?" This story made us think about humanity... the different people Smithy meets, the way he is treated, the conclusions we jump to...

This was a pleasant book.... despite the sadness and the struggle, it wasn't maudlin. We were all glad to have read it. Thanks for the recommendation Larry.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

July 6, 2006 -- The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (nonfiction)

Meeting Location: Suite 49 at 6:30

Here's the Random House link for the book.

taken from Amazon.com
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe

*********

Judy, Marci, Larry, Pam and I met on the patio for drinks, dinner, and dessert.... and of course to discuss the book. I was pleasantly surprised with this historical work and that view was shared by most. Initially the book was recommended to Larry by a student, and I actually purchased this a few months ago for my father, not even realizing it was nonfiction.

We all agreed that this book is like "a spoonful of sugar" when it comes to learning about history, not that we are opposed to that either. But as Judy said, the book asked "little of us as readers" and was a pleasant read. I would guess that many students would enjoy this glimpse into our history. I had never realized how this one event--The Chicago World's Fair of 1893-- did so much to shape our world... From Cracker Jacks to the Ferris Wheel, from Buffalo Bill to Frank Lloyd Wright, so many new ideas, products, people were introduced or cited within the pages of this book which focuses on a fairly narrow slice of history.

Marci shared excerpts from Failure is Impossible, a book about Susan B. Anthony, that included the speech she gave (alluded to in our book) rejecting the idea of closing public places on the sabbath,

"It seems to me the common sense thing that all public places of art, science and learning should be open to suit the convenience of all classes of people; the ten hours of each week-day for such as have leisure, the evenings and Sundays for those whose bread-winning employments occupy every one of those ten hours of each of the six week-days."

I was particularly struck by the suggestion that Walt Disney's father who worked on creating the "White City" would later tell stories about it to his sons, possibly planting an idea for what would come to be Disneyland.

We discussed the idea of the two stories.... how they ran side by side and yet never converged and what we though about that aspect of the narrative. Larry reiterated his distaste for stories that jump from one perspective to another and I guess this is the second book we've read this summer to do that. I am not nearly so troubled by that sort of thing and I actually thought the storyline of Holmes, the serial killer, provided an element that broke up some of the dense detail of the city and its construction.

Pam created a list of dynamite questions suitable for book club trivia or perhaps to be used at our trivia group on Saturday nights. This book is oozing with little known facts that appeal to to folks like us. It was noted that the beginning and the ending of the book with the sea voyage of Burnham on the Olympic was a clever way to bookend the story.

This is one we'd recommend.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

May-June 2006 -- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (fiction)

Meeting Location: Capones

We were scheduled to meet at the end of May but with the end of school year and all, people were having a hard time finishing the book. Since I'd read it in February it wasn't so bad for me, but I did want to reread it and I hadn't done that yet either. So we rescheduled on June 3rd at Capone's for a Saturday lunch. Larry, Judy, Pam and I were there to discuss and it seemed that the general agreement was this book deserves a thumbs up. Not sure about the rest, but I intend to read Everything is Illuminated, Safran Foer's other book that was recently made into a movie.

One aspect of this book that I found delightful was the visual layout of the pages... there were photographs and unusual things done with the typography. One thing I liked but others found somewhat distracting was the dual stories that were happening in periodic alternating chapters in which we hear the voices of Oskar's grandmother and that of his grandfather. I actually liked those bits quite a lot and felt that they added depth to his story.


FROM THE PUBLISHER

Oskar Schell is an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.An inspired creation, Oskar is endearing, exasperating, and unforgettable. His search for the lock careens from Central Park to Coney Island to the Bronx and beyond. But it also travels into history, to Dresden and Hiroshima, where horrific bombings once shattered other lives. Along the way, Oskar encounters a motley assortment of humanity—a 103-year-old war reporter, a tour guide who never leaves the Empire State Building, lovers enraptured or scorned—all survivors in their own ways. Ultimately, Oskar ends his journey where it began, at his father's grave. But now he is accompanied by the silent stranger who has been renting the spare room of his grandmother's apartment. They are there to dig up his father's empty coffin.

Our Spring Catch Up Session

April 2006 -- Spring Catch-Up Session
Meeting Location: Hilton Garden Inn

This time around Larry, Pam and I met at The Hilton Garden Inn. We enjoyed a meal and discussed the books we completed for that month. The object was to go back into the recent book club past and find a title we'd not completed, read it and spend time discussing those books further.




Larry read Shadow of the Wind (La Sombra Del Viento) by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. He also read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Shakespeare: A Biography by Peter Ackroyd

Pam read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and some British murder mysteries.

Carmyn tried to read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.... it's just not happening (Larry said not to be too hard on myself but that the book might appeal to an older person.... Hmmmm)
Instead she read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Public Image by Muriel Spark and The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.

Letters to a Teacher by Sam Pickering

March 2006 -- Letters to a Teacher by Sam Pickering (nonfiction)
Writer's Conference Author
Meeting Location: Suite 49 & Hilton Garden Inn

Each year one author at the UND Writer's Conference agrees to meet with our RRVWP participants and our book club members usually try to get involved and make that our book for the month of February or March. This year our author was Sam Pickering and we met at Suite 49 in their back room to discuss. The food was good and the conversation too, unfortunately the good conversation happened around Mr. Pickering rather than as stimulated by his presence... there may have been too many people or perhaps we shouldn't have tried to EAT and discuss... a coffee shop or the fireside room at Christus Rex might have been better suited for our purposes. Nevertheless Mr. Pickering echoed back many of his remarks from his book and the following night he entertained the crowd at the Empire Theatre as he offered more of his remarks on teaching and life.

Having recently read Teacher Man by Frank McCourt didn't help this reading situation. In some ways, I felt both books were a bit similar and neither were quite what I had in mind. For the month of March we did meet once BEFORE to discuss this title at the Hilton Garden Inn and Judy, Kristi, Larry, Pam and I were able to prepare for our meeting and discuss the book fully and prepare to meet the author.

1421 The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies

February 2006 -- 1421 The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
Meeting Location: Judy's House

This nonfiction selection was one of many suggested at the previous meeting and Larry even had a DVD which he brought to our discussion. Following the meeting, Judy, Pam and I all watched it. I found this book fascinating but I never did finish it. Judy found it to be almost too much like a "research paper" and yet the concept was very intriguing... Pam read a different book by mistake. :)

Our discussion was at Judy's and this month was a small group... Larry, Judy and I. But we had DELICIOUS food following the Chinese theme.. I brought some takeout (not very creative, I'll admit) Judy made hot and sour soup and Larry brought Tsingtao beer. I can't remember much of the discussion... but I haven't forgotten that soup. Yum.

Choice of a Young Adult Novel

January 2006 -- Reader's Choice of a Young Adult Novel
Meeting Location: Carmyn's Apartment

Some might wonder at this choice of genre for an adult book club. However, we are all teachers and are in a position of recommending books to kids and the best way to do that is to read young adult books. We also expand our knowledge base and hear about many books as we discuss our varied titles. This book gathering was held at Carmyn's apartment and Larry, Brian, Judy and Pam were in attendance.

Carmyn read Siberia by Ann Halem and Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson

Pam read Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan


Larry read Izzy Willy & Nilly by Cynthia Voigt & 7th Son by Orson Scott Card


Brian read The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden

Judy read Monster by Walter Dean Myers