Wildcat Page Flippers Book Club

2019- 2020 Book Club

We are so excited to begin Book Club this year! This year we will be exploring a variety of genres.

Genre: Mystery

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

The Westing Game is a mystery book written by Ellen Raskin and published by Dutton in 1978. It won the Newberry Medal recognizing the year's most distinguished contribution to American children's literature.The Westing Game was ranked number nine among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal in 2012. It has been adapted as the 1997 feature film Get a Clue.

Sunset Towers is a new apartment building on Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee and just down the shore from the mansion owned by reclusive self-made millionaire Samuel W. Westing. (Despite its name, Sunset Towers faces east – into the sunrise.) Sam Westing was a wealthy business man who made his fortune in paper products. He was very patriotic and never smoked, drank, or gambled. As the story opens, Barney Northrup is selling apartments to a carefully selected group of tenants. He claims that chess is not allowed in the building. After Sam Westing dies, at the beginning of the book, it emerges that most of the tenants are named as heirs in Westing's will. The will is structured like a puzzle, with the 16 heirs challenged to find the solution. Each of the eight pairs, assigned seemingly at random, is given $10,000 cash and a different set of baffling clues. The pair that solves the mystery will inherit Westing's entire $200 million fortune and control of his company. It is discovered that Berthe Erica Crow is the answer but not the murderer. At the end, unknown to the other players, Turtle Wexler wins the game and inherits Sam Westing's company.

Genre: Humor

The Tapper Twins Tear Up New York by Geoff Rodkey.

In the follow up to the New York Times bestseller The Tapper Twins Go to War, the twins' school scavenger hunt turns into a "madcap, uproarious romp around the Big Apple" full of "action, hilarity, and mayhem" (School Library Journal).

Geoff Rodkey delivers another pitch-perfect ultra-modern comedy told as oral history with texts, screenshots and smartphone photos. When Claudia initiates a citywide scavenger hunt to raise money for charity, it's not just the twins' opposing teams that run riot. With the whole school racing to trade in sights seen for points to score front row tickets at Madison Square Garden, they may not get to the finish line with their dignity--and social lives--intact!

Genre: Historical Fiction/Nonfiction

Students can choose which book they would like to read . . .

Who Was Anne Frank by Ann Abramson

In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her and her family into hiding. Who Was Anne Frank? looks closely at Anne’s life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. Black-and-white illustrations including maps and diagrams provide historical and visual reference in an easy-to-read biography written in a way that is appropriate and accessible for younger readers.

Refugee by Alan Gratz

Three different kids. One mission in common: ESCAPE.

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world…Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America…Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe…All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

We had a great field trip to Main Street Theater to see the Diary of Anne Frank and to shop for books at Half Price Books!

Thank you to our sponsors who helped make this field trip possible!

Genre: Adventure

Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick

Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick sends readers straight into the nightmare of a raging wildfire as 12-year-old Sam is trapped by explosive flames and deadly smoke that threaten to take his life. Can he survive? Flames race toward Sam Castine's summer camp as evacuation buses are loading, but Sam runs back to get his phone. Suddenly, a flash of heat blasts him as pine trees explode. Now a wall of fire separates Sam from his bus, and there's only one thing to do: Run for his life. Run or die. Lungs burning, Sam's only goal is to keep moving. Drought has made the forest a tinderbox, and Sam struggles to remember survival tricks he learned from his late father. Then, when he least expects it, he encounters Delphy, an older girl who is also lost. Their unlikely friendship grows as they join forces to find civilization. The pace never slows, and eventually flames surround Sam and Delphy on all sides. A powerful bond is forged that can only grow out of true hardship-as two true friends beat all odds and outwit one of the deadliest fires ever. At the end of the novel, information about wildfires and useful safety tips add to the reader's understanding of one of the US's most dangerous natural disasters. 

2018 - 2019 Book Club

We are excited to begin our first Book Club. Students in grades 3-5 filled out an application to become a member. We are looking forward to our first meeting in October! 
Our first book will be . . . 

Our first meeting was great! Students are excited to begin their first book. Students voted on our book club name. We are officially the Wildcat Page Flippers Book Club!

We had a great second meeting! Our book club members had great discussions about 

Riding Freedom!

We had a great third meeting!

We have a fun meeting planned for our next book!

Click Here For Our Book Club Activity!

Students enjoyed playing Escape from Mrs. Todd's Library!

Students voted on our next book....PAX by Sara Penny Packer

Students definitely enjoyed Pax. We had a great discussion and surprised them with Book Club shirts. Thank you to Chris Todd for designing the shirts, and Mr. Crim for purchasing them!

Our next book is The Tapper Twins Go To War With Each Other

So many connections to this book! We had a great discussion about sibling rivalry!

Our next book is Hello, Universe!

What a great discussion! 

Our next book is Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium

We were so excited to surprise the book club members with a field trip to see Goosebumps the Musical Phantom of the Auditorium and going shopping for summer reading books!