Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews.

The Locale: Odessa's & AiYing's

The Book: Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12700353-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl?from_search=true&search_version=service)


Jesse Andrews

The Meeting: I was unable to attend the meeting, but I understand the girls watched the movie, a Sundance Film Festival winner, which they enjoyed.

The Vote: We are definitely behind here. Ashley was due to present books, but unfortunately, had to leave the club. So that puts Emily next, followed by Rylee.

Up Next: Kate sent out her book choices via email. I did not get a copy of that email, so I do not know the book titles. I have not heard what was chosen or when will be our next meeting date.

Update on Vote:  Kate presented...

• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 
• Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie      WINS!!

Meeting date @ Kate's and Brenda's is December 5th. 
Updates: Not only have we lost Ashley and Jian, but we have also lost Odessa and AiYing, which makes me so sad.  : (   I hope that if, at any time, Ashley and Odessa find to time to come back into the club, they would do so. We would welcome them back with open arms.

I think now that the girls are older, in high school classes that demand more time, and involved in so many other academic and sports activities, it is not surprising that little time is left for book club. Yet, whenever I ask, the consensus from the girls is that they want to continue to meet.

I am content to be flexible, meeting when we can with as many as we can. As the girls grow and evolve, so it would seem, does our club.

Daughters should feel free to inviting new friends to fill our void, but we would still want to limit our numbers to 10-12. Moms would also be encouraged to attend, but now that the girls are older, I don't know that it should be a requirement. I'm happy to just focus on spreading and supporting the love of books and reading.

Next to present: Emily & Rylee @ Kate's meeting.

Then:

• Emily 
• Rylee 
• Olivia 
• Perri 
• Cassie

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

The Locale: Odessa & Ai Ying's home

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

David Lubar

The Book: Welcome to high school. Forget about getting any sleep or a decent lunch for the next four years. Brace yourself for too much homework, too much attention from dangerous seniors, and no idea at all what your Spanish teacher is talking about. Or your math teacher, for that matter. Join freshman Scott Hudson for a very funny look at a serious time of life.
http://www.davidlubar.com/bpsfnl.html


The Meeting: Not much to report other than discussion. We had a small group.

The Vote: We are a little behind in our voting, so we voted on two at this meeting.

Kate presented:

• The Girl in the Green Sweater by Krystyna Chiger with Daniel Paisner
• Summer of the Stars by Leslee Horner
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne WINS!

We met on October 11th @ Kate & Brenda's.

Ashley presented:

• House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
• Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

We'll met on November 15th @ Ashley & Jian's.

Next to present: Emily

Then:

• Rylee
• Olivia
• Perri
• Cassie
• Odessa
• Kate
• Ashley

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

The Locale: Odessa & Ai Ying's

When You Reach Me

Rebecca Stead 

The Book - Courtesy of the Creamer Literary Corner:

May's Mother-Daughter Book Club book was a short, but somewhat deep novel about friendship and support set in 1970s New York City. While her mother is prepping to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid, Miranda begins receiving a series of mysterious notes. While she doesn't immediately make sense of them, they are clues that her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, may not be entirely far-fetched. She meets a series of friends, all the while trying to figure out why one friend has left her. the story comes together in the end, and Stead closes it up with a super happy ending.

That's all I'm giving away! One of Megan's book club selections was A Wrinkle in Time, and without reading it, this book would have been a little obscure. Overall, we really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to middle schoolers looking for something a little deeper.

The Fun: Odessa leads the discussion, taking charge of all activities, asking who like the book and who got confused with the time travel.  In keeping with the tone of the book, the girls are asked to write letters to their future selves, noting a "Do Not Open Until..." date. 

 Since the book takes place in the 70s and include much reference to a game show in that period...that most of the moms watched as girls, we watch an old episode of $20,000 Pyramid.  Thanks, YouTube!  And then...we get to play.  Odessa really out did herself by creating a game using PowerPoint.  Every mom/daughter team gets to take a shot.  Super fun!

We also said goodbye to good friends, Smith & Elizabeth, who attended their last meeting, moving to Austin, Texas.  So sad to see them go but so excited for the new adventure that awaits them.

The Vote: Kate presents...

• Heidi by Johanna Spyri
• Nancy Drew  - The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene
• Percy Jackson - The Lightening Thief by Rick Riodan     WINNER!!

A date to meet at Kate & Brenda's has not been set. for November 2nd.

Up Next: The Hounds of the Baskervilles By Sir Author Conan Doyle at Megan & Dawn's on Saturday, September 7th, October 5th, 2:00 - 4:00.

Next to Present: Ashley

Then:

• Emily
• Olivia
• Perri
• Emma
• Cassie
• Odessa
• Megan 
• Kate

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Locale: Odessa and Ai Ying's

The Book's Website

The Author's Website

The Book: Megan is one of the most popular girls in her school.  Cassidy is a jock.  And Jess and Emma only have each other.  But even though tense relations exist between them, their mothers form a mother-daughter book club after yoga, scheduled to meet once a month.  When the book Little Women is chosen, the girls can't help but compare what's going on in their lives to what's going on in Jo's life.


The Fun: Fun facts on Heather Vogel Frederick were passed out.  The girls then discussed the novel.

The Vote: The Winner was:  From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.

Who Presents Next:  Smith, then Katie, then Ashley...and then we're at the top of the list again with Olivia.

Up Next:  The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch @ Megan & Dawn's on May 19th.

Updates:  We will not be meeting over the summer.  Our last meeting for this school year will be in May.  We'll look to meet again in the fall @ Kate & Brenda Powell's.

Notes from a Liar & Her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko

The Locale: Odessa & AiYing’s

The Author's Website

The Book Website

The Book: For Antonia MacPherson, lying is a way of life. If it weren’t for her best friend, Harrison, and a tiny ball of fluff named Pistachio, she would be miserable. No matter what she does, her mother thinks she’s wrong. Her younger sister, Katherine the Great, takes notes on Ant’s misbehaviors, which she keeps in a spiral notebook for their parents. Her older sister, Your Highness Elizabeth, says Ant is in training to be a juvenile delinquent, Harrison smells like a salami sandwich, and Pistachio should be put out of his misery. With all those royal opinions, who’s going to listen to an Ant?But when a teacher takes Ant under her wing, Ant's way of life may have to change. Just Carol likes the truth. And she won’t take anything less.

The Fun (Odessa’s Report): I had a fun book club meeting this Saturday at my house. We had all read the book Notes from a Liar and her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko. These are the activities we did:

For the first activity, we all were assigned three letters from the alphabet. You would have to use your assigned letters and for each letter you had to come up with a word--for an event, person, anything that relates to the story--from the book that started with it. These are the words we came up with:

Antonia. Bad decisions. Cave man & Carol.Decisions. Elizabeth is your highness. Friends. Giraffe. Harrison. Ice cream treats. Just Carol. Kate. Liar. Mother - real and other mothers. Nit picky mom. Oath. Pistachio. Queen Elizabeth. Rehearsal. Sara's Road & Snotty Sisters. Trophy. Unusual Ant. Vet. Wet with lion pee. X squared. Yellow pages. Zoo Teens.

For the second activity, we played a game called 2 lies and 1 truth. We all had to write down 2 lies and 1 truth, then one by one we read it aloud to everybody. We had to guess which one was the truth. This game relates to the story because Antonia, the main character of the story tells a lot of lies. I thought it was very interesting how for some people we couldn't figure out which one was the truth and for others it was pretty easy.

Kate presented her three books and we voted on which one we were going to read. The winner was: The Sorta Sisters. I can't wait until the next book club meeting!

The Vote: Kate's three selections to consider were:

• The Sorta Sisters by Adrian Fogelin
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri
• The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

The winner was The Sorta Sisters by Adrian Fogelin.

A very exciting note--Ms. Fogelin is a Tallahassee author who has written seven other books for young adults. At a children’s writer workshop at the Main Library, Brenda & Kate introduced themselves to her. Ms. Fogelin has agreed to attend our book club meeting on May 14th!!!! Ms. Fogelin has also started a front porch library in her Tallahassee neighborhood. Moms & Daughters should bring gentle used books to donate to her library. You can read about it on her website. http://www.adrianfogelin.com/

Who Presents Next: Katie & Brenda (our new members) and Smith & Elizabeth

Changes/Updates: Thanks to Perri & TJ, we have a new mom & daughter pair--Katie & Brenda...Not to be confused with Kate & Brenda...huh?? : ) Please be sure to add them to your email list.

Susan & Olivia passed on their time to invite. A new member. Just couldn’t find the right match this time. They pass to Emma & Diana.

Up Next: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle @ Megan & Dawn’s home on April 16th.

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan

The Locale: Odessa & AiYing’s home

The Book: As an only child, Ida B has had plenty of time to indulge her creative bent. She makes miniature rafts, to which she attaches notes with questions such as, "What is life like in Canada?" Acres of apple trees are her friends, and she enjoys long conversations with Beulah, Pastel, Henry VIII, and other trees. She lives life to the fullest, firmly believing there is never enough time for fun. When her mother develops cancer, her parents sell part of the orchard and send Ida B to public school rather than homeschooling her. The changes leave her feeling fiercely angry and betrayed. With the help of a wise and caring fourth-grade teacher and the enduring love of Mama and Daddy, the girl slowly begins to heal. Ida B is a true character in every sense of the word. Through a masterful use of voice, Hannigan's first-person narration captures an unforgettable heroine with intelligence, spirit, and a unique imagination. The rural but otherwise undefined setting works well in taking a backseat to the characterization. With just the right amount of tension in the plot, a spot-on grasp of human emotions, and Ida B's delightful turns of phrase.

The Fun: Since the author used a lot of similes in her book, the girls broke into groups and did a worksheet. They went out to the porch and planted apple trees, and then had a great discussion of the book, including how much they liked the book, Ida B’s inappropriate behavior at times, how funny she could be, what it would be like to be home schooled--and which girls in the group would like to be home schooled.

The Food: Cream puffs, Chocolate Cake, Strawberries, Watermelon, and more

The Vote: In order to avoid influencing others with their votes, the girls decided to cast their votes with their heads down. Up for vote, presented by Inkary, was Lily B. on the Brink of Cool by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, No Dogs Allowed by Bill Wallace, and Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet the Spy won. Meeting to be held on May 8th at Inkary & Mala’s house.

Up Next: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi at Megan & Dawn’s house on March 20th.