Goodbye Gilly, Hello Geppetto!!

A small group of faithful members of the Family Read Aloud Club huddled in Class 114 because it was too cold in the cafeteria last Wednesday evening. While we drank coffee and milk and munched on homemade cookies and cake, we talked about our book. Some of us had not quite finished the book yet, but were nearly there!

The kids were not too interested in discussing or drawing about this book. It was a little old for most of them. The adults had a pretty deep conversation about this somber book. Some of the big ideas we were left with were: home is where you are, not where you want to be, and perhaps love comes not from needing someone but from being needed by them...and maybe not!

Each of us took a copy of Pinocchio home for the holidays! I think the kids will get into this story. They might even think the book is better than the movie!! It usually is!

Our next meeting will be on THURSDAY, 1/28/10. We are trying a different day of the week this time and we are giving ourselves a little more time to finish the book.

HERE'S HOPIN'!!
Happy Holidays and don't forget to read!
Mary Ann

NEXT MEETING---NEXT WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, 12/9/09
6:30PM in the cafeteria

THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS
will be our topic!

Pinocchio, our next book,
will be distributed!

Come for the conversation!
Come for the books!!
Come for the cookies!!!

Mary Ann Rupcich
marupcich@springfield.k12.il.us

Gilly, so far...

Well I finally started reading The Great Gilly Hopkins yesterday and so far, Gilly is not the most likable main character I have encountered. I know I should feel sorry for her. I know she has had a troubled past. I know the loss of her mother in her life is an open wound, but she is one tough kid!

I am, right now, wondering if she will ever care about anyone in her life?

I read something that Katherine Paterson wrote about this book. She said she wrote it because she had been a foster parent and felt she had not done a very good job. I wonder what of this girl comes from real experience! I need to keep reading.

So far, this seems like a book that lends itself to our older children members. I am not sure I know what Lydia Sherman might be thinking about this book...or even our 6 and 7 year olds. It is definitely different from The BFG and even Lawnboy. Maybe it is more like Edward Tulane in its presentation of life with all its nitty gritty!

Lydia if you are out there, tell us what YOU think of Gilly!!

Mary Ann Rupcich

Please check out the picture gallery on my webpage at SBCS to see the kids describing their reactions to The BFG! They had fun drawing him and then telling us about what they thought of him.

The adults seemed to agree that this was a fun book and they liked it even better than James and The Giant Peach also by this author.

The vegetables and dip, especially the snozzcumbers were devoured by these human beans as were the chocolate candy and brownies.

We have a new book, The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson. It is available for $6.00. We will meet on Wednesday, 12/9/09 to talk about this book. We are all resolved to not wait to read it. We will pace ourselves by trying to establish a habit of reading a little every night. This is a busy time of the year, but we can do it!! READ, READ, READ! Please post comments as you go. It will spur us on!
Mary Ann

The BFG says:

I surely hope all you human beans and especially you chiddlers will flush bunk off to the cafeteria tomorrow evening to talk nice and jumbly about The Big Friendly Giant as well as every bone-crunching giant in the land!

We will have treats...YOU WILL NOT BE THE TREATS!!

We will probably have lovely vegetables and dip--cauliflower, carrots and some ROTSOME SNOZZCUBERS, of course!!

See you then, 6:30PM
BFG

Whizzpopper

Today I mentioned the term whizzpopper. I wanted to see what kind of reaction I would get. Miranda and Lydia looked at me as though they could not believe their teacher had referred to such a rude action. As I was reading over the weekend and came to the BFG's explanation of this and other habits of the disgusting giants, I remembered my surprise the first time I read this book to a classroom of kids...Wow those kids, especially the boys, as I recall, were impressed with this book!!!

Mary Ann

Our New Book

Family Read Aloud Club met on Wednesday, 10/14/09. We talked about LawnBoy by Gary Paulsen. Most of the kids drew money in their pictures and talked about money in describing their reaction to the book! Most adults wished they could be so lucky!!!

Our next book is The BFG by Roald Dahl. Copies were sent home with kids on Friday, 10/16/09.
The cost of the book is $6.00. There are more copies available. Contact Mary Ann Rupcich at Springfield Ball Charter School if you are interested in joining our group.

We will meet next on Wednesday, 11/11/09 to talk about The BFG!!
See you then,
Mary Ann Rupcich

First Meeting of Family Read Aloud Club

Our first meeting was held on Wednesday, 9/23/09. At this meeting, it was decided that we will meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM in the cafeteria.

Our first book is Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. If you would like a copy of this book, we will order it for you. Please contact Mary Ann Rupcich at marupcich@springfield.k12.il.us

The cost of this book is $2.00.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, 10/14/09 at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria.
Thanks,
Mary Ann