Family Book Club: April Edition

Hoping April showers bring May flowers? Honestly, we’re wishing for some rainy days this month, so we can nestle in for lazy weekend afternoons full of nothing but time to read. With so many good books on the shelves, it’s hard to pick what to read next. Here are three great titles for your family to read together during April. One book pick is out in theaters now, one of the books is an inspiring memoir the whole family will love, and the third option is an excellent and educational novel from one of the greatest scientists of our time.

About the Authors: Stephen Hawking was known as the pre-eminent theoretical physicist. Recipient of more than a dozen honorary degrees, he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis‎ (ALS) at the age of twenty-one, he defied medical odds by far outliving initial medical opinion that he would only survive two more years. He utilized a wheelchair and a sophisticated computerized voice system for much of the later part of his life, making advancements in science while raising three children and becoming a grandfather of three. He passed away in March of 2018 at the age of 76. Daughter Lucy Hawking co-authored this book with her father. After overhearing one of her son’s friends ask her father about black holes, she started focusing her writing career on incorporating science into children’s books. She continues to work as a novelist and educator, as well as philanthropist for National Star College and the Autism Research Trust.

For the Meeting: Gather together some fun snacks for an out of this world meeting. Rocket shaped sandwiches, onion rings, star shaped fruit, and moon pies will complete the space theme. Use scientific method to show your kids how to test a hypothesis through observation and experimentation. This can be done with activities such as using a magnet to attract items or measuring distances with footsteps. (For more science experiment ideas, check out our post about 365 Weird Wonderful Science Experiments!)

Questions for Discussion:

• If you had to live like George’s family, without a lot of technology or appliances, what would you miss the most? What do you think you could more easily live without?
• Think about George’s family protesting global warming. How might technology and science help global warming?
• What are some of the science terms and topics you learned about in this book (such as physics, matter, atoms, and exoplanets)?
• What would you do with a computer like Cosmos? What part of our galaxy would you like to explore?

About the Author: Madeline L’Engle grew up in various parts of the world in the early 1900’s. She wrote her first book while on tour as a thespian and her next three books were drafted as she became a mother to three children. She and her husband even operated a general store in Connecticut for a decade. They eventually moved to New York City, where she kept office at church and continued to write. She wrote more than 60 books during her lifetime. Surprisingly, A Wrinkle in Time was rejected at least 26 times (!) before a publisher finally accepted it and has since sold millions of copies worldwide.

For the Meeting: Cream cheese and jam sandwiches with hot chocolate make the perfect meeting snack. Pull out some craft supplies and have everyone make their version of a tesseract.

Questions for Discussion:

• How does Meg feel about her father’s work? How do you think she feels about the community they live in?
• Describe tesseracting. Would you want to do it if you had the opportunity?
• What time period would you travel to—either in the past or in the future? And where would you go? Why?
• Do you think this book is science fiction or fantasy? What is the difference between the two genres?

About the Author: One of seven children, William was forced to drop out of school as a freshman due to a severe famine. He started borrowing library books and decided to build a wind turbine. One wind turbine turned into several and he continued to build additional infrastructure, such as a well, solar power, and an irrigation system, to support his family’s compound. A graduate of Dartmouth, William now works on developing technology curriculums to share in his home country and throughout the world. His interests include: farming, computers, education, action movies, animals, and wildlife documentaries.

For the Meeting: Arm yourselves with curiosity and imagination for a hands-on meeting. Gather up old parts and pieces around your house and try to create an invention that will provide a solution to a problem. Once you’ve crafted your contraption, serve up some sweet cakes and eat them together while you discuss the book in more detail.

Questions for Discussion:

• Where is Malawi? What do you think the differences are between William’s home of Malawi and where you live? What are the similarities?
• Could you imagine living without electricity? What problems did the drought cause for his family and his community?
• What is the role of magic in this book?
• Imagine being unable to continue your education. What was that like for William? What do you think that would be like for you?