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Family Book Club: October Edition
October has arrived, ushering in the Fall season. Say hello to sweater weather, candy corn, pumpkin everything, and falling leaves. It’s the perfect season to gather together and talk about everything from fantasy to history, weather to wild animals. There is something for everyone on this list of five great family book club picks for October.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Who Was Dr. Seuss?, by Janet B. Pascal and Nancy Harrison
Dr. Seuss is an integral part of childhood and generations of kids have enjoyed his memorable stories. This book looks at the life of Dr. Seuss, otherwise known as Ted Geisel, from his birth in 1904 to his death in 1991. His love of rhyme came from his mother; his attraction to goofy contraptions came from his father, and he often visited the zoo his dad worked at. Geisel’s wife encouraged him to draw and create stories, and after his first published book in 1937, history was made. Biographies are an excellent way to teach young readers to make connections between words on paper and the world around us.
For this meeting, you MUST prepare green eggs and ham! Have your kids each wear a different hat for the meeting, much like Geisel did. The more outrageous the hat, the better!
Questions for discussion:
• What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
• If you were a Dr. Seuss character, which one would you be and why?
• What types of issues—political, social, or environmental—did Geisel write about in his children’s books?
• How do you think a family impacts the creativity of a child when they are young?
Ships in 1-2 days.
Song of the Deep, by Brian Hastings
Author Hastings has created a magical underwater world that the whole family will want to dive into. Twelve-year-old Merryn lives by the sea in a cottage with her father. A fisherman by day, he braves the ocean to bring home fish every night. When he doesn’t appear after a particularly bad storm, Merryn has visions of her father being dragged underwater and needing to be rescued. She builds a submarine and heads into the ocean to discover the world beneath the surface, and to rescue her father.
Seafood should be on the menu for this dinner time meeting, with salmon for the refined palates, and fish sticks for the less sophisticated taste buds. Or consider tuna sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, crab rangoons, or lobster rolls for an ocean-filled dinner.
Questions for discussion:
• What type of words would you use to describe Merryn?
• How is Merryn’s family connected to the world under the ocean?
• How is the fantasy underworld different than the oceans of our world? How is it the same?
Coyote Peterson’s Brave Adventures: Wild Animals in a Wild World, by Coyote Peterson
Coyote Peterson is an animal expert and adventurer with a YouTube channel and Emmy Award-winning television show. This collection of short stories recalls many of his encounters with animals. From bizarre to scary, every animal he has encountered has taught him a lesson and given him an appreciation for the natural world. He is a proponent of conservation, community and curiosity, and seeks to inspire the youngest generation of explorers.
For this meeting, pack some trail mix and set out into nature to explore animal habitats. Whether you are at the city park or on a wooded trail, aim to discover the animals around you as you adventure.
Questions for discussion:
• What do you think “Be brave, stay wild” means to Coyote? How can you apply that saying to your own life?
• Which animal story fascinated you the most?
• What animals would you like to see up close and in person?
Ships in 1-2 days.
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
A classic book that won a Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time was originally published in 1962. It begins on a dark and stormy night and ends in an exhilarating journey. Meg Wallace and her fellow explorers, Charles and Calvin, are in search of Meg’s father, who disappeared while working on a secret project. The project involved tesseracts, “wrinkles in time”, and the three kids soon find themselves facing not only the unknown, but their fears as well. Since the highly anticipated movie adaptation comes out in March, this is a perfect pick to read with the whole family now.
Serve up jam with cream cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate for your kids when you meet to discuss this book. Bonus points if you can gather on a dark and stormy night.
Questions for discussion:
• What is the difference between science fiction and fantasy?
• If you could time travel, would you? What period of time would you want to visit?
• What strong attributes does Meg embody? What are her weaknesses?
• This book is frequently banned by libraries or schools. Why do you think that is the case?
Ships in 1-2 days.
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (I Survived Series #3), by Lauren Tarshis and Scott Dawson
We’ve endured an unprecedented amount of hurricane activity this season, and this book gives kids an insider’s perspective on what it is like to live through a frightening storm of that nature. A fictional account based on true historical events from 2005, this book features a boy named Barry and his dog. His family is trying to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina arrives, but his little sister is sick and they are forced to wait it out at home. Readers follow along with Barry as he navigates the Lower Ninth ward of New Orleans during one of the most dangerous and deadliest storms of the century.
When you gather for this book club meeting, consider using it as a teachable moment. Looking in your pantry and decide what you could eat if conditions were the same for you now as they were for Barry during the hurricane—with limited to no use of water and power and other things we take for granted every day when preparing meals.
Questions for discussion:
• How does a hurricane occur? What part of the country is most prone to hurricanes?
• Why was help so slow to arrive after Katrina? Is that still a problem for our country when hurricanes strike?
• Why does New Orleans have levees? Why did they fail during the hurricane?
• What can people do to protect themselves from hurricanes?
What books is your family reading together this month?