Club news:
- Sophia S, Percy M, and Ryleigh L were interviewd by Isabele, a reporter for The Scratching Post, for an article about VHHS clubs
- Remember to check in with Book Club online:
- Instagram:
- Mrs. Stevens runs @starbooksvhhs
- Mrs. Caldicott runs @monicacaldicott (LMC content, too)
- Weekly blog:
- (I guess if you're reading this, that means you already found the blog, so yeah ...)
- Instagram:
What we're reading:
- Creatures by Crissy van Meter
- Genre: realistic
- Summary: On the eve of Evangeline’s wedding, a dead whale is trapped in the harbor of Winter Island, the groom may be lost at sea, and Evie’s mostly absent mother has shown up out of the blue. From there, in this mesmerizing, provocative debut, Evie remembers and reckons with her complicated upbringing in this lush, wild land off the coast of Southern California. Evie grew up with her well-meaning but negligent father, surviving on the money he made dealing the island’s world-famous strain of marijuana, Winter Wonderland. Although he raised her with a deep respect for the elements, the sea, and the creatures living within it, he also left her to parent herself. With wit, love, and bracing ashes of anger, Creatures probes the complexities of love and abandonment, guilt and forgiveness, betrayal and grief—and the ways in which our ability to love can be threatened if we are not brave enough to conquer the past.
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
- Genre: relationships
- Summary: Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family—and from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right? Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not? Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
- Dewey the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
- Genre: non-fiction
- Summary: Tells the story of Dewey Readmore Books, the resident cat at Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa, who was found in the book return in December 1988, adopted by the library staff, and immediately became a loving member of the community.
- P.S. The LMC may be getting a butterfly as a pet!
- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
- Genre: graphic, memoir
- Summary: The Best We Could Do, the debut graphic novel memoir by Thi Bui, is an intimate look at one family's journey from their war-torn home in Vietnam to their new lives in America. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family's daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves. At the heart of Bui's story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first-time mother, she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent — the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the depths of unspoken love. Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child, Bui pushes through.
- In the Land of Leadale by Ceez
- Genre: fantasy, light novel
- Summary: After a horrific accident put her on life support, the last vestige of freedom Keina Kagami had was in the VRMMORPG World of Leadale. When she wakes up in the body of her game avatar, though, Keina-now Cayna-finds that the worries of her old life appear to be a thing of the past, but somehow this new land doesn't seem to be quite the Leadale she remembers...
- Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green
- Genre: mystery
- Summary: When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die. It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets. How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game? Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Genre: fantasy
- Summary: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
- Mrs. Caldicott says It can be slow at first but it's worth hanging in there!
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- Genre: sci-fi
- Summary: If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human. When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. Remember. Survive. Run.
- Much comparison to movie version
- Mrs. Caldicott appreciates the made-up swear words!
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- Genre: realistic
- Summary: After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.
- Also about a sentient octopus!
Quotable moments:
- Manha: "Are there any romances or ships [in that book]?"
- Sophia: "Not necessarily any romances, but you could quint and see some couples."