Knowles, Elizabeth & Smith, Martha. Talk about books! A guide for book clubs, literature circles, and discussion groups, grades 4-8

Kliatt, Nov, 2003 by Paula Rohrlick

Libraries Unltd., Greenwood. 148p. illus, index, c2003. 1-59158-023-4. $30.00.

Knowles, director of staff development at a Boca Raton, FL school and a former elementary school teacher, and Smith, a media specialist at the same school, have teamed up to provide a valuable guide to running book discussion groups with upper elementary and middle school students. They provide discussion topics and activity ideas for 15 recent YA titles in various genres: Night Hoops, by Carl Deuker; Heart to Heart, ed. by Jan Greenberg; Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen" A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck; Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix; A Time Apart, by Diane Stanley; Pharaoh's Daughter, by Julius Lester; Rowan of Rin, by Emily Rodda; William Shakespeare, by Michael Rosen; Williwaw!, by Tom Bodett; Skeleton Man, by Joseph Bruchac; Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, by Lensey Namioka; Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo; Lord of the Deep, by Graham Salisbury; and Monster, by Walter Dean Myers.

For each title, there is an introduction, a book summary, information on the author, discussion questions, detailed "content area connections" with suggested activities, and lists of annotated titles about related themes, other titles by the author, teacher resources and Web sites. Web sites about authors and author photos, as well as publisher contact information, are helpfully included. Knowles and Smith even suggest a suitable snack to accompany the discussion of each title! I wish recommended grade levels had been indicated, however; e.g., Monster, which is about a murder trial, is more suitable for 7th grade than for 4th grade. The information on each book is succinctly expressed and clearly laid out, and while intended to support literature circles this will also be of use to classroom teachers presenting these titles as well as to librarians giving booktalks. An appendix offers a list of annotated professional resources. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT