Always interesting to see the students perception of the characters! For this activity, you'll need: the instruction sheet below (2 instruction pages/sheet), a venn diagramper each student, and paper for illustrations.
Black and white construction paper make striking but simple frames for character illustrations. Staple the picture frames to each side of the venn diagram. Students label the character's name under the illustration. Simply flip back the frame and write the traits behind the appropriate character on the venn diagram.
MAKE A PIRATE MAP
Have students make a 'good' treasure map according to the principles outlined in Treasure Hunting for Beginners: The Official VNHLP Guide (Chapter 6, p.114-115/hardcover edition). Use this templateor have them draw a map from scratch.
Hope your students have a wonderful time working through these activities! Enjoy :)
Witty dialogue, surprising twists, and exciting adventures!
SYNOPSIS
Hilary Westfield desperately wants to be a pirate. Her father, James Westfield will hear no such nonsense. An admiral in the Royal Navy, he already has an apprentice. And to make matters worse, the admiral abhors pirates!
As a family of High Society, Hilary's parents prefer she attend finishing school. They've even sent her governess, Miss Greyson, to ensure Hilary arrives and stays at Miss Pimm's Finishing School for Delicate Ladies.
Another strike against her? The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to accept female members. To make her dreams come true, Hilary will have to go against her family's wishes and somehow learn piracy on the sly.
But when rare magic ore starts disappearing from exclusive High Society homes, Hilary is drawn into the mystery. Are pirates responsible, or is there another explanation entirely? Can Hilary discover who is stealing the magic ore and fulfill her dream of becoming a pirate, too?
REVIEW
The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot is one of the most witty and humorous chapter books I've read in a while. This book will rock you with belly laughs. Several times, tears were pouring down my cheeks. It's THAT funny.
The relationships among the characters are golden. The correspondences intermixed throughout the story are my most favorite parts! Such great examples for students on the beauty and purpose of handwritten letters!!!!
And when a pirate ship tries to disguise itself? Totally hysterical. Certainly a creative solution...and one you'll have to read the book to find out!
There are characters you love to root for and characters you love to despise. Some characters take a while to figure out. The ending was a total surprise, but very satisfying. A hoot of an adventure from start to finish.
All the children at book club LOVED this selection. Everyone is eager to continue with the series. It was equally enjoyed by boys and girls alike. Great job, Caroline Carlson!
RATING
5 of 5 Stars/Highly recommend for chapter readers who love adventure, mystery, fantasy, and humor! So excited to read the next book in the series, The Terror of the Southlands.
My daughter's top adjectives for The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Marks the Spot -- surprising, exciting, hilarious, fun, spectacular.
One my third grader got some meaty books under her belt, I couldn't wait to introduce her to Cornelia Funke! Of all the loot, Dragon Rider was the first book she began reading.
Dragon Rider is a glorious 544 pages. Now that's a whopper! If it wasn't quite so long, it would definitely be a selection for homeschool book club. Prepping activities for this book is going to be a blast...
Does Paolini's Eragondraw inspiration from Funke? These books are just begging for compare and contrast activity.
Also new this week: Inkheart, The Familiars, The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: Magic Magic Marks the Spot, and The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail.
Happy reading!
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week from Claire's blog. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
PROJECT/ Recreate one of the Snow Queen's events from the story. The results? Misery bird in flight, the Snow Queen's forest of ice and snow, and the Wintertide Clock. Sadly, I forgot to take pics of all the compositions :(
MATERIALS/ To recreate this project, students draw their design with a white crayon. Then watercolor over the crayon. The crayon will 'resist' the watercolor and stay white. Lastly, sprinkle with salt to get the snowflake effect.
Looking for more Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy activities?
Enjoy this freebie vocabularycrossword as we continue the week with Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. It was a fun start to all our book club activities! I know your kids will love it, too ;)
The definitions are included on page 2 (which I ran off as the back side of the crossword).
If you want to engage discussion about a book, it's fun to use a game instead of formal questions. Why not create a bingo game with people, places, and things from a story? That's exactly what I did for our homeschool book club for Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee.
Print-bingo.com is awesome! So easy to use and you can create custom bingo cards from your own word lists. All these bingo cards were created at print-bingo.com for FREE!
To make the cards and calling sheet easy to reuse, simply slide them in a plastic sleeve. Students make a line through the word as it is called with a dry erase marker. If you have access to a laminator, you could also laminate the bingo cards instead.
As each word is called, use the opportunity to ask students about their comprehension. If an item is called, who does it belong to or why is it important? Ask students to describe character personality traits or for important events central to that character. Everyone loves chiming in with details - so enjoy!
A powerful read about perseverance in the face of loss...
SYNOPSIS
While exploring a London museum, Ophelia stumbles onto the imprisoned Marvelous Boy. Can Ophelia brave danger to free him? Will she find the One Other, the only person who can defeat the Snow Queen? With three days until the Snow Queen's evil plans are unleashed, there's no time to lose.
REVIEW Billed as a modern twist on the Snow Queen fairy tale, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is so much more. It's in the vein of a traditional fairy tale. Enter spooky/creepy elements and expected morals. Prepare for ghosts, dangerous mythical animals, and a conniving villain.
The point of view alternates between the Marvelous Boy and Ophelia. The Marvelous Boy recounts his quest and adventures from the time he was chosen by wizards to seek the One Other (the only one who can defeat the Snow Queen). Ophelia narrates the present day story as it occurs in London. Ophelia, the Marvelous Boy, and the King are all bound by the fact they have lost or are separated from people they love.Ophelia's mother has died, the Marvelous Boy left his mother to go on a quest, and a boy King is orphaned. Each deals with their loss in a very different way.
Though Ophelia's family doesn't discuss her mother (Susan), Ophelia is still hears her mother's voice. Is Susan really talking to her, guiding her to bravery? Or is it all in Ophelia's mind? It's up to you to decide.
The ending left me wanting more...perhaps the Marvelous Boy has more stories to tell. I would love to see a book from his viewpoint. What does he encounter on his travels home? What does he find when he gets there?
RATING
4 of 5 Stars/Recommended for girls who love realistic fiction as well as fairy tales. A strong first children's novel for Karen Foxlee! As a writer of adult literature, some of her concepts will be lost on younger readers. This book begs for rich discussions - morals, feelings, positive coping skills, courage, and conscience. M's top adjectives for Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy -- surprising, interesting, amazing.
Fast paced adventure for even the most reluctant readers!
Spirit Animals: Wild Born is an adventure packed ride. Even the most reluctant readers will be drawn into the story. My third grader flew through this book!
The author has an amazing knack for incorporating story elements from here and there -- and yet somehow it all works together.
Recognize any of these story elements? A reluctant, street savvy hero (Han Solo), powerful animals/creatures who can emerge at their companion's directive (Pokemon), the Fallen who sacrificed their lives for another world/species (Transformers), a villain in exile plotting his return (Sauron), the Greencoats whose only allegiance is to protect their world (Jedi)...you get idea. Lots of archetypal characters.
Geography buffs will enjoy the word play between Erdas and Earth: Artica (Artic), Eura (Europe), Amaya (South American Maya), and Nilo (Nile).
Despite the vocabulary not being as challenging as other books in this age range, there were still new words to learn. Expect a quick, popular fiction read. At 202 pages, Spirit Animals: Wild Born is a bit short side. Have the sequels ready!
As the series continues, the authors change. Probably to keep a certain publishing schedule. As a result, we've happily discovered several new authors (Tui T. Sutherland is our favorite so far).
Wild Born is our first book from by Brandon Mull. He has also written two other series, Fablehaven and Five Kingdoms. Both seem really popular!
SYNOPSIS
Long ago, the Spirit Animals and their companions battled to banish evil from Erdas. Four Spirit Animals (wolf, leopard, panda, and falcon) sacrificed their lives to bring peace. Yet now, the animals have fulfilled an ancient prophecy by returning.
Newly bonded to children companions (Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan), the Four Fallen must once again help banish the dark force from Erdas. Greencoats have pledged to help train, guide, and battle side by side with the children.
But before being reunited with the other three Fallen, Abeke and her leopard are intercepted by the enemy! Will Abeke believe the rebels? Which side will she ultimately fight for?
RATING Spirit Animals: Wild Born is a must read for boys and girls who love fantasy and animal books. As a mom of girls, I appreciate the strong, capable heroines of Abeke and Meilin. Thank you, Mr. Mull and Scholastic, for writing smart, brave, talented heroines with some pretty awesome skills!
M's top adjectives for Spirit Animals: Wild Born -- adventurous, exciting, amazing.
Each chapter of Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises seems to end with drama, a secret revealed, or incredible events. It was a huge hit with our homeschool book club. Most kids could not put it down or stop talking about it!
My third grader LOVED this book. She finished in two days, refusing to part with it until she read it all. At the end of the first chapter, she asked if there was a sequel. And then begged for me to reserve it at our local library ;)
The ending was truly shocking. My daughter and our homeschool book club readers COULD NOT believe it!!!! Everyone is clamoring to get Book Two.
One of my favorite parts of this series is the mix of mythology, real history, and original fiction! There are so many jumping off points with this book...the historical seven ancient wonders of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes, Greek mythology, medical ethics, loyalty v. betrayal, honesty v. secrecy.
This is our first read from author Peter Lerangis. He has also authored a few of the 39 Clues books which appear quite popular.
SYNOPSIS
Jack McKinley is not your typical thirteen year old. Jack is one of the Select, children destined to die if the powerful Loculi are not found and returned to Atlantis. The Loculi have been scattered among the seven ancient wonders of the world. If the Select fail, they will perish by age fourteen - and life on Earth will be changed forever.
FREEBIE WRITING PROMPTS (Download printer-friendly version) SPOILER ALERT - These activities reveal important parts of the plot. Stop reading here if you want to read the book first!
#1/ Jack held onto his mother’s mirror because it had sentimental value (emotional significance). Describe an item that has sentimental value to you, but isn't worth a lot of money. What does it look like? Where do you keep it? Why do you love it so much?
#2/ What do you think of Barry Reese’s behavior? What did Barry do when Jack initially refused to let Barry copy his homework? If you had been Jack, would you have reacted differently or the same? What would you have done?
#3/ How does Jack learn of Aly, Marco, and Cass’s plan to escape? How do Aly’s computer skills help them slip out without being discovered? Does their escape go as planned? Why or why not?
#4/ When the Select find out they've been implanted with a locating device, how did they react? What did Jack think? Would you want to be implanted with a locating device? Why or why not?
#5/ How does Marco get separated from Jack, Aly, and Cass at the top of Mount Onyx? What happened to Marco and the vromaski? How did Jack, Aly, and Cass react? How would you react in their position?
#6/ In the Atlantean maze, why does Marco survive? What do Jack, Aly, and Cass do when they find him? How does his body regenerate?
#7/ Was it a good thing Aly called home? Why or why not? Would you have called home if you were in her situation?
#8/ What do Jack, Aly, and Marco find in the Massarene greenhouse? Describe what happens when Jack touches the flame.
#9/ Imagine you are the Colossus of Rhodes that just came to life. What do you see? How do you feel? What do you want to do?
#10/ What happened to the Loculus at the hotel? Do you agree with Jack’s idea that Marco took it home? Why or why not? What does Jack’s reaction reveal about how he feels about Marco?
A short, but interesting, mythology of Poseidon's creation and destruction of Atlantis. Based on Plato's writings, but easily read by children. Most picture books do not appeal to my third grader, but this book she reads again and again!
Our favorite part of this book was the last two pages (p. 44-45) - a history of the explorers who have searched for Atlantis and where they believe the actual location to be. Our family (and the kids at book club) found this historical section way more interesting than the fictional story.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!! A nonfiction account of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The students were absolutely floored that the Colossus of Rhodes was REAL. After discussing the Colossus's true history, we also read about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - the setting for Book 2. A perfect companion to those who love the Seven Wonders series!!!!
Such good library loot this week! Madeline is gobbling up the Seven Wonders and Wings of Fire series. In the Seven Wonders, each book involves a globe trotting adventure to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. To learn more about these places, we are reading Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The highly original and creative Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes quickly caught my attention. A blind orphan thief? Three pairs of stolen magic eyes? On my short list!!!!
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week from Claire's blog. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
Bittersweet. A roller coaster. That's pretty much sums up Madeline's feelings about finishing a fantastic series.
First piquing her interest. Slowly starting to care for the characters. Learning to love or despise them. Total engrossment! And finally...the end. Satisfying. Shocking. Triumphant?
Madeline is currently nearing the end of The Underland Chronicles and Spirit Animals. Hopefully, more Spirit Animals books are being written! It's been a while since the last of The Underland Chronicles were published. Probably no new ones on the horizon. But one can always hope.
So we're off to find other great reads. Will Wings of Fire be a winner? Only time will tell.
Someone is squirreling books away in her bunk bed...
I wonder if she is part squirrel?
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week from Claire's blog. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
Looking for The One and Only Ivan activities? Here are two I created for our homeschool book club. Download the free printables! Also read my book review.
ACTIVITY #1/ WHAT IS A GOOD PLACE FOR A WILD ANIMAL? Children ponder Stella's thoughts about a "good zoo". The next step is to write about a good zoo habitat for either a gorilla or elephant. And lastly, students illustrate their habitat and label each important part of their "wild cage".
Creative Writing and Illustration/ The One and Only Ivan Activity
ACTIVITY #2/ LIVING BY PRINCIPLES
Julia and George had a conversation about principles, or doing what you know is right. Students choose a character who stood by their principles, citing examples and consequences.
Living by Principles/ The One and Only Ivan Activity
If you enjoy these activities, please drop me a note! I'd love to hear about all the fun you and your child had ;)
SYNOPSIS The One and Only Ivanis an inspiring fiction novel based on a real life gorilla. Though it delves into some pretty heavy subjects, the author does an amazing job of balancing sadness with humor and hope. The story follows Ivan (a male gorilla) as he lives in captivity with a menagerie of other animals in a shopping mall. Yes, in a shopping mall.
Despite Ivan's dull and boring existence, he fosters friendships with Stella (an elephant), Bob (a stray dog), and Julia (the mall janitor's daughter). The arrival of a new baby elephant named Ruby brings about anxiety and worry rather than joy. Ivan and his friends are saddened by the type of life she will lead while in captivity at the mall.
It's only when Ruby arrives that Ivan faces his feelings about being taken captive from the wild. And with Stella unable to help Ruby find a better home, Ivan promises to change Ruby's fate.
Katherine Applegate does a phenomenal job imbuing fictional Ivan with human characteristics (anthropomorphism). The book is told from his point of view and you can't help being drawn into his story.
THEMES
The One and Only Ivan will leave children thinking about several issues:
-- How we obtain animals in captivity
-- How humans choose to treat and house wild animals
-- Facing your fears in both the present and the past
-- Standing by your principles despite potential consequences
CAUTIONS The only caution for this book is that it pulls no punches when describing human cruelty. Children will be shocked midway through the book when discovering what happened to Ivan's parents (see **Spoilers/Cautions** below).
However, there are just as many examples of AWESOME human behavior! Proof that every individual can aspire and choose to be the type of person they want to be.
RATINGS Our family couldn't stop talking about this book! By the last page, you will be inspired by both humans and animals. Because everyone deserves to forge a happy, healthy life -- human and wild animal alike, right?
The One and Only Ivan is definitely a thinking book you won't forget. Neither will your children.
**SPOILERS/CAUTIONS**
The two main areas that could be disturbing are the description of Stella's training/abuse in the circus ring and the death of Ivan's family. Stella suffers a permanent injury due to being chained. Ivan's mother is shot while he and his sister cling to her. His father is shot next, and then the parents are dismembered. Ivan's sister dies in their shared transport container (to captivity).
Our homeschool book club {grades 3-6} read The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors for our May meeting. It's a fictional mystery with some fantasy thrown in.
At first, Madeline did not embrace the story. Every time we read one or two chapters, she wasn't eager to read more. That changed once events at Dr. Woo's worm hospital really got going;)
From that point on, Madeline was hooked. Determined to keep reading until the book was finished!Even though the title is The Sasquatch Escape, the Sasquatch doesn't actually make an appearance for quite some time. We both wish he had appeared earlier!
The humor really picks up in the second half of the book. Sasquatch's escapades are HILARIOUS! The things he does will make you giggle and giggle.
Just toss out what you know about scary Bigfoot. Selfor's gentle giant is sweet, enjoys being cooed at like a baby, and loves his chocolate. You'll love him too.
Although the vocabulary wasn't overly challenging, there were many words new to Madeline. Since we purchased this book via Kindle, it was neat to be able to highlight the word and see the definition pop up!
SYNOPSIS
Benjamin {Ben} Silverstein has been sent to spend the summer with his Grandpa Abe while his parents work out some troubles.Since the button factory closed, Buttonville isn't very exciting. Most families have moved away leaving the town deserted. And worse, the senior center is pretty much the only place to hang out and socialize.
Ben meets Pearl Petal, a girl whose family lives above the Dollar Store. Everyone in Buttonville calls her a troublemaker. But when Ben finds a injured baby dragon, he and Pearl see if the town's new worm doctor {Dr. Woo} can help.
During the visit to the worm hospital, Ben leaves the deadbolt open resulting in Sasquatch's escape. It's up to Ben and Pearl to locate the missing Sasquatch and bring him back to Dr. Woo's hospital - a hospital for Imaginary creatures!
FREEBIES
What a bummer, there is no study guide for this book. Being type-A and all, I've been creating my own study guide. Expect another post with more activities once we meet for book club :)
Enjoy my vocabulary and bingo freebies:
Everyone loves reading classics for homeschool book club.But why not read something a bit different? Like...Sasquatch:)
And that's precisely our next book ~ The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors! The reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive, so we'll give it a read.
The entire series is based on mythological creatures. Usually kids love animals, so it will be interesting to see just what they think of Bigfoot. I can't wait to see how Sasquatch is portrayed.
Has your child read it yet? If so, what did they think?
It's a beloved classic! Our homschool book club {grades 3-6} read Pippi Longstocking for the April meeting.
Madeline took turns between laughing outrageously and being completely horrified by Pippi's behavior. Mostly, it was laughing outrageously!
SYNOPSIS Pippi Lonstocking is a very unique little girl living all alone. Without parents, she governs her own behavior. Pippi tries to make sense of the world that thinks very differently than she does.
Each chapter is like it's own short story focusing on a particular event. At first, the town isn't so pleased with Pippi's antics. But she eventually wins them over and saves the day!
ACTIVITIES
Saving time is one of my favorite things, so I bought Characters, Plot, and Setting and Pippi Longstocking worksheets. The book club homeschoolers absolutely LOVED the Characters, Plot, and Setting activities. There were so many things to do that we could only complete just a few. But they were all a hit!
The worksheet link is primarily reading comprehension questions. I printed them cut out the individual questions. Each child took a question from a bag and read it to the group. Then they discussed the questions. It's awesome because they govern themselves and are so excited to share what they've read :)
The Day the Crayons Quit was chosen as our k-2 homeschool book club selection. And both my kids {ages 3 and 7} loved it :)
SYNOPSIS
Duncan reaches for his crayons, but they aren't there! Instead, he finds a stack of letters ~ each written by a different crayon. Each expresses feelings about how they are used {or conflicts with other crayons}, and asks assistance either for themselves or their friends.
It's absolutely hilarious and both my girls loved Peach Crayon's letter the most. Poor Peach Crayon has no clothing since Duncan peeled off his paper! Peach Crayon is embarrassed to leave the crayon box. They love to read Peach Crayon's letter OVER and OVER.
ACTIVITIES
The kids did this: Reading Response Activities & Writing Craftivity. Then they played their own improv version of 'Guess Which Crayon I Am!' Each of the homeschoolers described their favorite crayon with clues and everyone tried to guess which one they were.
Because Madeline is older, I had her pretend to the be the teacher. Did the crayons use the correct format for a letter? Is the punctuation correct? She rewrote one letter correcting any format or grammar mistakes.
Madeline also wrote her own letter from the viewpoint of her favorite crayon. She had to think of what her favorite crayon would write and how it would feel. Then Madeline reminded me that she really doesn't use CRAYONS anymore since she's a big girl. Ha! So her letter was from the point of view of her favorite colored pencil.
REVIEW We happily give this book 5 of 5 Stars! It's very creative and unlike any other book we've read.
Use it as a great jumping off point for feelings, colors, and conflict resolution. Or just for fun! The author did a phenomenal job making each crayon express feelings. And Madeline enjoys reading it to her little sister, so that's always a plus.
