Virtual Book Club
Our virtual do-it-at-home book clubs for all ages continue! The best part? Everyone who participates gets to keep the book!
Pick up your free book and activity packet by visiting the library. Every book will come with a blank review form, a few questions you can think about, and a small craft or activity that ties into the book. All we ask is that you read the book: do as much or as little of the rest of it as you want. No matter how much you do, the book is yours!
The books are:
- Grades 5-8: Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick. "Flames race toward Sam Castine's summer camp as evacuation buses are loading, but Sam runs back to get his phone. Suddenly, a flash of heat blasts him as pine trees explode. Now a wall of fire separates Sam from his bus, and there's only one thing to do: Run for his life. Run or die. Lungs burning, Sam's only goal is to keep moving. Drought has made the forest a tinderbox, and Sam struggles to remember survival tricks he learned from his late father. Then, when he least expects it, he encounters Delphy, an older girl who is also lost. Their unlikely friendship grows as they join forces to find civilization. The pace never slows, and eventually flames surround Sam and Delphy on all sides. A powerful bond is forged that can only grow out of true hardship – as two true friends beat all odds and outwit one of the deadliest fires ever."
- Grades 9-12: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. “When a rumor that her uncle is squandering away the family fortune surfaces, Katharine Tulman is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of childlike rules, who is employing a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London. Katharine becomes torn between protecting her own livelihood and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply – a conflict made more complicated by her developing feelings for her uncle’s handsome apprentice. As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle’s world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it.”
We will have a post for each book on https://www.splyouth.org for anyone who wants to discuss the book or comment on any of the questions or activities. If you’d prefer not to go online, fill out the included review sheets and get them back to the library, and we can post your comments for you! Even better, everyone who either posts on our site or brings back anything included with the book – even if it’s just a picture of the craft you did – will also get a small prize at the library!
See the books for grades K-3 and 3-5.
Want to learn more about what's going on for youth at the library? Visit splyouth.org! Featuring posts discussing books, activities, submissions from kids, and more!