This is the story of how Adam Gidwitz and I became best friends.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me begin, instead, by telling you a bit of about the Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club. If you've never participated, these monthly events feature:
a new title written for middle grade readers, and...
a focus on helping educators nurture the reading identities of the readers they serve.
Structured, in part, as a "build your own book club" workshop, participants leave with book lists and resources to use back at school, but the best part is that the authors and illustrators of the books we read join us in conversation! Enter my new BFF: Adam Gidtwitz.
Oh, and did I mention these events are free?? Seriously, y'all... how cool is that?
FEBRUARY BOOK CLUB
This month our book club focused on two books: Max in the House of Spies and, its soon to be released sequel, Max in the Land of Lies. I've written before about how I first became aware of Adam's work when A Tale Dark and Grimm came out in 2010. I was a baby librarian at the time, having just moved hundreds of miles away from home, to take my first job as a school librarian and, indeed, my first grown-up job outside of the classroom. That first year was tough. I was lonely and uncertain if I had the chops for my new role. Then... one day, a package arrived in the mail from a former student (now an adult). It contained a book and a note that simply read "I think you will love this." That book was A Tale Dark and Grimm. For weeks after, that student and I corresponded over email about Adam's fast-paced and often hilarious book about the gruesomest of all stories: fairy tales. My student was right. I did love it. And I've been an Adam Gidwitz fan ever since.
If you haven't yet read the first (or second!) in Adam's Operation Kinderspion series, let me take a moment to try to convince you to correct that error as soon as possible. Both books approach a time period fraught with heavy topics like antisemitism, fascism and genocide in a way that only Adam Gidwitz can -- with humor, adventure, a dash of fantasy and a whole lot of heart. Just as our young hero, Max, navigates dual missions: the one he must accomplish for the British government and the one he must tackle for his own heart, readers, too, begin to understand their own role in creating the world they want to live in. The world isn't fair and just by default: people make it that way. But only if we are brave and only if we (in the words of bell hooks) lead with love. Both Max in the House of Spies and it's companion Max in the Land of Lies are full of characters who lead with love. Yes, these books are funny and smart and full of raucous shenanigans. But they're also the kind of books that our world desperately needs right now.
Chatting with Adam about the origin story of these books, the process of crafting characters like Berg and Stein (the kobold and dybbuk that sit on Max's shoulders throughout both stories), and the need for a world with more flux capacitors (#iykyk) was an absolute joy. I joked at the beginning of the event that like Max, I also had two missions for the evening: the first being to make sure Adam and I became best friends. And the second, (probably more important one), being to change the world, one reader at a time. After our event ended, I heard from a participant who said that these events help her feel hopeful at a time when the algorithms behind so much of the the information we consume seem bent on making us feel just the opposite. She went on to say that she would be going back to school the next day with a little more fuel in her tank - ready to help kids see books as tools for making a better world. The following day, I received an email from Adam that read, in part, "now that we are best friends...."
Mission(s) accomplished, y'all.
All of that said, if you've attended our book club in the past, you know that my Partner in Book Club Crime™️, Aliza Werner, and I often try to make sure our outfits and/or backgrounds are thematically connected to that month's book club pick. These efforts have turned into a (VERY FRIENDLY) competition that I look forward to ALMOST as much as I eagerly anticipate the conversations that take place during these bookish gatherings. I don't know about y'all... but I'm actively seeking out opportunities for joy right now, and planning a book themed wardrobe for these monthly meetings brings me A LOT of joy!
HOWEVER, thematic dress for a book set during WWII is probably not a great idea, so... while we both wore color schemes that coordinated perfectly with Adam's book covers, Aliza and I limited our thematic clothing to celebratory earrings. Because Aliza and Adam are both Jewish, Aliza's earrings (which got lots of compliments in the chat!) read "Chutzpah!" And as Aliza's friend, I can tell you that these are 100% on brand. I, on the other hand, used this month's book club as an opportunity to sport earrings made of Adam's book covers. Like so many of the best things, I found these on Etsy. I joked during the event that I wasn't sure when I would get to wear them again, but who am I kidding?? I will absolutely wear these again. And again.
Finally, one of the things I love most about Bookelicious is the Bookmoji. The Bookmoji is more than just a cute avatar, it's a reading identity power booster! As kids make selections to create a Bookmoji that truly represents who they are and what they love, Bookelicious creates a personalized bookshelf full of titles that reflect those choices. It's fun! It's creative! But more importantly, it serves a conduit between kids and story. I love it so much! That said, this month, I decided to try my hand at creating a Bookmoji for our guest. I had the most fun picking out items to add to Adam's Bookmoji and I loved adding a few Back To The Future easter eggs, too - which were inspired by this post.
BOOK CLUB BINS + MICRO-COLLECTIONS
One thing I try to emphasize during our book club meetings is that even, (perhaps especially!), in educational environments that are laser focused on phonics and skills based reading programs, reading identity remains essential. Measurable reader outcomes like volume, vocabulary acquisition, fluency and other markers of proficiency are deeply affected by motivation. Put another way, kids don't develop reading stamina without reading motivation. What's more, reading identity is the fuel that powers that motivation.
We know that kids are far more likely to be motivated to tackle skills-based reading tasks and assessments when they:
see themselves as readers
associate reading with joy
understand reading's relevance outside of school
value reading as a core part of who they are
Conversely, kids are far less likely to be motivated to tackle work that leads to the reading outcomes we adults hope for when they:
don't identify as readers
have already decided that they're not good at reading
associate reading with negative emotions and/or anxiety
don't see reading as relevant or valuable to their lives outside of school
That's why, each month, I try to provide the educators who attend our book club with resources for creating reading communities in their schools that nurture and grow positive reading identities in young people.
Of course, book clubs are one way to accomplish this goal. With that in mind, each month, I share potential "book club bins." These micro-collections all feature that month's book club pick as an anchor text, along with several other titles that are connected by theme, genre, format or some other element that would be easy for kids to be in conversation about. The purpose of these book lists is to provide kids with voice and choice when selecting texts for book club (or literature circle) reading. Note: these suggestions are meant to serve as spring boards for educators to think about titles in their own collections that might make for great book club micro-collections, too! It's my hope that you'll also learn about some new titles to support this work AND I'm always so grateful to attendees who flood the chat with additional book suggestions.
Here are this month's book club bins and themes:
Bin 1 - Book Club Theme: Brave Instead of Perfect
Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman
Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron
Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman
Same Page by Elly Swartz
Tear This Down by Barbara Dee
The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston
Bin 2 - Book Club Theme: Spycraft + Mystery
A Copycat Conundrum by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat
Mission Manhattan by James Ponti
A Study In Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence
Snow by Meera Trehan
How to Be a Detective by Alexandra Beever
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller
Bin 3 - Book Club Theme: Big Hearted Boys
The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi
The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Olivetti by Allie Millington
Bin 4 - Book Club Theme: Historical Fiction
Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Please enjoy a special discount of 20% off the titles mentioned above (or others of your choice) by visiting Bookelicious and using the code JENNIFERLAGARDE. Note: I do not make any money when you purchase books from Bookelicious, but I am delighted that you get to save some! HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that buying books from Bookelicious is the way we keep these events free while also supporting the authors and illustrators who join us each month, so... I hope you'll think of your book purchases from Bookelicous as supporting a good cause!
RESOURCES & LINKS
Each month, I also create activities, related to that month's book club selection, for participants to download (for free) and use with their students. Here are my creations to go along with the Operation Kinderspion books.
Connections Puzzle:
I wrote about the process of creating these book related Connections puzzles here - including a planning document that I created to support kids when crafting puzzles of their own. This post also include a Padlet board with links to all the book related Connections puzzles (and their solutions!) that I've made so far. You'll find the one for Max in the House of Spies there, too!
Coloring Sheet:
I also shared the coloring sheet that I created as a companion to Max in the House of Spies. As I mention each month, I've been a bit obsessed lately with the reality that both reading and coloring are proven stress relievers. As a result, I've been creating both book related coloring sheets AND monthly reading challenges that include pages for readers of all ages to color. I hope you find these resources useful.
Chatterbox:
I was recently reminded of the great reading identity related resources created by the National Library of New Zealand. One of their awesome creations is a chatter box activity that gives kids the chance to talk about reading in authentic ways while playing a game. Now... when I was a kid, we called these magical little paper concoctions fortune tellers, but I think chatterbox is actually more appropriate for this purpose. Inspired by their work, I created a chatterbox specific to Max in the House of Spies as a tool for getting kids talking about this book. You can download it here.
Finally, here are my slides from last night's event.
EVENT RECORDINGS
As much as I have shared here, really this is just the tip of the reading joy iceberg! The real value of these events comes from participating, with the next best thing being watching the recording later. However, only those who register in advance get access to the recording, so head on over to bookelicious.com/events/ right now and reserve your spot for one of their upcoming events. While I'm (obviously!) partial to the Middle Grade Bookclub, there are lots of opportunities to join this joyful reading community. I hope to see y'all there!
