📚 Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club: Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron

Full disclosure: I typically share my reflection post from these events during the week they take place, but y'all... this month has been CRAZY! So... please forgive me for being a little slow and, as always, I hope you find the resources shared here useful. Additionally, if you've never participated in the Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club, what are you waiting for??? 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!

Oh, and did I mention these events are free?? Seriously, y'all... how cool is that?

APRIL BOOK CLUB

This month our book club focused on Bobbie Pyron's Octopus Moon, a book I discovered thanks to Mr. Schu who wrote a blurb for the back and added it to his list of favorite books of the year. I don't have that many guiding philosophies in my life, but "when Mr. Schu tells me to read a book, I do!" might just be one of them. That said, Octopus Moon's main character is Pearl, a young girl who is navigating the onset of depression and anxiety at the start of fifth grade. This thoughtful novel-in-verse offers young readers a nuanced and compassionate exploration of mental health. Surrounding Pearl is a complex cast of characters who perfectly illustrate the idea that people can be (and nearly always are!) more than one thing at the same time. Pearl's family loves her AND some of them need help understanding what depression is and what it isn't. Pearl's friends want to support her AND some of them need help learning the best ways to do that. In the end,  Octopus Moon reminds young readers that healing often happens in small, brave steps—and that no one should have to navigate that journey alone.

Additionally, it was a delight to use our little book club as an excuse to meet Bobbie Pyron for the first time. Little did I know, Bobbie hails from my former home state of North Carolina. I had the best time chatting with her about old haunts and shared favorite spots in the the Great North State. However, the best part of having Bobbie as our guest was the opportunity to hear all about how and why she created Octopus Moon. I was moved to learn about the personal journey that inspired this book. I think readers will connect with Bobbie's story, too!

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!

Although we never discuss our plans to represent the book theme in advance, this month both Aliza and I chose to wear earrings that featured the phases of the moon. If you've read Octopus Moon then you already know how this relates to the story. And if you attended book club this month, then you ALSO know just how special the conversation between Pearl and her sister, that focused on the phases of the moon, was to me personally. I was so excited to see that it resonated with Aliza, too! I think Bobbie got a kick out of our "same brain, same earrings" moment, too!

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 as a conduit between kids and story. I love it so much! Recently, I've been trying my hand at creating a Bookmoji for our book club guests. I had the most fun picking out items to add to Bobbie's bookmoji!

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

• are surrounded by reading mentors who share their authentic reading lives

  
  

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

• don't see adults regularly modeling authentic reading lives

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: Depression and Mental Heath

• Cassi and the House of Memories by Dean Stuart

• The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi

• All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

• Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet

• How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico

• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

  
  

Bin 2 - Book Club Theme: Good, Good Dogs

• The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner

• A Bad Buzz Day (The Snips #1) by Raul the Third

• Racing the Clouds by Sydney Dunlap

• Inside the Park by Andrea Williams

• Same Page by Elly Swartz

• Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

  
  

Bin 3 - Book Club Theme: Fantastic (Flawed) Friends

• The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud

• A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1) by Debbi Michiko Florence

• The God’s Revenge (Myth of Monsters #2) by Katherine Marsh

• No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam

• Weirdo by Tony Weaver & Cin Wibowo

  
  

Bin 4 - Book Club Theme: Novels In Verse

• Snow by Meera Trehan

• Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

• Neshama by Marcella Pixley

• The Poetry of Car Mechanics

• The Song of Orphan's Garden by Nicole M Hewitt

• Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley 

  
  

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 Octopus Moon.

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 Octopus Moon there, too!

Coloring Sheet:

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.

Virtual Field Trip:

Recently, I wrote about how I was inspired to use Padlet to create some virtual field trips related to famous libraries from around the world and US National Parks. You can read more about those resources here. That said, just like last month, I created a similar resource for Octopus Moon.

Knowing that many kids may not have access to an aquarium where they live, for this virtual field trip, I thought it would be fun for them to visit aquariums from around the world: six in the US and four located in other countries. Each stop contains:

• a brief description of the aquarium

• a reference to how this location is related to Octopus Moon

• a link to a webcam from that location, so they can spend time checking out some cool sea creatures!

• a reflection question to help kids connect the sea creatures they view to those viewed by Pearl in Octopus Moon

Because Octopus Moon is a novel-in-verse, (and because April is National Poetry Month!) I also created this book spine poetry activity as a follow up to the virtual field trip. Because writing is a process of vision and revision, I designed the activity to help kids brainstorm words, phrases and feelings sparked by both the book AND the sea creatures they viewed. Then, because I can't help but make every activity about the library, the activity challenges them to practice their search skills to locate just the right book for their book spine poem.

To use these resources, you are welcome to share the link to the Padlet and use the field trip exactly as I created it. However, if you want to adapt it for the kiddos you teach, you'll need to login to your Padlet account and make a copy of the board first. The book spine activity can be downloaded, for free, here.

Finally, here are my slides from last night's event.

I hope you find these resources useful!

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!