TIME MACHINE BOOK CLUB
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Reading List

September  ~  Travel to Michigan and Alabama 1963
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963. Yearling, 1997.
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor.  A whirlwind of emotions results from this historical fiction novel with touching humor any family can relate to and a devastating view at the impact of racial hatred in our country.

October  ~  Travel to Mexico 1520
Steele, Philip. Scott Steedman, ed. Aztec News . Candlewick Press, 1997.
Creative presentation of a wealth of information on the Aztecs in an entertaining newspaper format complete with articles, ads, and advice. 

November  ~  Travel to England 1337  
Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead . Hyperion Books for Children, 2002.
Newbery Medal.  Avi's fiftieth book is the tale of Asta's son, who learns the truth about his parents and himself while fleeing for his life in the company of Bear, a musician who teaches him a few life lessons.      

December  ~  Take a break in Maine 2004

January  ~  Travel to 12th Century Korea  
Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard . Dell Yearling, 2001. 
Newbery Medal. Tree-Ear, an orphan, strives to change his destiny by learning from a master potter.

February  ~  Travel to Eleanor Roosevelt's Life (1884-1962)
Freedman, Russell. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. Clarion Books, 1993.  
Newbery Medal. A thorough biography of an inspirational leader, Eleanor Roosevelt; personal stories and photographs give intimate glimpses into her full seventy-eight years of life.
March  ~  Travel to Ancient Egypt  
McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. The Golden Goblet. Puffin Books, 1961.  
Newbery Honor.  After the death of his father Ranofer is forced to give up his dreams under the rule of his half brother until Ranofer can prove that he is a thief.        

April  ~  Travel to Oklahoma 1930
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust . Scholastic, 1999.
Newbery Medal.  Told in free verse, Billie Jo shares her story of life in the Dust Bowl and how it changes after a tragic accident.  

May  ~  Travel to the Future  
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Bantam, 1993.
Newbery Medal.  Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of memories of humankind for his community, and must make a difficult decision as he learns more about his world.

Discussion Questions

Each month there are discussion questions about the book.  Don't take a look at them until you have finished reading the book because many of the questions are about surprises in the books and the endings.  You may decide not to use the discussion questions, and that is fine.  They are there as a guide if you choose to use them. Some people like to read over the questions before book clubs so that they can think of things they want to talk about. Other people may keep them on hand during the discussion as a resource.  You might look over the questions and think of your own that you want to bring up during the book club meeting. People in the book club will probably use the questions in different ways; it is up to you what you choose to do with them.  

Recipes

Recipes are provided each month for the adult and child to prepare together. Both the adult and child can do the shopping and read the recipe, and depending on the child's experience in the kitchen adults can decide what is safe for each child to do.  For instance, the child can do the measuring and mixing while the adult handles the stove. Each month an adult and child will provide a refreshment for the meeting that ties into the book being discussed.  Some of you may decide to try the other recipes as well.                                               
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