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P/K Book Group

Parent/Kid book group is a monthly book club for kids, ages 7-16, and their grownups. Discussions are held the second Thursday of each month at 4pm and 7pm. Themed snacks provided. Registration encouraged. Attendees may register and pick up a copy of the current month's book from the front desk.

banner with woman and children reading by flashlight under a cover
November

Astrid the Unstoppable

by Maria Parr

Pippi Longstocking meets Heidi meets Anne Shirley in this tale of an irrepressible girl in a mountain village who navigates unexpected changes with warmth and humor.

Speed and self-confidence, that's Astrid's motto. Nicknamed "the little thunderbolt," she loves to spend her days racing down the hillside on her sled, singing loudly as she goes, and visiting Gunnvald, her grumpy, septuagenarian best friend and godfather, who makes hot chocolate from real chocolate bars. She just wishes there were other children to share her hair-raising adventures with. But Astrid's world is about to be turned upside down by two startling arrivals to the village of Glimmerdal: first a new family, then a mysterious, towering woman who everyone seems to know but Astrid. It turns out that Gunnvald has been keeping a big secret from his goddaughter, one that will test their friendship to its limits. Astrid is not too happy about some of these upheavals in Glimmerdal -- but, luckily, she has a plan to set things right.

December

When Stars Are Scattered

by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

January

Beneath

by Roland Smith

What waits Beneath? Pat O'Toole has always idolized his older brother, Coop. He's even helped Coop with some of his crazier plans -- such as risking his life to help his big brother dig a tunnel underneath their neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Coop is . . . different. He doesn't talk on the phone, doesn't use email, and doesn't have friends. He's never really cared for anything but the thrill of being underground and Pat. So it's no surprise to anyone -- even Pat -- that after a huge fight with their parents, Coop runs away. Exactly one year later, Pat receives a package containing a digital voice recorder and a cryptic message from his brother. He follows the clues to New York City, and soon discovers that Coop has joined the Community, a self-sufficient society living beneath the streets. Now it's up to Pat to find his brother -- and bring him home.

February

Ban This Book

by Alan Gratz

An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg, is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her school library. Amy Anne is shy and soft-spoken, but don't mess with her when it comes to her favorite book in the whole world. Amy Anne and her lieutenants wage a battle for the books that will make you laugh and pump your fists as they start a secret banned books locker library, make up ridiculous reasons to ban every single book in the library to make a point, and take a stand against censorship.

Ban This Book is a stirring defense against censorship that's perfect for middle grade readers. Let kids know that they can make a difference in their schools, communities, and lives

March

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place

by Julie Berry

The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home--unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.

Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and mysterious happenings.

Upcoming P/K Groups
Thu, Dec 14, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.

Thu, Dec 14, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.

Thu, Jan 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.

Thu, Jan 11, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.

Thu, Feb 08, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.

Thu, Feb 08, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Rooms 1&2 (Combined)
Book club for kids and their parents. Includes a book to read and a treat to share.