Community Book Discussion

                      2010-2011

(The Book Discussions take place during lunch on the first Thursday of the month in the Library Media Center, in the evening - 7pm - on the second Thursday of the month at the Milton Public Library, and at 2:45 pm in the Library Media Center on the third Thursday of the month.)

September: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

• What makes this series so popular?
• Are all three books equally good or should the tale have ended after the first book?

October: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
             Shooting Star by Fredrick McKissack, Jr.    

• Why is body image so important to high school students?
• Why are some people more susceptible to eating disorders and steroid use than others?

November: The U.S. at war in Iraq and Afghanistan
Choice of books:     Pride of Baghdadby Brian Vaughn
                   Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
                   Sunrise at Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
                   Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson
                   The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
War Is… Soldiers, Survivors and Storytellers Talk About Warby Marc Aronson

• Is war portrayed accurately in the media?
• Who are the victims in this war?

December: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

• How far should science go to keep people alive? How far would you go to keep a loved one alive?
• As medicine advances when do people stop being human and start being merely machines?

January: Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick
            Muchacho by Louann Johnson

• What does it mean to be an outsider?
• How can we as a school be more inclusive?

February: Black History Month
Choice of books:     The Help by  Kathryn Stockert
                             The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
                             Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge
                             Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justiceby Phillip Hoose

• What role might you have played during the Civil Rights era?
• How did the tactics of Civil Rights pioneers differ?

March: Going Bovine by Libba Bray

• What makes this an award-winning novel?
• Is fantasy more or less successful when it closely mirrors reality?

April: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
          If I Stay by Gayle Forman

• What is appealing about being able to repeat aspects of your life?
• How do the main characters make the decisions that they do?

May: What is the best book you have read all year? What is your all-time favorite? Come help decide on the book discussion topics for next year.