Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
(The order of discussion is determined by vote)
The conversation was lively and fast moving! I tweeted some of the student's comments:
"author showed emotions well"
"setting helped you see the insane reality of what was happening during those times"
"JT had different levels...and maybe he was just caught up in the situation"
"the book is short because it reflects Ivan and feels like he was really talking"
"alternates between funny and interesting"
"this book was surreal because the people and the animals were both sentient and real but not in a fantasy way"
The Mighty Miss Malone
"liked how Jimmy was helping the family"
"liked how it was about her feelings and her life"
"Didn't like Desa at first but liked her better as the story progressed"
Overall, all three books were well-received. Katherine Applegate's abitlity to make the story seem "real" was a huge part of our discussion on Ivan. They felt that she truly knew what Ivan was thinking and feeling.
We also had a big discussion about endings. Some thought the Lions of Little Rock ended too neatly while others thought no, because the friends still couldn't be together. They also disagreed on the appropriate ending for Miss Malone. Some thought it left too much up in the air. One student wondered what others felt made a "good ending" since they had such opposite reactions to Levine's and Curtis' endings.
Great discussion!
The Mighty Miss Malone
"liked how Jimmy was helping the family"
"liked how it was about her feelings and her life"
Overall, all three books were well-received. Katherine Applegate's abitlity to make the story seem "real" was a huge part of our discussion on Ivan. They felt that she truly knew what Ivan was thinking and feeling.
We also had a big discussion about endings. Some thought the Lions of Little Rock ended too neatly while others thought no, because the friends still couldn't be together. They also disagreed on the appropriate ending for Miss Malone. Some thought it left too much up in the air. One student wondered what others felt made a "good ending" since they had such opposite reactions to Levine's and Curtis' endings.
Great discussion!
