Junior Owlets: Where the Moutain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

For January, the Junior Owlets read Where the Moutain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.

MinLi and her parents live in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, a bare mountain where nothing seems to flourish.  They work hard, but have barely enough to eat.  Every night, MinLi listens eagerly to the stories her father tells about the Jade Dragon, the evil Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man in the Moon.  MinLi’s mother hates the stories.  She says they are useless, and only make MinLi a dreamer.  MinLi decides she will find the Old Man in the Moon to try and change her family’s fortune.

- Really liked how the legends tied into the story.
- Liked the characters, particularly Minli.
- Really kept your interest.
- Liked mystical creatures & magic.
- Liked how the characters evolved and came to udnerstand the true meaning of happiness.
- Very thought provoking.
- Lots of adventure.
- Ended way too soon.
- Good book for all ages.
- Loved the illustrations.
- Liked the multiple storylines and how they tied up. Stories within stories.
- Loved the language.
- Feel good book
- Some parts were slower.
- Liked everything tied up together.

Final score: 9.166661 out of 10.

The next meeting of Junior Owlets will be on Saturday the 4th of Feburary 2012 at 9:00am.   The book up for discussion is Feather Brain and we we have a special guest, the book’s author, Maureen Bush!

From the book’s description:

Lucas has dinosaurs on the brain, but he’s a little short on friends. When he gets a new book on how to make model dinosaurs, he’s inspired to make one immediately. He’s not so inspired by his new dinosaur-making kit: all the box contains is a test tube of clear liquid and a few instructions. But when he mixes the liquid into his papier-maché goop, he gets much more than he bargained for, including the most unlikely friend.

If you’re a kid in grades 3 to 6 and are interested in joining Junior Owlet’s, we’d love to have you.  Membership is free and open all year.  Just give us a call at 403-287-9557, email us at owlsnestbooks@shaw.ca or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Published in: on January 14, 2012 at 5:15 pm  Leave a Comment  

Junior Owlets: The Boggart by Susan Cooper

This month, the Junior Owlets (grades 3 to 6) read The Boggart by Susan Cooper.

When the Volnick family inherits a castle in Scotland, they have no idea tht is had been the home for centuries of a mischievious, pratcal joke loving shapeshifter known and the Boggart. Accidentally transported to Toronto, the Boggart finds many opportunities for mischeif making and trickery.  It’s up to the Volnick children to get him back home.

Comments from the Junior Owlets:

Loved all the characters.
Really enjoyed the humour.
Some parts slowed down, but if continued picked up again.
Computer part went on a bit long.
Some extremely funny parts.
Kept wondering what the Boggart would do next.
Glad that the Boggart got homesick at first rather than continuing to do tricks.
Liked the descriptions of the characters.
Liked how the Boggart’s description was elusive.
Would have liked more details.
Loved the theatre scene.  Good nex of funny & pathos.
Believeable characters.
Good build to climax.
Although an older book, it stands up well today.
Laugh out loud funny.

Final score: 9.1571428

The next Junior Owlets meeting will be on Saturday the 3rd of December at 9:00am.  The book under discussion will be When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

If you’re a kid in grades 3 to 6 and are interested in joining Junior Owlet’s, we’d love to have you.  Membership is free and open all year.  Just give us a call at 403-287-9557, email us at owlsnestbooks@shaw.ca or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Published in: on November 5, 2011 at 3:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets: Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver

The October selection for Junior Owlets was Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver. 

Daniel Funk always wanted a brother, but he’s got three sisters instead. Until he shrinks to the size of a toe—and discovers Pablo, his twin brother who’s always that small! Together, they have mountains of tiny-size fun. In Attack of the Growling Eyeballs, they release a hissing cockroach at one of their sister’s slumber party and learn that tiny-size trouble can cause mega-size danger. In Escape of the Mini-Mummy, Daniel enters the school diorama contest against Vince the Pizza Prince. Pablo comes along, disguised as a toilet-papered mummy. Can Pablo help Daniel win big, or will he create big-time Egyptian chaos?

Comments from the Junior Owlets:
Characters well done. 
Funny book.
Would have liked it to be longer.
Bit repetitive.
Really liked the tiny brother, Pablo.
Liked how the characters were/seemed true.
Grabbed you attention.
Liked the detail.
Would have liked more action.
Liked the idea of having fantasy of miniature brother within realistic situation.
Felt characters were very believeable. 
Liked how the characters interacted.
Excellent book for younger readers.
Would have liked the book longer with more action.
Liked how inventive Pablo and Daniel were. 
Felt there was some parts that didn’t really add to story.
Would like the ability to shrink.
Good representation of family dynamics. 

Score: 7.9447368

November’s Junior Owlets meeting will be Saturday, November 5th at 9:00am.  We’ll be discussing The Boggart by Susan Cooper. 

When Emily and Jess Volnik’s family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart — an invisible, mischievous spirit who’s been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a rolltop desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks’ home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same — for the Volniks or the Boggart.

In a world that doesn’t believe in magic, the Boggart’s pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home — but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic.

If you’re in grades 3-6 and are interested in joining Junior Owlets, please give us a call or visit us to register, or just drop into one of the meetings!

Published in: on October 7, 2011 at 9:45 am  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets: The Name of This Book is Secret

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch recieved 7.672 out of 10 from the Junior Owlets

This Saturday saw the first meeting of Junior Owlets for the year.  Up for discussion was The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. 

When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician’s diary and the hunt for immortality.

Here are some of the comments from the Junior Owlets:

Liked the narrator’s style; his huge ego added humour. 
Well, the narrator was annoying but very funny.
Characters well drawn.
Liked the mystery.
Some parts very suspenseful, quite scary.
Lots of trivia.
Characters of Cass and Max-Ernest were well done. 
Know lots of information about character that are secret.
Liked the warnings to not read the book. 
Some were annoyed by narrator, they gave up at the beginning.
Narrator kept interest going.  Annoying and intrusive, but funny. 
Loved suspense. 
Hard to get into.
Loved the quirkiness of all the characters.
Loved the creepiness of Ms. Mauvais.
Basic quest book.
Good job building suspense.

Final score: 7.672 out of 10. 

Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver will be the October selection for Junior Owlets

The next Junior Owlets meeting will be Saturday, October 1st at 9:00am.  The book discussed will be Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver.

Daniel Funk always wanted a brother, but he’s got three sisters instead. Until he shrinks to the size of a toe—and discovers Pablo, his twin brother who’s always that small! Together, they have mountains of tiny-size fun. In Attack of the Growling Eyeballs, they release a hissing cockroach at one of their sister’s slumber party and learn that tiny-size trouble can cause mega-size danger. In Escape of the Mini-Mummy, Daniel enters the school diorama contest against Vince the Pizza Prince. Pablo comes along, disguised as a toilet-papered mummy. Can Pablo help Daniel win big, or will he create big-time Egyptian chaos?

If you’re in grades 3-6 and are interested in joining Junior Owlets, please give us a call or visit us to register, or just drop into one of the meetings!

Published in: on September 13, 2011 at 1:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Summer Reading for Owlets and Fledglings

The 2010-2011 year is over for Junior Owlets, Senior Owlets & Fledglings have wrapped up for the year.  Have a look at the choices for best book of the year for each of the club. 

But we’re not going to leave you hanging until the fall.  When you’re resting up from the sprinkler jumping, bug catching and games of extreme frizbee, have a lemonade and curl up with the September and October choices for book club. 

Junior Owlets (Grades 3 – 6)
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (Sept. 10th)
Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver (Oct. 1st)

Senior Owlets (Grade 7 – 9)
The Price of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Sept. 6th)
Aarial by Collin Paulson (author visit) (Oct. 4th)

Fledglings (Grades 10 and up)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Sept. 20th)
The Amanda Project by Amanda Valentino (Oct. 18th)

Need even more?  Stop by the store and have a look at our Book Club Wall — (now complete with the scores kids have assigned this year’s books) or chat with the staff about what we’re reading now.

Published in: on June 24, 2011 at 10:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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Best Book of the Year: Junior Owlets

At the end of each year, our kids and teen book clubs look back over the ten books they’ve read and choose one as the Best Book of the Year. 

This year’s candidates for Junior Owlets were:
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
The Magic Half by Annie Barrows
100% Wolf by Jayne Lyons
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Listening for Lions byGloira Whelan
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand
Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo
Secrets of the Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty

And the winner is….

Scat by Carl Hiaasen!

 Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing.  She disappeared in the Black Vine Swamp on a school field trip.  To be honest, the kids in her class are relieved.  When the principal announces that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a “family emergency”, Nick and Marta just don’t  buy it.  They figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance. 

Scat by Carl Hiaasen was read in December and got a rating of 9.02 out of 10. 

Congratulations, Mr. Hiaasen on winning Junior Owlets Best Book of the Year 2010-2011! 

Published in: on June 7, 2011 at 4:30 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets: Secrets of the Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty

Secrets of the Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty, paperback, $8.95

Junior Owlets wrapped up their reading year today with Secrets of the Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty. 

Comments included:
Very descriptive.
Good suspense build-up.
Easy read, but with complicated undertones.
Liked how the mystery was secondary to story of Lily.
Left hanging with true story of Pete.  Needed a little more fleshing out.
Liked how reader was left in suspense, reader discovers clues and has to figure out what happened. 
Left wanting more
Although main character was girl, there’s strong interest for boys.
Mystery seemed a bit simplistic.
Good homage to Nancy Drew style of mystery. 

8.3 out of 10

Junior Owlets is a book club for kids in Grades 3 to 6.  If you’re interested in joining Juniors or one of our other clubs, check out the Book Clubs page, chat with us at the store, or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Stay tuned for the announcement of what was the Junior Owlets Best Book of the Year!

Published in: on June 4, 2011 at 2:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets and 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson, paperback, $7.99

For March, the Junior Owlets book club (Grades 3-6) read 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson. 

Here’s what they thought at the end of the discussion:

Found the writing quite suspenseful, built the tension.
Some found it quite scary.
Humour offset the tension.
Really like the author’s writing style.
Ending left reader wanting more. 
Very exciting. 
Liked author’s description.
Cupboards were personified.
Characters were very well drawn.
Author’s description actually made you feel what was happening.
Beginning was slow, which was like the pace of the town, but action came on.
Epilogue was confusing.  Was it necessary?

Final score: 7.5555555 out of ten. 

Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand, paperback, $7.00

April’s Junior Owlets meeting will be on Saturday the 9th, starting at 9am.  The book up for discussion is the first in the Scream Street series, called Fang of the Vampire. 

Meet Luke Watson, reluctant werewolf and Scream Street’s latest arrival.  With his new friens Resus Negative (wannabe vampire) and Cleo Farr (tomboy mummy), Luke thinks Scream Street might just be somewhere he can call home.  However, there’s one small problem: his parents are terrified by their new neighbors.  Can Luke find the doorway back to the real world before they’re scared to death? 

Junior Owlets is a book club for kids in Grades 3 to 6.  If you’re interested in joining Juniors or one of our other clubs, check out the Book Clubs page on our main site, chat with us at the store, or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Published in: on March 9, 2011 at 4:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets and Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, paperback, $7.50

This month’s Junior Owlets selection was Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

Sad story.
Found out about Jack through his poems.
Liked how plot revealed through the poems. 
Would have liked more description but did like how peoms gave a sense of place. 
Liked the foreshadowing.
Enjoyed journal format.
Different kind of read. 
Challenging to read story through poems.
Very sad. 
Too short.
Felt Walter Dean Myers was very anti-climactic.
Easy read, but very thoughtful and inspiring. 
Would have liked more description about the poet’s visit.
Made you think about different ways to express yourself. 
Good intro to poetry. 
Unique idea.
Realistic portrayal of children’s poetry. 

Final score: 6.2317647 out of 10.

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson, paperback, $7.99

The next Junior Owlet’s meeting will be Saturday March 5th at 9:00 am.  The book up for discussion is 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson. 

Lying in bed at night, twelve-year-old Henry York can’t ignore the thumping and scratching he hears on the other side of the attic wall.  He scrapes off the plaster and discovers doors — ninety-nine cupboards of all different size and shapes.  Through one he hears the sound of falling rain.  Through another he sees a glowing room — with a man strolling back and forth!  Henry and his cousin Herietta soon understand that these are not just cupboards.  They are, in fact, portals to other worlds. 

Junior Owlets is a book club for kids in Grades 3 to 6.  If you’re interested in joining Juniors or one of our other clubs, check out the Book Clubs page on our main site, chat with us at the store, or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Published in: on February 12, 2011 at 3:49 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Junior Owlets and Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan

Listening For Lions by Gloria Whelan, paperback $7.99CAN

This month, Junior Owlets read Listening for Lions by Gloira Whelan. 

Liked the characters: very well developed.
Made the reader love Africa.
Quite depressing in places.
Liked the descriptions of life in Africa.
Enjoyed how the characters were very believeable.
Really enjoyed the historical aspect. 
Liked all the information about birds.
Rached was an amazing character.
Part when Rachel was training to be a doctor felt rather rushed. 
Felt it ended too soon.
Wanted to know more about her life as a doctor in Africa.
Some people found it too sad.
Ended too abruptly.
Enjoyed information about Africa and England and the contrast between them. 

Final score out of ten: 8.6785714

Junior Owlets is a book club for kids in Grades 3 to 6.  If you’re interested in joining Juniors or one of our other clubs, check out the Book Clubs page on our main site, chat with us at the store, or just drop in to one of the meetings.

Published in: on January 8, 2011 at 3:52 pm  Leave a Comment  
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