An Update from our fourth Stone Soup Book Club meeting! The Stone Soup book club is open to all Stone Soup contributors and subscribers, ages 9-13, during the COVID-19-related school closures and shelter-in-place arrangements. We meet for one hour every Wednesday to discuss our chosen book via Zoom. On Wednesday, May 6, we began discussing our second book: The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz. We were so happy to have over 20 participants this week and were able to have some really great discussions! We started off the meeting by splitting up into breakout rooms in groups of three to share our overall thoughts and predictions about the book. Then we met in a whole group discussion to share those ideas out. From there, we split into two groups, one that discussed setting, and one that discussed characters. We switched groups after a ten-minute discussion. The ideas that people raised were thoughtful. We discussed how we felt that we could relate to the characters, even though they are living in 1200’s France, and how diversity and acceptance plays a large role in the book! It was great to hear everyone’s ideas! Next week, we will finish discussing The Inquisitor’s Tale. We are planning on having specific discussions about theme, and other aspects of the book that the book club members said they were really enjoying! On May 20, we will start discussing our third book, which we have yet to choose. Our Current Book: The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz Our Next Book (beginning May 20th): To Be Determined, but we will announce it next week! Participants: Anya (13), Raeha (11), Chloe (10), Georgia (11), Ever (10), Ever (10), Lena (11), Willa (11), Enni (13), Kia (11), Isabel (10), Joanna (10), Simar (6), Allegra (10), Lucy (13), Djin (10), Chloe (8), Sophia (11), Sachi (13), Iris (8), Penelope (12), Abhi (12), Ariana (9), Jackeline (12) Next meeting: Wednesday, May 13, at 1:00 p.m. PST, via Zoom. The Book Club is always open to new members!
book club
Book Club Report: The End of the Wild, by Nicole Helget (cont.)
An Update from our Third Stone Soup Book Club meeting! On Wednesday, April 29th, we were lucky enough to be joined by author, Nicole Helget, as we continued to discuss her book, The End of the Wild. Participants offered a range of penetrating questions that opened our discussion to everything from Nicole’s inspiration for the book and particular characters, to suggestions for approaching the craft of wiring fiction, to practical tips for tackling writer’s block! We all learned so much. Among those suggestions that stand out most clearly in my mind, Nicole shared that she believes each chapter in a work of fiction should always start with setting–even if only briefly. Otherwise, as she explained, the story unfolds in blackness for the reader, with no movie reel running in their imagination as they read. Before beginning, Nicole advised, you should develop your main character and determine how many companion characters will accompany them on their journey throughout the story. Your core mission, as a writer, is to decide on what it is your main character wants that they don’t have and let this drive your plot. Finally, don’t be afraid to edit! As Nicole advised, whatever doesn’t serve your story, no matter how attached to the writing you might be, must go. It was a fascinating and informative session and we’re so grateful to Nicole for joining us. The Participants: Anya, Abhi, Allegra, Arianna, Chloe, Djin, Enni, Ever, Georgia, Joanna, Lena, Lucy, Michaela, Penelope, Rachel, Raeha, Simar, Sophia, Tristan. The Stone Soup Book Club is open to all Stone Soup contributors and subscribers, age 9-13, during the COVID-19-related school closures and shelter-in-place arrangements. We meet every Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. PST for one hour via Zoom to discuss our chosen book. Next week, we will begin discussing our 2nd book: The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or the Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz. Hope to see you all there!
Book Club Report: The End of the Wild, by Nicole Helget
An Update from our Second Stone Soup Book Club meeting! The Stone Soup Book Club is open to all Stone Soup contributors and subscribers, age 9-13, during the COVID-19-related school closures and shelter-in-place arrangements. We meet every Wednesday for one hour via Zoom to discuss our chosen book. On Wednesday, April 22nd, we began discussing our first book, The End of the Wild, by Nicole Helget. We talked generally about how people felt about the book so far–whether they were hooked right away, how they felt about the writing style, etc.–before breaking into smaller groups for more in-depth discussions on setting and character development. We had a productive discussion where many interesting points were raised and some different opinions about characters emerged! The group decided to devote 2 weeks to each book we read. Next week will be our last session with The End of the Wild. We will delve into plot development and the book’s many themes, as well as revisit ideas about setting and characters. The following week we will begin discussing our 2nd book, The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or the Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz. Finally, we are very lucky to have Anya Geist (13), a Stone Soup contributor, act as a co-facilitator of our book club! 1st Book The End of the Wild, by Nicole Helget 2nd Book (beginning May 6th) The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or the Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz The Participants: Enni (13), Abhi (12), Anya (13), Lucy (12), Georgia (11), Lena (11), Mehr (12), Simar (6), Ever (10), Djin (10), Chloe (10), Joanna (10), Penelope (12), Allegra (10), Arianna (9) Next meeting: Wednesday April 29, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST, via Zoom. To receive full meeting details and reminders, please sign up for the COVID-19 mailing list here. Note that the Book Club is still open to new members if anyone couldn’t make it this time, but wants to join and read with us. Join us!
